Yesterday, the Obama Administration released comprehensive emergency guidelines on school safety for school districts. These guidelines were assembled from contributions by four federal agencies – The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Education, Justice and Health and Human Services. The plan was prompted by the Sandy Hook School Shooting, but features guidelines for preventing, protection and response for technological, human-caused, natural and biological threats to school safety. The report details broadly how schools can plan for emergencies more effectively, and provides specific questions that emergency management planning teams will need to address. The guidelines also focus on specific federal legislation, detailing how and when acts such as Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA will apply to emergency situations.
The guidelines also state that in terms of school climate, school districts should create positive, less punitive environments so that students feel safe reporting issues. In addressing situations that involve active shooters specifically, the guidelines remind school districts that there is no foolproof way to predict an active shooter or respond once the incident once started. The guidelines specify that students and staff should be trained to diffuse troubling situations and learn the best methods for survival once an event has begun.
CEC commends the administration for releasing these guidelines and will continue to monitor the ongoing conversation about emergency management, particularly as it pertains to students with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who work with them.
Read more about CEC’s response to Sandy Hook and the emerging conversation about keeping our students safe.