Emergency Preparedness

President Joe Biden signs an executive order that aims to help schools make active shooter drills less traumatic for students, during an event with Vice President Kamala Harris and others in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sept. 26, 2024.
President Joe Biden signs an executive order that aims to help schools make active shooter drills more effective and less traumatic for students during an event with Vice President Kamala Harris and others in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sept. 26, 2024.
Susan Walsh/AP
School Climate & Safety Prepared But Not Scared: Biden Orders New Guidance on School Drills
Biden ordered new federal guidance on active shooter drills in schools.
Evie Blad, September 27, 2024
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3 min read
Photograph of crime scene tape and school.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
School Climate & Safety Preparing for and Responding to School Threats: Resources for Administrators
Resources to help schools prepare for and respond to threats of violence.
Evie Blad, September 24, 2024
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4 min read
Boardman high school principal Cynthia Fernback checks classroom doors to make sure they are locked during a lockdown drill, on Feb. 14, 2019, in Boardman, Ohio.
Principal Cynthia Fernback checks classroom doors to make sure they are locked during a lockdown drill on Feb. 14, 2019, in Boardman, Ohio. A new survey from the RAND Corporation finds that most teachers don't feel safer from participating in lockdown drills.
Tony Dejak/AP
School Climate & Safety Lockdown Drills Don't Make Teachers Feel Safer
More teachers than not also say the ubiquitous simulations don't help them feel more prepared for an active shooter or other emergency.
Libby Stanford, September 23, 2024
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6 min read
Illustration of sad/angry boy.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety A Surge of Violent School Threats Creates a Communication Crisis for Districts
School threats requires districts to juggle nuanced messages for parents, students, and communities.
Evie Blad, September 20, 2024
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6 min read
092024 river grove thumbnail BS
School & District Management Video Tour a School Built to Stay Open in Extreme Weather
River Grove Elementary is built to stay open, with the lights on, as extreme weather strikes.
Caitlynn Peetz & Kaylee Domzalski, September 20, 2024
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2 min read
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Community members set up a makeshift memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 7, after a two teachers and two students died in a shooting there. Schools around the country have responded to hundreds of threats since that Sept. 4 shooting.
Mike Stewart/AP
School Climate & Safety Schools Respond to Surge of Threats After Georgia School Shooting
Bomb threats, copycats, and pranks—some from outside the United States—have disrupted schools across the nation.
Evie Blad, September 17, 2024
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5 min read
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
A memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., honors victims of the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting in which two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed.
Mike Stewart/AP
School Climate & Safety A Resource Guide to Help Schools Move Forward After a Shooting
Administrators have a responsibility no one wants in the wake of school violence. Here are some resources to help.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 12, 2024
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4 min read
Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith provides an update on the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Sept. 4, 2024.
Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith provides an update on the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Sept. 4, 2024.
John Spink/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via TNS
School Climate & Safety Why Responding to Student Threats Is So Complicated
News that the FBI got a tip a year before a Georgia school shooting sparked questions about whether the attack could have been avoided.
Evie Blad & Olina Banerji, September 5, 2024
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8 min read
Flowers are placed at the foot of the welcome sign to Apalachee High School for a makeshift memorial Thursday morning, Sept. 5, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Flowers are placed at the foot of the welcome sign to Apalachee High School for a makeshift memorial Thursday morning, Sept. 5, 2024, in Winder, Ga. Police said an emergency alert system that was new to the school notified them to the emergency, allowing them to respond quickly and prevent the attack from becoming deadlier.
John Spink/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via TNS
School Climate & Safety A Panic Button May Have Saved Lives in Ga. School Shooting. Here's What We Know
Police said an emergency system that alerted them to a shooting at Apalachee High School kept the tragedy from becoming worse.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 5, 2024
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5 min read
Image of students taking a test.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
IT Infrastructure & Management How Schools Can Survive a Global Tech Meltdown
The CrowdStrike incident this summer is a cautionary tale for schools.
Kevin Bushweller, August 28, 2024
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8 min read
City of Hialeah Police Commander Orlando Salvat, right, and Sgt. Rolando Rios, left, rush to a simulated active shooting as instructor Vincent Torres, center, follows during a training session, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla.
City of Hialeah Police Commander Orlando Salvat, right, and Sgt. Rolando Rios, left, rush to a simulated active shooting as instructor Vincent Torres, center, follows during a training session, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
School Climate & Safety Video Active Shooter Drills That Prepare But Don't Traumatize: Advice From Principals
Striking a balance is essential, principals say.
Olina Banerji & Sam Mallon, July 31, 2024
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4 min read
Image of a school hallway with icons representing lockdowns, SRO, metal detectors.
via Canva
School Climate & Safety Most Teachers Worry a Shooting Could Happen at Their School
Teachers say their schools could do more to prepare them for an active-shooter situation.
Evie Blad, April 11, 2024
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4 min read
Concept of counting down days. Hand is marking out dates on monthly calendar.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School & District Management It's Not Just Snow Days: How Can Districts Work Extreme Weather Into Their Calendars?
Extreme weather that's becoming more frequent is challenging districts with novel choices about when it's safe to stay open.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 7, 2024
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5 min read
Visitors walk past a makeshift memorial honoring those recently killed at Robb Elementary School, Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. A Texas lawmaker says surveillance video from the school hallway where police waited as a gunman opened fire in a fourth-grade classroom will be shown this weekend to residents of Uvalde.
Visitors walk past a makeshift memorial on July 12, 2022, honoring those killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in a May 2022 school shooting. Nearly a year after the Uvalde shooting, lawmakers in Texas passed a bill requiring that every public school classroom have a panic alarm system.
Eric Gay/AP
School Climate & Safety Could Panic Buttons Save Lives in a School Shooting? More Schools Think So
There's legislative momentum to require panic alarm systems in schools. But many districts are installing the systems without a mandate.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 30, 2024
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6 min read
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