Back to School Safety
Tuesday August 16, 2022
School is starting back this month for most of the U.S., meaning that school safety will be at the top of mind for parents. Staff at elementary, middle and high schools can use our tips to improve their safety plans and preemptively protect students from threats and hazards during the year.
Hazards
A hazard is defined as a natural disaster or weather event that has the potential to affect the school. These events can happen at any time, with little warning. These hazards include extreme cold and freezing temps, extreme heat, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Schools should already have drills to prepare students and staff for these events, but more can be done in terms of being prepared.
Buildings should be inspected, especially older buildings, for protection standards. Contact a professional to evaluate your schools’ buildings and point out areas that may need to be reinforced/improved. Be sure your school has an action plan for keeping students safe and also how to reunite students and parents in the event of any emergency. Your school should have a separate plan for each individual type of disaster (go to higher ground in a flood, shelter in place in a tornado, etc…)
Your school should have a cache of preparedness supplies in case students and staff are stuck in an emergency situation. Use this list as a guide for your school:
- Emergency Food
- Emergency Water
- First Aid Kits
- Emergency Kits (Specifically our School Safety Kit)
- PPE Items
Threats
A threat is a human-caused event that has the possibility to affect a school. This includes active shooters, bomb threats, criminal threats, cyberattacks, terrorism and others.
“At the time of the event, school shootings can seem random and unprompted. However, after some investigation, missed warning signs tend to surface. Schools can educate teachers and students about different warning signs that could lead to an ASE and improve measures to address them. For instance, schools might increase counseling services for all students and their families, paying special attention to students who display violent outbursts, have difficult or violent home lives, are bullied or struggle to develop positive relationships with peers. Helping students develop and maintain good mental health and a sense of self-worth along with looking for warning signs and addressing them before a problem occurs can help ensure that schools remains a safe space for students.” (Accredited Schools Online)
Preparing supplies for one of these situations can be difficult as many assumptions are made in planning and it may seem impossible to prepare for every possibility but having some specific items on campus can drastically help keep students and staff safe.
- Public Access Bleed Control Station 8 Pack W/Mount
- First Aid Bleed Stop Kit Level 3
- General Preparedness Supplies
