Emergency Planning

Subtopics

Recovery

Training, Exercises, and Drills

Prepare for emergencies and know how to respond and recover.

Emergency planning is a key component of school safety that can include large-scale actions or everyday activities to build a safe school environment. These efforts can stop an emergency event from happening or reduce the impact of an incident that does occur. Emergency planning can also help schools identify and address gaps in procedures and empower school staff and local first responders to understand and manage their responsibilities.

A key component of emergency planning is creating a comprehensive school emergency operations plan (EOP), a document that describe the actions students, teachers, and school staff should take before, during, and after emergency events. Developing an EOP should be a collaborative process that includes a diverse planning team comprised of a range of school personnel as well as local and community partners. Emergency planning should also be inclusive and consider the diverse needs of the entire school community, including individuals with disabilities and students and staff requiring special accommodations. Schools should plan to review, evaluate, and update their EOP on a regular basis.

Conducting training, exercises, and developmentally appropriate drills can also support school emergency preparedness. These activities can help inform all members of the school community of their roles before, during, and after an emergency, as well as provide opportunities to practice courses of action outlined in the EOP and examine and strengthen preparedness capabilities. Exercises and drills should be tailored to account for the specific features and characteristics of the school community, including students’ developmental levels and physical abilities, and balanced with issues related to school culture and climate.

Schools and districts can plan for how they will recover from incidents before they occur, which can make the recovery process faster and more effective. As part of this, school emergency management teams should have an overall strategy and plan to support the academic, physical, emotional, and fiscal recovery of the school community following an emergency.

Featured Resources

These resources are a starting point for learning more about emergency planning. Use these resources to help prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergency events.

Additionally, SchoolSafety.gov regularly publishes issue briefs that provide a high-level overview of a specific school safety topic as well as a sampling of aligned strategies, resources, programs, and tools. Download and explore emergency planning-related issue briefs below.

Fact Sheet

Integrating K–12 Students With Disabilities Into School Emergency Management Planning

Department of Education

This fact sheet provides guidance on taking an inclusive and equitable approach to emergency management planning by considering and including the needs of students with disabilities.

Guidance

School Safety Drills and Exercises for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Tips and Resources for Educators

Third Party, 2020

This resource provides considerations on school safety drills and exercises for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It includes advocacy guidance for educators and offers school safety drill and exercise ideas for students with ASD.

Guidance

Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans

Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice

This guidance provides information to school administrators on school emergency management planning. It includes a process for developing, implementing, and refining a school Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) with community partners.

Guidance

The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans

Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice, September 2019

The District Guide serves as a complement to the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide) and provides information that can assist school districts in fulfilling both their individual and shared emergency planning responsibilities.

Filter Resources

All Emergency Planning Resources

Access additional resources below to learn more about K-12 emergency planning and related best practices. Use the filters to sort resources based on subtopic and/or preparedness action.

Checklist

Safe and Supportive Schools: 20 Questions Every Parent Should Ask

Third Party, 2018

This resource provides a list of questions to help parents and guardians have a conversation with school principals about school safety policies and procedures; preventative resources for students, families and school personnel; and what type of communication channels in place for families and students.

Report

Training for School Personnel to Prevent, Prepare and Respond to School Safety Incidents

Department of Justice, 2022

This article provides an overview of four common training topics related to school safety and what the evidence says about their efficacy.

Tool

Straight-A Safety Toolkits

Third Party, 2016

This resource consists of three toolkits aimed to help schools assess, act, and audit school safety efforts. The toolkits include insights and practical guidance, conversation starters, prompts for discussion, activities, and information to aid school safety and security improvements.