Understanding the Basic Plan
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Planning for Infectious Diseases and Supporting COVID-19 Vaccination
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
NEW Flyers and Resource Lists in the Spanish Language
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
#REMSChatWithAnExpert Twitter Series
|
|
|
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!
|
|
|
|