Implementing School Safety (Crisis) Plans (Preview)

Part 1: Intro & Objectives

School safety is a topic that has received a great deal of attention by the media in recent years. Before teaching and learning issues can be addressed, teachers, students, and parents need to feel that their school is a safe learning environment.

This module will address some basic issues related to school safety. After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

  1. Identify steps in creating a school safety plan
  1. Recognize different disasters that should be included in a school safety plan
  1. Locate additional resources related to school safety

Part 2: Demonstration Videos

School safety is a topic that has become extremely important for schools. Prior to this video, think about the school safety plans that are in place at your school.

Listen for the many different parts of the school safety plan that are addressed during the video.

Now that you have watched the video, you probably have some feelings and opinions about the school leaders behavior.

Below are some questions and statements to consider and discuss and even write down before talking to a colleague about them:

  1. What major types of school safety issues were addressed in the video?
  1. Which ones were not discussed?

Create a list of steps a leader could take to communicate school safety plans with the community.

This video involves a conversation between a principal and mentor related to school safety. The mentor asks the principal about many different components of the school’s safety plan.


Part 3: Resources & Activities

Articles

Due to copyright law, several readings cannot be hosted on this site. However, we encourage you to ask for assistance locating materials from your library media specialist. Many library services are freely available to educators.

Schools and Readiness

This National School Safety Center website provides a list created to maintain a safe school and implement during a crisis if needed. The website also provides a list of possible disaster situation schools should consider.

National School Safety Center (2010, July 15). Schools and readiness [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.schoolsafety.us/

View Article

Preparing your school for a crisis

This U.S. Department of Education provides a basic overview of some of the most important parts of crisis planning. It also has links to other helpful resources related to school safety.

US Department of Education (n.d.). Practical information on crisis planning brochure. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/

View Article

Part 4: Review & Reflect

Please address the following questions and issues below. If you have difficulty, go back and review the lesson.

  1. What are the essential steps in creating a school safety plan?
  1. How should you communicate that plan with stakeholders?
  1. Analyze your current school safety plan and identify areas of strength and weakness. What are some additional resources you could use to address school safety?

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