New guidelines, the first approved in a decade, encourage local school systems to develop safety plans for events that range from tornadoes and other natural disasters to school shooters.
The Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to “Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local Systems and Schools,” a document designed to assist local officials in preparation and training for potential emergencies.
Maryland regulations require that all 24 school systems develop and implement emergency plans. Emergencies range from violent or traumatic events on school grounds during regular school hours to events in the community that affect normal school functioning.
The Board’s action updates a document published in 2003. The new version of the publication will be a living document, updated regularly as needed by circumstances. The first edition of the guidelines has been utilized by all 24 Maryland systems to strengthen their emergency plans over the past decade.
“The key to safe and successful schools is planning and practice,” said State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery. “Schools and school systems must do everything in their power to keep students and staff free from harm. Every staff member must know what to do in the event of an emergency, and must have practiced his or her role.”
MSDE staff developed the guide with the assistance of local school systems, Maryland State Police, Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Maryland School Psychologist Association, Maryland Emergency Management Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Maryland Association of Boards of Education.
Emergency management is an organized process by which schools and communities prevent or mitigate risks, prepare for hazards that cannot be fully mitigated, respond to emergencies, and recover from emergencies and restore the school to its pre-emergency condition. The key to a well-functioning system is planning and practice, according to the guide.
The focus on improved planning, as well for additional drills and other practice activities, represents improvements in the new version of the Emergency Planning Guidelines.
