Emergency operations plans (EOPs) typically begin with the Basic Plan, which provides an overview of the school’s or institution of higher education’s approach to emergency operations. This approach outlines elements that are not specific to a particular hazard or threat type, but rather applicable regardless of the situation. The Basic Plan includes multiple sections that create a framework of the plan:

• Introductory Material
• Purpose and Situation Overview
• Concept of Operations
• Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
• Direction, Control, and Coordination
• Information Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination
• Training and Exercises
• Administration, Finance, and Logistics
• Plan Development and Maintenance
• Authorities and References

It is important for school and school district leaders to weigh in on this portion of the EOP, as mandates, legislation, or other policies might be captured in each section. In addition, it is recommended to revise the Basic Plan continually to ensure alignment with local and state requirements and to reflect updates made, such as changes to Memorandum of Understanding, new policies directed by the school or district Human Resources offices, etc.

Did you know that January 11 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day? The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign and REMS TA Center invite you to participate by: 1) wearing a piece of blue clothing, 2) taking a photo of yourself, and 3) posting the photo on social media with the #WearBlueDay hashtag. Encourage your family, friends, and colleagues to join you in the photo or participate in the awareness activity on their own.

The entire month of January and the new year is a great time to reconfirm your commitment to preventing and addressing human trafficking within your school/campus community. Consider reviewing your Human Trafficking Annex, making enhancements as a planning team, and/or conducting training within your school/campus community on its contents. For support, watch archived Webinars from the REMS TA Center and the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, read the Human Trafficking in America’s Schools guide (also available in HTML), or access a student toolkit for engaging campuses and raising awareness of human trafficking.

Infectious diseases encompass viral (e.g., influenza), bacterial (e.g., MRSA), and fungal (e.g., ringworm) illnesses and can be categorized according to the rate at which they infect the population (case, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic). Many infectious diseases can be prevented — or transmission can be mitigated or stopped — through vaccines, safe food-handling, adherence to disease prevention practices, and education and outreach. K-12 schools and institutions of higher education can play a crucial role in supporting COVID-19 vaccination. Download the NEW Safe Schools Checklist and toolkits for school communities (also in Spanish), historically black colleges and universities, and high school or college students; sign up for the COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge; and watch archived Webinars for K-12 and higher ed practitioners.

Use lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance your Infectious Disease Annex. Your planning team can get started by conducting an infectious disease tabletop exercise with the REMS TA Center Emergency Exercises Package, which contains a podcast, scenario/injects, instructions, and resources. Partake in asynchronous learning opportunities on developing an Infectious Disease Annex by taking an online course and/or downloading the Infectious Disease Planning module. Alternatively, your team can deliver the training module and its materials to your team as a synchronous learning opportunity.

The REMS TA Center is pleased to announce new flyers and resource lists featuring tools, trainings, and resources that are available in the Spanish language for K-12 and higher ed practitioners. Additionally, the REMS TA Center has created social media graphics for you to download and post to spread the word about these new resources.

• Free Emergency Management Planning Tools for Education Agencies in the Spanish Language — Highlights the tools and trainings offered by the REMS TA Center for schools and institutions of higher education in the Spanish language.
• Herramientas de Planificación Gratis para el Manejo de Emergencias para Agencias de Educación en el Idioma de Español — Destaca las herramientas y capacitaciones que ofrece el REMS TA Center para escuelas e instituciones de educación superior en el Idioma de Español.
• Spanish Resources on School Emergency Management Planning — Lists resources in emergency management planning for K-12 schools, school districts, state education agencies, and regional education agencies, with their community partners.
• Recursos en el Idioma Español Sobre la Planificación de Gestión de Emergencia en las Escuelas — Lista los recursos para las escuelas K-12, los distritos escolares, las agencias estatales de educación y las agencias educativas regionales, con sus socios comunitarios, en la planificación del manejo de emergencias.

We began a new Twitter Chat series in 2021 that we will be continuing to host in 2022: #REMSChatWithAnExpert. During these events, subject matter experts answer a variety of questions based on their background, profession, and field of expertise. Recent topics include National School Psychology Week and The Role of a School Nurse in School Safety. These sessions act as a virtual way to connect your community stakeholders with an expert in relevant and seasonal topics. Thinking of participating? It’s easy! Follow us on Twitter, and when an event is hosted, we will tweet an image of our topic, series time, and the subject matter expert(s) involved. Do you have a specific topic you’d like for us to feature? Send us a tweet @remstacenter about what information would be beneficial to your community!