After Sept.. 11, school administrators started asking themselves, "Would my school be prepared for such a disaster?" For too many districts, the answer is a shaky "maybe."

The vast majority of school districts undoubtedly have both districtwide and building-level emergency response plans. Many states mandate these plans. In addition, the spurts of school violence in recent years have accelerated the development of expanded plans.

Some plans, however, are nothing more than a piece of paper. They do nothing to help staff and administrators figure out how to address any number of disasters. We can hope there will never be another calamity of the scale of the Sept. 11 attacks, but the incident should serve as a constant reminder of the need for dynamic school emergency planning for the whole range of disasters--manmade or natural.

To be effective in a disaster, an emergency plan has to be a living document. It requires the involvement of a broad community of staff, students, parents and community members. Every plan will be unique, but all should include these elements:

1. A planning process that involves key staff--Paraprofessionals, school bus drivers, secretaries, custodial-maintenance workers and food service personnel should not be left out, because their input will be essential in developing a good plan. Ideally, this process will produce an emergency planning committee to conduct all the necessary fact finding and research. A starting process could be an examination of any current plans.

2. Identification of hazards--The committee must do an assessment of the community and school to determine the range of potential natural and manmade disasters. These can range from school violence to weather-related disasters to chemical spills.

3. Assessment of the building structure, activities and school grounds--This is not easy because the building structures, as well as every type of classroom and activity, must be examined to determine the potential impact of the identified hazards/disasters. The committee should walk through the entire building to assess the structure, with detailed blueprints, if possible. In addition, they should survey staff and students in different areas to identify activities or areas that require special attention. For instance, laboratories and other places where hazardous chemicals are stored may pose special risks. Another example is the computer laboratory. Fire marshals have raised concerns about the extreme toxicity of computer monitor fires. Areas that serve children and/or staff with limited mobility must be assessed to determine how these individuals would be evacuated or rescued.

4. Recommend measures to lessen the impact of disasters--These may include storing dangerous chemicals in flammable chemical storage cabinets, purchasing rescue equipment for limited mobility students or placing first aid kits in strategic places.

5. Designation of the response team in a disaster--The plan should designate an incident command chain as well as determine who will be in charge. The plan could assign a team to work under the incident commander and serve as first responders.

6. Protocols for anticipated disasters--No matter the disaster (hurricane, bomb threat, intrusions, earthquakes, floods), a protocol should include:

• procedures to alert local authorities and work with them;
• plans to safeguard students and staff;
• procedures to provide transportation; and
• procedures to notify parents.

7. Development of a communications strategy-- The strategy should identify on-site and off-site communication methods if normal avenues, such as telephones, become unavailable.

8. School cancellation or dismissal plans
The most important aspect of a plan is training and drilling. The committee, response team, and all staff and students should receive appropriate training on the plan, as well as opportunities to practice drills. The success of these drills should be evaluated. If you haven't looked at your school's emergency plan lately, the beginning of school is a good time to do so. It's also a good time for local unions to assess these plans and their adequacy for all members.