Visit the REMS TA Center Calendar to find
trainings, Web chats, conferences, and other
stakeholder activities and events for K-12 and higher ed
practitioners on safety, security, emergency management, and
preparedness topics. All events featured are FREE to participate
in and range from virtual to in-person opportunities
for engagement and professional development.
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4 Actionable Tips to Strengthen Your Preparedness Efforts This Summer
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Improving school safety, security, emergency
management, and preparedness efforts is an ongoing process.
The summer months, when students are on summer break, are ideal
for strengthening preparedness efforts. Core planning teams can
use this time to build their education agency’s preparedness
capacity for the next academic year to ensure the safety and general
welfare of all members of the school or campus community. Below is a list
of four actionable steps your team can take to enhance your emergency
operations plan (EOP) and preparedness activities.
- Develop an annual training and exercise calendar. Trainings provide an excellent opportunity to ensure all staff, regardless of title, receive the same message. Consider topics that have been identified as needing improvement or have not been addressed for a while, as well as emerging trends. Through simulations of emergency situations, or emergency exercises, key players can practice the courses of action outlined in the EOP and examine and strengthen capacities for mitigating, responding to, and recovering from various hazards and threats. The REMS TA Center offers a variety of training programs to support your professional development and emergency preparedness capacity-building efforts.
- Conduct a site assessment. Site assessments help education agency personnel examine the safety, security, accessibility, and emergency preparedness of buildings and grounds; collect critical information that can inform the development and revision of EOPs; support ongoing assessment programs; and should be completed on at least an annual basis. Use our SITE ASSESS mobile application to conduct a thorough assessment with your team.
- Meet with community partners. Schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) are an integral part of their communities; when a community experiences a major emergency event or incident, schools and IHEs in that community are also affected. Read our fact sheet to find strategies for engaging in whole community planning.
- Update functional annexes. Functional annexes focus on critical operational functions and the courses of action developed to carry them out. Annexes must contain accurate and current information as situations, plans, and roles change throughout the school year. Use our Evacuation Sample Annex as a reference.
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Update Your Training and Exercise Program This Summer
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Ongoing training for core and ad-hoc planning teams is an essential step
for building the preparedness capacity of schools, school districts, and
IHEs and developing high-quality EOPs. Summer is the perfect time to review
and update your training and exercise program, which are often developed during
Step 5 of the six-step planning process and documented within the Basic Plan of
EOPs. The REMS TA Center is proud to offer 21 FREE downloadable Specialized Training
Package modules that can be used to facilitate virtual or in-person trainings at
your site. The modules cover a range of topics related to EOP development, including
planning for functions, hazards, and threats; implementing planning basics and
principles; and using free products and services from the REMS TA Center. Each training
module contains a presentation with speaker’s notes, instructions, and a resource
list. While there is one module for IHEs, schools and school districts can enhance their
training programs by downloading multiple modules and organizing the materials into a
binder, starting with the cover page and table of contents. To learn more about the
package and its modules, download and share our Specialized Training Package flyer.
To help practice the plan, assess gaps in your EOP, and enhance your exercise
program, consider also using the separate Emergency Exercises Training Package, which
includes fact sheets, facilitator podcasts, and participant guides for four different
tabletop exercises. Learn more about the REMS TA Center’s Specialized Training Package
modules and the Emergency Exercises Training Package by visiting the link below and
be sure to check out our latest module on Developing a Communications and Warning Annex.
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View Our Updated Web Pages for Federal Guidance
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Louisiana Partnerships Help Strengthen School Safety
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Through the Grants to States for School Emergency Management Program, the
Louisiana Department of Education works in partnership with Louisiana State University’s
National Center for Biomedical Research and Academy of Counter-Terrorist
Education (LSU NCBRT/ACE) to build capacity through training and TA to assist local
education agencies (LEAs) in creating and maintaining comprehensive emergency management
planning programs. Additional informal relationships were continued and further cultivated
between the Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Fusion Center, and Governor’s Office of Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). Specifically, a School Safety Collaborative Working
Group was established, including the Louisiana Department of Education, GOHSEP, the Louisiana State
Police, LSU NCBRT/ACE, and other organizations contributing to statewide school safety and
preparedness efforts. The School Safety Collaborative Working Group meets monthly to discuss
efforts to support a culture of preparedness in schools through legislative activities,
training, TA, and information sharing.
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NEW SEA Planning Document – Develop an LEA Contact List
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It is often important for state education agencies (SEAs) to communicate
and disseminate information to LEAs on emergency management planning and EOP
development. Do you have an up-to-date list of key contacts ready to go? Identifying
and maintaining points of contact (POCs) for LEA or school level individuals responsible
for maintaining the EOP is important work. Having this contact list in advance can benefit
SEAs in their training and TA activities. Our NEW planning
document, LEA School-Based Emergency Management Contact List,
offers recommendations for SEAs to use to
- Identify POCs at LEAs across the state and determine types of contact information to collect to develop a contact list;
- Store the contact list;
- Maintain the contact list to ensure it is up to date; and
- Use the contact list to communicate school safety information to LEAs.
An LEA school-based emergency management contact list is critical to building the capacity
of SEAs to successfully deliver training and TA to LEAs, which is why the REMS TA
Center originally developed this resource as a foundational capacity measure for
Grants to States for School Emergency Management grantees. Now, any SEA may use this
planning document to enhance school safety, security, emergency management, and
preparedness in their state. To get started with building or maintaining your
dedicated contact list, access the resource below.
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