New GAO Study Shows the Status of School Districts’ Planning and Preparedness for Emergencies

The nation’s more than 17,000 school districts are challenged on a daily basis to maintain the safety and security of approximately 49 million public school students.  Events such as recent shootings by armed intruders, natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and potential flu pandemics have heightened awareness for the need for school districts to be prepared to address a range of emergencies within and outside of school buildings.  A new study conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that school districts have taken steps to plan for a range of emergencies, as most have developed multi-hazard emergency management plans; however some plans and activities do not address federally recommended practices. 

For instance, based on GAO’s survey of a sample of public school districts, an estimated 56 percent of all school districts have not employed any procedures in their plans for continuing student education in an event of an extended school closure, such as might occur during a pandemic, and many do not include procedures for special needs students.  The report also shows that fewer than half of districts with emergency plans involve community partners when developing and updating these plans.  Moreover, school districts are generally not training with first responders or community partners on how to implement their school district emergency plans. 

As stated in the report, “emergency management” refers to the range of efforts involved in building the capacity to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from an incident.  Planning for such incidents varies by the type and scale of the incident.  Effective emergency management requires conducting risk assessments; establishing clear roles and responsibilities that are effectively communicated and well understood; and developing, maintaining, and mobilizing needed capabilities, such as people, skills, and equipment.  The plans and capabilities should be tested and assessed through realistic exercised that identify strengths and areas that need improvement, with any needed changes made to both plans and capabilities. 

The federal government’s role in emergency management is principally to support state and local activities and develop the federal capabilities to respond effectively when state and local governments require federal assistance.  According to the report, there are no federal laws that require school districts to have emergency management plans, but currently 32 states have laws or policies requiring school districts to have emergency management plans. The report also shows that the Department of Education and Homeland Security (DHS) provide funding for emergency management planning in schools. Nevertheless, the study found that, some DHS program guidance, for specific grants, does not clearly identify school districts as entities to which state and local governments may disburse grant funds.  Thus, states receiving this funding may be uncertain as to whether such funding can be allocated to school districts or schools. 

Some of the selected practices that Education, DHS, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommend school districts take to prepare for emergencies include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting an assessment of vulnerabilities;
• Conducting regular drills;
• Including community partners such as local government and public health agencies in planning;
• Practicing the emergency management plan with first responders and community partners on a regular basis; and
• When developing and updating an emergency management plan: 1) identify and address a range of events and hazards specific to the district or schools; 2) develop roles and responsibilities and procedures for school community members, and first responders and community partners; 3) develop procedures for communicating with key stakeholders such as parents and students, including those with limited English proficiency; 4) develop procedures for special needs students; 5) develop procedures in the plan for recovering from an incident, including continuing student education during an extended school closure; 6) determine lessons learned after an incident or training; and 7) develop multi-purpose manuals, with emergency management information, that can be tailored to meet individual school needs. 

For additional information on the report, please contact the GAO’s Publications Department at (202) 512-6000.