Emergency Management Planning for Schools

Information for Schools about the coronavirus (COVID-19)

Laws and Regulations

• An Act Requiring Automated External Defibrillators in Schools, Chapter 443 of the Acts of 2016 (approved January 13, 2017).
  • Related Department Guidance
• An Act Relative to the Reduction of Gun Violence, Bill H. 4376, Section 7 (approved July 30, 2014).
• An Act Relative to Medical Emergency Response Plans for Schools, Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2012 (approved April 18, 2012)
• Multi-Hazard Evacuation Plans for Schools, Section 363 of Chapter 159 of the Acts of 2000

Also see DESE's Bullying Prevention and Intervention and Medical and Behavioral Health Emergency Response Plan web pages for additional information on school safety laws and regulations.

Additional Information and Resources

• Evidence Based Programs, Curricula and Practices
• Information for Families
• School Resource Officer MOU Information
• Resources
  • By Topic
  • From State Agencies
  • At the National Level
• View all

---

Evidence Based Programs, Curricula and Practices

Please note that the following programs and links are provided as resources for schools and districts. School and district leaders have discretion to select evidence-based curricula and other resources that are not on the list. Local education officials should determine which school safety curricula and strategies are most appropriate for each school and grade they oversee, taking into account students' developmental stages, community contexts, and other factors.

• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
  CISA partners with educational institutions to make schools safer for students, staff and parents
• Readiness and Emergency Management in Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center
  Part of the U.S. Department of Education's initiative to support schools in the development of high-quality emergency operations plans (EOPs) and comprehensive emergency planning efforts.
• Multihazard Emergency Planning for Schools Toolkit
  Sample forms and checklists from the FEMA training, designed for school personnel and emergency planning partners.
• FEMA — Emergency Management Institute (EMI) School Program
  Online training, tools and resources available for emergency planning in schools.
• Safe School Facilities
  National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
• Youth Preparedness: A National Framework
  A collaboration between FEMA, Red Cross, and the U.S. Department of Education that provides guidelines and tools for youth preparedness programs.

Information for Families

COVID-19 Resources

• COVID-19 Information for Families-Healthy Children.Org, American Academy of Pediatrics
• Helping Children Cope with Emergencies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Supporting Our Kids Through the COVID-19 Crisis, Child Mind Institute Tips for Nurturing and Protecting Children at Home

Emergency planning starts at home. Here are some resources to help engage children in family emergency planning efforts:

• Be a Hero Games for Kids, FEMA's Ready.Gov
• Family Emergency Plan, FEMA's Ready.Gov
• Ready Wrigley Activity Books for Children, CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response

School Resource Officer (SRO) MOU Information

SRO Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Related Resources

• Section 37P of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as amended by Section 79 of chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020.

• School Resource Officer (SRO) Model Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): This model MOU is available as a resource for school districts and police departs to adapt for their use in defining SRO roles and responsibilities.

• School Year 2022-2023 data submitted to DESE

Resources

Resources by Topic

Bullying and Harassment

• Please see the Bullying Prevention and Intervention page on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website

Bus Safety

• Back to School Safety, National Safety Council
• Driving Safely —School Buses, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning

• Continuity of Operations (COOP) Annex with Related Resources, REMS Technical Assistance Center
• Continuity of Operations Planning, Specialized Training Package, REMS Technical Assistance Center

Drills and Exercises

• Multihazard Emergency Planning for Schools: Conducting Exercises and Drills Toolkit contains documents to assist in planning and evaluating exercises and drills, tabletop scenarios, and developing after-action resorts/improvement plans

Emergency Operations Planning (EOP)

• Building Blocks to School Safety, REMS Technical Assistance Center — A Toolkit for Schools and Districts for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans
• EOP Assist, REMS Technical Assistance Center — A free, web-accessible software application designed to help K-12 schools and school districts create and update high-quality school EOPs.
• Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans, REMS Technical Assistance Center
• An Action Item Worksheet helps you to identify the action items that support school EOP sustainability and implementation efforts.

NIMS/ICS

• National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Incident Command System (ICS) Resource Center, FEMA
• FAQs about NIMS Implementation Activities for Schools, FEMA

Positive Learning Environment

• The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
• School Climate and Emergencies, REMS Technical Assistance Center

Preparedness

• Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP), FEMA
• Youth Emergency Preparedness Curriculum (for Grades 1-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12), FEMA

Prevention and Mitigation

• Mitigating Hazards in School Facilities, FEMA
• Education Facilities Clearinghouse's Safety Resource Page

Recovery

• Children and Trauma: Update for Mental Health Professionals, American Psychological Association
• Coping with the Death of a Student or Staff Member, REMS Technical Assistance Center
• National Association of School Psychologists
  • Addressing Grief: Tips for Teachers and Parents
• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
  • Back to School Resources for School Personnel

Reunification

• Post-Disaster Reunification of Children: A Nationwide Approach, a report by U.S. Department of Homeland Safety (DHS), FEMA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Red Cross, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• Databases to assist in family reunification in an emergency:
  • National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System (NEFRLS)
  • National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC)

School Health

• Information for Schools about the coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Bureau of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Influenza
  • Pandemic Flu Planning, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
  • School Planning, Flu.gov
  • Pandemic Influenza Checklist for Schools, King County Schools, Office of the Director, Washington State

Special Needs/ Functional and Access Needs

• Best Practices for Evacuating and Sheltering Individuals with Special Needs, National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
• Effective Communications for People with Disabilities: Before, During and After Emergencies, National Council on Disability
• Individuals with Disabilities or Access & Functional Needs, Ready.Gov
• Integrating the needs of students and staff with disabilities and other access and functional needs, Specialized Training Package, REMS Technical Assistance Center
• My Personal Emergency Plan, Individuals Requiring Additional Assistance Preparedness Project, Western Mass Ready

Suicide Prevention

• American Association for Suicidology
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS)
• Suicide Prevention Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Threat and Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA)

• Identifying hazards
  • Common Natural and Human-Made Disasters in Massachusetts found on the Ready Massachusetts webpage.
  • Threat and Hazard Type Examples — REMS Technical Assistance Center
• Assessing hazards
  • Assessing School-Based Hazards: Hazard Assessment Checklist, FEMA
  • Site Assessment — examines the safety, accessibility, and emergency preparedness of the school's buildings and grounds.
    • NCEF Assessment Guide: School Grounds and Site Access Control
  • Culture and Climate Assessment — evaluates student and staff connectedness to the school and problem behaviors.
    • Safe Supportive Learning's School Climate Survey Compendia
  • School Threat Assessment — analyzes communication and behaviors to determine whether a student, staff member, or other person may pose a threat.
  • Capacity Assessment — examines the capabilities of students and staff as well as the services and material resources of community partners.

Violence

• Best Practice Considerations for Schools in Active Shooter and Other Armed Assailant Drills: Guidance from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), 2014
• Tips for Protecting Children in Violence-Based Emergencies, Save the Children
• Safe School Initiative, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Secret Service on preventing school violence.

Weather-related Emergencies

• Follow National Weather Service's (NWS) Forecast Office — Boston/Taunton, MA
• Sign up for Massachusetts Alerts, a free public safety alerting app including notifications on severe weather watches and warnings

Resources from State Agencies

• School Resource Officer Model Memorandum of Understanding: This MOU is available as a resource for school districts and police departs to adapt for their use in defining SRO roles and responsibilities.
• Massachusetts Department of Fire Services
  • Fire Prevention in Schools
  • School Safety Memo — August 2024
  • School Fire Safety Reference
  • School Fire MFIRS Guidance
    • 3a. Form FP-200
  • PASS Barricade Statement
  • Fire Drill Record
  • School Fire Reporting Law Memo — January 2024
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health — School Health Services
• Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
• Massachusetts State Police
• Massachusetts Task Force Report on School Safety and Security (July 2014)
• Other Grants to States for School Emergency Management (GSEM) partners:
  • Colorado: Colorado School Safety Resource Center
  • Ohio: Safer Schools Ohio
  • Washington: School Safety Center

Resources at the National Level

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Caring for Children in a Disaster
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — School Safety
• The National School Safety Center
• Save the Children — Get Ready Get Safe
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — Safe Schools/Healthy Student (SS/HS)
• US Department of Education — Office of Elementary and Secondary Education — Office of Safe and Healthy Students

---

For more information or assistance, please contact:

The Office of Student and Family Support (SFS) via achievement@mass.gov or 781-338-3010.

Last Updated: June 8, 2023