Policy 8300P1 - Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
 

RISE Charter School has developed procedures for dealing with existing and potential student and school crises. These plans provide an organized approach to helping students. They provide direction to staff members on when and how to refer a student for help. They provide an approach to collaborative decision-making in dangerous and stressful situations. An important component of these plans is a set of inter-agency guidelines with various city and county agencies to aid timely communication and help coordinate services between the agencies and the school. 
 
The emergency response plans may included crisis response procedures and critical incident procedures. Crisis response procedures guide staff in responding to more frequently occurring crises, such as deaths of students or teachers and other traumatic events. These procedures are intended to be time-limited, problem-focused interventions designed to identify and resolve the crisis, restore equilibrium, and support productive responses. The crisis team helps administrators:  
 

  1. Gather information; 
  2. Establish communication with families; 
  3. Disseminate accurate information to faculty and students; 
  4. Intervene directly with students most likely to be affected; 
  5. Increase the available supportive counseling for students and staff; and 
  6. Guide students in appropriate ways to commemorate the deceased. 

  
Critical incident procedures help school personnel handle potentially dangerous events, such as a natural disaster or an armed intruder in a school. These procedures shall emphasize a coordinated interagency approach. A plan has been established in all school buildings to provide a uniform method of warning staff and students of high-risk situations involving imminent, potentially life-threatening danger. 
 

In the event of an emergency, employees are expected to remain at their worksite to ensure the safety and security of students under their care and/or the school’s care until otherwise directed by the school administrator or person in charge.  
 

Possible Hazards in Idaho 
 

An emergency is a sudden, unexpected occurrence requiring immediate action to stabilize a situation. Emergencies may affect school facilities and/or school transportation and may prevent use for an unspecified period of time. 
 

The emergency operations plans should address a range of events and hazards caused by nature or humans, such as: 
 

  1. Severe weather; 
  2. Bus crashes; 
  3. Bomb threats; 
  4. Student or staff deaths; 
  5. Chemical or hazardous material spills; 
  6. Fire; 
  7. School shootings; 
  8. Medical emergencies; 
  9. Acts of terror or war; and 
  10. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, floods, and volcanic eruptions. 
     

The Charter School’s first responsibility is to ensure the immediate safety of students and staff by activating the appropriate Crisis Management Plan.   
 

To assist and expedite setup, the Board directs that emergency plans and procedures be developed, implemented, and maintained for all Charter School facilities, and school buses, and that: 
 

  1. The School's plan be developed in coordination with local school staff and local emergency response agencies. 
  2. The School's plan comply with the Idaho School Safety and Security Advisory Board's guidance. 
  3. All employees be trained annually on  the emergency operations plans and procedures to be followed at their work site to ensure their safety and the safety of others. This training shall comply with the guidelines set by the Idaho School Safety and Security Advisory Board; 
  4. Students and employees practice the emergency procedures implemented at their school or work site. 
  5. Parents are advised of the emergency procedures developed at the school their child attends by September 30 of each year. 
  6. If materials and supplies beyond those normally provided by the Charter School are to be kept on hand to augment the school emergency procedures, then it shall be the School's responsibility to obtain and maintain such supplies in good order. 
  7. The School's plan be reviewed annually by the building principal. The building principal shall work with school staff and emergency response agencies to update and make other changes to these plans when needed. 
  8. This policy is reviewed annually. 
     

Sequence of Crisis Management 
 

The Crisis Management Plans should include the sequences of managing a disaster. Those sequences are as follows: 
 

  1. Mitigation and Prevention addresses what the Charter School can do to reduce risk to life and property; 
  2. Preparedness focuses on the process of planning for the worst-case scenario; 
  3. Response is devoted to the steps to take during a crisis; and 
  4. Recovery deals with how to restore the learning and teaching environment after a crisis. 
     

Mitigation and Prevention 
 

The goal of mitigation is to decrease the need for response rather than  simply increasing response capability.
 

  1. Connect with community emergency responders to identify local hazards; 
  2. Review the last safety audit to examine school buildings and grounds; 
  3. Determine who is responsible for overseeing violence prevention strategies in the school; 
  4. Encourage staff to provide input and feedback during the crisis planning process; 
  5. Review incident data; 
  6. Identify any major problems in your school with regard to student crime and violence; 
  7. Assess how the school addresses these problems; and 
  8. Conduct an assessment to determine how these problems, as well as others, may impact the Charter School’s vulnerability to different types of crises. 
     

Preparedness 
 

Good planning will facilitate a rapid, coordinated, effective response when a crisis occurs. 
 

  1. Determine what crisis plans exist in the School and community; 
  2. Identify all stakeholders involved in crisis planning; 
  3. Develop procedures for communicating with staff, students, families, and the media; 
  4. Establish procedures to account for students during a crisis; 
  5. Gather information about the school facility, such as maps and the location of utility shutoffs; and 
  6. Identify the equipment that needs to be gathered to assist staff in a crisis. 
     

Response 
 

A crisis is the time to follow the crisis plan and make use of your preparations. 
 

Determine if a crisis is occurring; 
 

  1. Identify the type of crisis that is occurring and determine the appropriate response; 
  2. Activate the incident management system; 
  3. Ascertain whether an evacuation, reverse evacuation, lockdown, or shelter-in-place needs to be implemented; 
  4. Maintain communication among all relevant staff at officially designated locations; 
  5. Establish what information needs to be communicated to staff, students, families, and the community; 
  6. Monitor how emergency first aid is being administered to the injured; and 
  7. Decide if more equipment and supplies are needed. 
     

Recovery 
 

During recovery, return to learning and restore the infrastructure as quickly as possible. 
 

  1. Restore the physical plant as well as the school community; 
  2. Monitor how staff are assessing students for the emotional impact of the crisis; 
  3. Identify what follow up interventions are available to students, staff, and first responders; 
  4. Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders; 
  5. Assess curricular activities that address the crisis; 
  6. Allocate appropriate time for recovery; 
  7. Plan how anniversaries of events will be commemorated; and 
  8. Capture “lessons learned” and incorporate them into revisions and trainings. 
     

Prepare for Immediate Response 
 

When a crisis occurs, quickly determine whether students and staff need to be evacuated from the building, returned to the building, or locked down in the building. Plan action steps for each of these scenarios. 
 

 EVACUATION 
 

Fire / Smoke / Gas Leak / Chemical Spill / Bomb 
 

Evacuation requires all students and staff to leave the building. 
 

  • Leave the building through the safest nearby exit. 
  • Proceed to the designated on-campus rally point. 
  • If the on-campus rally point is unsafe, proceed on foot to the designated off-campus rally point. 
  • Perform a head count and report back as directed. 
  • Monitor the intercom, radios, and phone for further instructions. 
  • For an area-wide hazard, follow the school's relocation plan, including transportation to an alternate relocation site when necessary. 
  • Evacuation plans should include backup buildings or other locations, contingencies for weather conditions, and transportation options for students with disabilities. 
     

SECURE & TEACH 
 

Potential Threat: Human / Animal / Medical 
 

Secure and Teach may be appropriate when a potential threat exists but there is no immediate threat requiring evacuation or lockdown. 
 

  • Close and lock external entrances. 
  • Perform a head count and report back as directed. 
  • Keep hallways clear. 
  • Continue teaching and remain in the classroom. 
  • Stay in the classroom unless otherwise directed. 
  • Monitor the intercom, radios, and phone for further instructions. 
  • For a medical situation, provide first aid, CPR, and/or use the AED when appropriate and trained to do so. 
     

SHELTER IN PLACE 
 

Airborne / Radioactive / Natural Disaster 
 

Shelter in Place requires students and staff to remain inside the building and move to designated shelter areas when conditions outside make remaining in regular classrooms unsafe. 
 

  • Move to designated Shelter in Place room(s). 
  • Seal windows and doors when directed. 
  • Shut off HVAC systems and close vents when appropriate to the hazard. 
  • Perform a head count and report back as directed. 
  • Monitor the intercom, radios, and phone for further instructions. 
  • For earthquakes, DROP / COVER / HOLD. 
     

LOCKDOWN 
 

Definite Threat: Human / Animal 
 

A lockdown is appropriate when a crisis occurs outside of the school and evacuation would be dangerous. A lockdown may also be appropriate when there is a crisis inside the school and movement within the school will put students or staff in jeopardy. 
 

  • Close and lock external entrances. 
  • Close and lock internal doors. 
  • Cover windows and door windows when possible. 
  • Move to the designated area along the door-side wall. 
  • Remain silent and out of sight. 
  • Perform a head count and report back when it is safe and as directed. 
  • Monitor the intercom, radios, and phone when possible without compromising safety. 
  • If a lockdown is breached or an immediate threat enters the classroom, follow emergency response procedures, including RUN / BARRICADE / FIGHT, as appropriate to the circumstances. 

 

Define Roles and Responsibilities 
 

How will the school operate during a crisis? Define what should happen, when, and at whose direction; that is, create an organizational system. This should involve many of the school staff. Important tasks will be neglected if each person is responsible for more than one function. School staff should be assigned to the following roles: 
 

  1. School commander; 
  2. Liaison to emergency responders; 
  3. Student caregivers; 
  4. Security officers; 
  5. Medical staff; and 
  6. Spokesperson. 
     

The Charter School will work with law enforcement officers and emergency responders to identify crises that require an outside agency to manage the scene, such as fires, bomb threats, and hostage situations. 

  

Policy History: 

Adopted on: June 14, 2021 

Revised on: September 21, 2026 

Reviewed on: