NEW Interlocal and Mutual Aid Agreements Web Page 

In emergency situations, education agencies need to be able to collaborate quickly and effectively with community partners such as first responders, faith-based organizations, and neighboring schools and institutions of higher education. For this reason, it is essential to establish and maintain formal agreements with community partners before an emergency occurs to ensure smooth coordination, communication, and resource management at each phase of an incident. Two agreement structures applicable to all education settings are mutual aid agreements (MAAs) and interlocal agreements (ILAs).

Learn more about agreement structures in K-12 and higher education

The REMS TA Center has created a NEW web page to provide an overview of ILAs, MAAs, and the role of each in K-12 and higher education emergency operations plans. Based on an interview with K-12 subject matter expert, Anne Gilligan, and higher education subject matter expert, Ali Shah, this page answers frequently asked questions regarding the features of these two agreement structures and how to implement them effectively in various educational settings. Answers are organized into education-level drop-down menus to ease navigation and highlight differences in application between K-12 and higher education. Visit the page to explore

• An overview and definitions of ILAs and MAAs;
• Distinctions between ILAs and MAAs in terms of focus and purpose, scope and duration, legal and administrative frameworks, and implementation and activation;
• The benefits and challenges involved in forming ILAs and MAAs;
• Monitoring, evaluation, and review considerations;
• Tips for enacting and activating each of these agreement structures; and
• Examples of successful ILAs and MAAs in both K-12 and higher education.

Interlocal and Mutual Aid Agreements Web Page

You are invited to use, share, and bookmark this web page for reference at any time.

If you have any questions or need additional assistance,
please contact the REMS TA CENTER at 1-855-781-REMS [7367]
or via email at info@remstacenter.org