What does collaboration mean to you? In the context of emergency management planning, the first step for creating, maintaining, or improving emergency operations plans (EOPs) is to form a collaborative planning team. But collaboration doesn’t end with Step 1, it is a planning principle that should be woven into every step of the six-step planning process. By partnering with a range of stakeholders throughout the education agency and local community, your EOP benefits from a diverse range of input and expertise that can help improve the broader safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness capacity of a school or institution of higher education (IHE). The REMS TA Center has published a NEW series of fact sheets on collaboration to help school and campus communities develop high-quality EOPs and work together to ensure the safety of the whole school or campus community.

• Collaborating With the Media: Establishing Strategic Partnerships for Emergency Operations Plans
• Collaboration and Community Partnerships: Strategies for Effective School and Higher Ed Emergency Operations Plan Development
• Collaborating With Youth-Serving Organizations to Enhance School Emergency Operations Plans
• Collaborating With K-12 Administrators: Engaging Leadership in School Emergency Operations Plans, developed in collaboration with the National Association of Secondary School Principals
• Families and Caregivers as Partners in School Emergency Management

Recognizing that collaboration is essential for preparedness, the REMS TA Center hosts a Webinar series on the role of different K-12 staff members and community partners in EOP development and school safety that schools can incorporate into the core or ad-hoc planning teams. Our latest Webinars include

• The Role of School Mental Health Professionals in Supporting School Safety Efforts
• The Role of School Nutrition Directors in School Safety Efforts
• The Role of Public Health Officials in School Safety Efforts as Community Partners

National School Psychology Week is November 7 – 11, 2022 and is sponsored by the National Association of School Psychologists. During this week, schools and school districts are invited to celebrate school psychologists and their contributions to helping students thrive. This year’s theme is “Together We Shine.”

School psychologists are uniquely trained to deliver high-quality, evidence-based mental and behavioral health services in schools. While their services are mostly provided to students, they also collaborate with other members of the school community. For example, they consult with teachers and administrators on strategies and interventions for reducing barriers to learning; educate families about the impact of toxic stress, adversity, and trauma; and support teachers, administrators, and other school staff in building culturally responsive and positive relationships with staff and students. They also provide professional learning on Adverse Childhood Experiences and teach adaptive coping strategies and resiliency to students and staff. School psychologists are essential to maintaining the balance between physical and psychological safety within school environments by helping students be safe from the inside out.

Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) trains teachers and other staff as a critical link in promoting resilience, in recognizing the signs of traumatic stress, and in helping students and their families regain a sense of normalcy after an emergency event. The REMS TA Center’s recently released fact sheet, Psychological First Aid: How to Help Students Recover After a Personal, Community, or School-Based Emergency, explores the goals of PFA models, outlines when and how schools can implement PFA, including considerations to keep in mind when implementing, and describes the type of training school staff need to use this strategy effectively. Check it out using the link below and share with the school psychologists, counselors, mental health coordinators, teachers, administrators, and others in your education agency to support the work that they do for schools.

We are fast approaching winter, which can bring freezing rain, extreme cold temperatures, snowfall, blizzards, and even power failure. Is your school or campus vulnerable to winter precipitation? If so, your core planning team may prioritize reviewing and revising annexes in your EOP that could be activated due to winter precipitation. One functional annex that is particularly important is the Communications and Warning/Notification Annex, which outlines how personnel will communicate necessary information to the whole school or campus community, as well as external stakeholders, before, during, and after an emergency incident. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio All Hazards (NWRs) provides 24/7 broadcasting of the latest weather information from local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. The information collected through the NWR may be used to determine which annexes should be activated. Furthermore, NWRs may be used to receive information in the event of a power outage, a Wi-Fi outage, or an overloaded mobile phone network.

The REMS TA Center developed a fact sheet in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NOAA, NWS, titled “Using NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) to Enhance School and Higher Education Emergency Preparedness and Response,” for K-12 schools, school districts, and IHEs to use in preparation for emergency notifications. Educators, faculty, and staff may find this fact sheet useful for obtaining additional information specific to their geographic area, considering where to station NWR receivers on their campus, and integrating NWR receivers into their emergency exercises.

In 2022, the REMS TA Center released two NEW training modules on cybersecurity and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. These materials and presentations are for you to use at your site and/or on your own in support of training efforts. Interested in what the Specialized Training Package is and how it can supplement your training and exercise program? Review the FAQs the REMS TA Center has gathered and download a module today.

How should I use it? Download the module(s) you wish to use from the Training Packages Web page and review the instructions within. Then use the materials to deliver a training to your colleagues virtually or in person. You may also use the materials for independent learning opportunities. Assemble all modules together with the cover page and table of contents. You may also review and disseminate a flyer to learn about and share information on the materials.

What are the contents? Each module includes everything you need to conduct trainings onsite or virtually with your team. Materials include a presentation with speaker’s notes, instructions, and a resource list; some modules also include a tabletop exercise and other handouts. In total, there are 20 modules and counting.

Which topics are covered? Each module focuses on an annex or topic related to EOP development. This includes emergency management functions such as recovery, family reunification, continuity of operations, and bereavement and loss; hazards and threats like adult sexual misconduct, infectious disease, and food contamination; and planning basics and principles including collaborating with school resource officers, memoranda of understanding, educator resilience and self-care, large events, disabilities and other access/functional needs, and the six-step planning process.

The REMS on the Air podcast series offers a great opportunity to highlight key topics and partners in the field of K-12 and higher ed emergency management. Our podcast currently features 10 series of episodes on the following topics:

• Series #1: A Look at State School Safety Models
• Series #2: Creating, Revising, and Enhancing Emergency Operations Plans to Support Cyber Safety
• Series #3: Opioids, Drug-Related Emergencies, and Substance Abuse Prevention Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Series #4: Understanding the Link Between Social-Emotional Learning and School Safety
• Series #5: Providing Supports for Students and Families Experiencing Homelessness
• Series #6: Managing Recovery Through Planning and Partnerships
• Series #7: Planning for Reunification in the Event of an Emergency
• Series #8: Managing Evacuation in the Event of an Emergency
• Series #9: Conducting Assessments to Enhance Emergency Management Planning
• Series #10: Using Tip Lines to Prevent Potential Emergencies

We want to hear from you!

• Send us topic ideas that you would like to see featured.
• Propose experts and other key stakeholders in the field to interview.
• Send us follow-up questions and/or comments on information shared within each episode or related to a specific series.

Email info@remstacenter.org with #REMSontheAir in the subject line; tag @remstacenter in a post via Twitter; or call our toll-free phone number at 1-855-781-REMS [7367] to share your ideas, requests, and questions.