Schools must prepare to deal with the same types of emergencies that threaten any work place or home. Fires, natural disasters, contagious diseases and increasingly, criminal activity require preventive and response measures.
What you can do
- Include your children in planning for an emergency.
- Teach them how to get help and what to do in different situations.
- Practice your household disaster plan with your children and quiz them about preparedness information.
What you should know
- Find out what your child's school does in the event of an emergency and know the school's emergency plans.
- Find out where you can pick up your child during a school evacuation.
- Ensure that the school has up-to-date contact information for you and at least one other relative or friend.
- Find out if you can authorize a friend or relative to pick up your children in an emergency if you cannot.
What every child should know
- Family name, address and phone number, and know where to meet in case of an emergency. Children too small to memorize this could carry a small index card that lists emergency information. You could clip it to their shirt or place it in a pocket.
- Family contact information for use in an emergency.
- How to identify the smell of gas. Tell them that if they smell it, they should tell a grown-up or leave the building.
- How and when to call 911.
