Did you know that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, or #CyberMonth for short? The REMS TA Center invites K-12 schools, school districts, institutions of higher education (IHEs), regional education agencies, and state education agencies, with their community partners, to engage in cybersecurity planning and preparedness activities all month long. This awareness activity is in its 18th year and is an opportunity to engage your whole school or campus community and build your education agency’s cybersecurity preparedness.
Utilize the partner toolkit and presentation or
sample social media posts and graphics from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to spread the word to your stakeholders and train them on how to be safer and more secure online.
The 2021 theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” Each week will have a different focus: (1) Be Cyber Smart, (2) Fight the Phish!,
(3) Explore. Experience. Share., and (4) Cybersecurity First. Consider using the following resources throughout the weeks:
K-12 cyber safety,
K-12 cybersecurity, and
IHE cybersecurity fact sheets;
cyber safety quick links; and
IHE cybersecurity and
K-12 cybersecurity Webinars.
Additionally, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children maintains the
NetSmartz, CyberTipline, and
Into the Cloud programs. Find more resources from the U.S. Department of Education and Federal agency partners on the
topic-specific Web page.
|
|
|
Connecting With the Whole School Community Through the Communications Annex
|
|
|
The Communications Annex outlines how personnel will clearly and effectively communicate necessary information to the whole school or campus community, as well as external stakeholders, before, during, and after an emergency incident. This may include emergency protocols (ideally disseminated before an emergency), internal communication within the Incident Command Center, coordinated communication with community partners, status updates to families, and public information for the media. The ability to communicate timely information to students, faculty, staff, and families can help build the overall preparedness capacity of an education agency and can help with a range of hazards and threats.
When creating, reviewing, revising, and/or updating your Communications Annex, schools and IHEs may want to consider
- Ensuring that relevant community members are trained and can properly operate communications equipment.
- Accounting for any technology barriers faced by students, faculty, staff, and families who may not have access to the devices or services needed to receive communications.
- Communicating via a variety of channels, including social media, to reach as many members of the school community as possible.
- Addressing barriers for individuals with access and functional needs. For example, schools and IHEs may provide sign language interpreters for use during press conferences, publish accessible documents, and make Websites accessible.
|
|
|
Wildfire Preparedness for K-12 Schools and IHEs
|
|
|
Wildfires are unplanned, unwanted fires that burn in natural areas like forests, canyons, grasslands, or prairies (see the
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s [FEMA] Ready Campaign). They can spread quickly, becoming a community-wide emergency that can cause disruptions to teaching and learning; extended closures for schools and IHEs; and trauma for students, faculty, staff, and families. The REMS TA Center and our Federal partners have developed several resources to assist schools and IHEs plan and prepare for wildfires.
|
|
|
How Your Education Agency Can Benefit From the NEW Earthquake Preparedness for Schools Virtual Training by Request (VTBR)
|
|
|
We’re excited to announce the release of our new Earthquake Preparedness for Schools Train-the-Educator VTBR right in time for
International ShakeOut Day on Thursday, October 21. Education agencies can utilize our 4-hour virtual training to train school staff and personnel about the risks posed by earthquakes and how to plan for an earthquake that may impact the school community and its buildings and grounds and those within the surrounding community.
Featured within this training are the six-step planning process outlined in the
Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide) and how to use this process to develop an Earthquake Annex. The training also presents courses of action that planning teams may want to consider when developing hazard-specific and functional annexes relevant to earthquakes. Throughout the training, small-group discussions allow participants to discuss earthquake-related activities at their schools or in their communities and gain a foundation for developing their EOP with their partners. Visit our Website to learn more about this training topic and what you can do before, during, and after the ShakeOut.
|
|
|
Did you miss one of our recent Webinars? All of the REMS TA Center’s Webinars are archived on our Website for your viewing at any time.
Understanding the Role of School Nurses in Supporting School Safety Before, During, and After an Emergency
On August 10, 2021, the REMS TA Center hosted a Webinar with the National Association of School Nurses to highlight and discuss the role school nurses have in supporting overall school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness before, during, and after an emergency. During this Webinar, presenters provided an overview of the foundational elements of the School Guide by six Federal agencies and discussed the importance of including school nurses in supporting the before, during, and after aspects of an emergency. Presenters also discussed the roles school nurses play in the development of school EOPs and emergency-specific annexes. Additionally, presenters identified specific roles school nurses can serve in and actionable tasks they can perform to help implement preparedness efforts.
Building State-Level Relationships to Support Education Agencies With Disaster Response and Recovery Planning
On September 14, 2021, the REMS TA Center hosted a Webinar with the U.S. Department of Education, FEMA, and partners from the state of California to highlight the importance of building relationships at the state level to support education agencies with disaster and emergency response and recovery planning and to assist school districts with understanding how FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Program funding can support these efforts. During this Webinar, presenters provided an overview of the importance of relationship building at the state level to support education agencies with disaster response and recovery planning, and support education agencies with accessing FEMA PA Program funding following presidentially declared disasters and emergencies. Panelists showcased the challenges of education agencies; how relationships support recovery and response planning and grant funding access; and capacity-building efforts that have enhanced school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness at the local and state levels. Additionally, presenters shared resources to assist local and state education and emergency management agency planning partners with accessing the FEMA PA Program and with collaborating around response and recovery planning.
Understanding the Role of School Psychologists in Supporting School Safety Before, During, and After an Emergency
On September 15, 2021, the REMS TA Center hosted a Webinar with the National Association of School Psychologists to highlight and
discuss the role school psychologists can play in supporting EOP development as well as overall school safety,
security, emergency management, and preparedness before, during, and after an emergency.
During this Webinar, presenters provided an overview of the foundational elements of the
School Guide by six Federal agencies and discussed the importance of including school psychologists in supporting the before, during, and after aspects of an emergency. Presenters also discussed the roles school psychologists play in the development of school EOPs, including functional and threat- and hazard-specific annexes. Additionally, presenters highlighted specific roles school psychologists can serve in as they support school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness, as well as actionable tasks they can perform to help implement preparedness efforts.
|
|
|
Top Tweet for the Month of September
|
|
|
Follow our official @remstacenter Twitter page to receive news and updates on free trainings and resources for higher ed and school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness.
|
|
|
|