School districts need to prepare for electricity blackouts
By Del Stover
9/23/03 -- This summer's massive power outage did more than cut off electricity to 50 million people in the Northeast. It also prompted some school officials to ask themselves: What would happen if an electrical blackout occurred when students are in school?
"It would be totally disruptive," says John E. Wilson, managing consultant of the Harris County Center for Safe and Secure Schools, a collaborative program of 26 school systems in the Houston metropolitan area. "Many of our schools are totally enclosed -- with very few windows. You can't have school in the dark . . . and air-conditioning is very important."
In Harris County, many area school systems likely will want to send children home as soon as possible, especially in the warmer months, Wilson predicts. If schools close early, parents will be given plenty of notice.
Elsewhere, school officials say their biggest concern will be getting students home safely -- a challenge if telephone service is interrupted and working parents are trapped in traffic.
"We're not going to feel unsafe at school," says Andy Maddigan, spokesperson for the Buffalo, N.Y., school system. But, "we'd be concerned with buses on the road" and will want to ensure younger students are not dropped off in front of empty homes.
Although school systems have taken emergency planning seriously in recent years, school officials interviewed by School Board News say their districts have no plans that specifically address a major power outage. But the challenges they might face, they say, are similar enough to what schools might encounter during a hurricane, terrorist attack, or other emergency for which they've planned.
"I feel confident that in any kind of emergency situation, such as a blackout, our school district would respond accordingly," says David Mustonen, spokesperson for the Dearborn, Mich., school system. "We do have systems in place that would maintain the safety of the kids."
Safety will be the top priority in the event of a major blackout, says Louis Erste, chief operating officer of the District of Columbia school system. In all likelihood, students will remain at school and continue with their normal activities -- at least until officials get a better sense of the situation.
Every city school has emergency rations on hand, so students could be fed if conditions warrant keeping students for an extended period, he says. "If it's daylight, we can get by without power for a time."
On Hilton Head Island, S.C., a local power outage last month forced schools to close early, and bus drivers were told to bring back any student who could not be turned over to an appropriate adult.
"No one was left waiting at home," says school spokesperson John C. Williams. "Those left were supervised [back at school] by parents, teachers, and volunteers until parents could be notified."
School officials should not be overly worried about holding onto students if necessary, Mustonen says. "The point to emphasize is that we wouldn't be throwing kids on buses and dropping them off. The safest place for kids is right in their school. We know where our kids are. Their parents know where they are."
Despite such efforts, communication with parents still could be challenging. During the 2001 terrorist attacks, so many worried parents jammed the incoming phone lines at New York City and Washington, D.C., schools, many school officials were unable to communicate during the emergency.
In a widespread blackout, telephone lines could simply shut down completely. Or lines will be available, but staff members will find their schools' computerized telephone systems are more dependent on electricity than they realize.
In Washington, D.C., school officials used federal grants to put two-way radios in each school, ensuring a secure communications link with the central office. If telephone lines are operational, school principals also can use a special government-issued code to give them priority access to the next open telephone line -- and cut through jammed lines.
Elsewhere, schools report a variety of measures to keep communications open: long-range walkie-talkies, satellite telephones, and even messengers.
John Palmer, director of planning for the San Juan (Calif.) Unified School District, says school administrators are expected to conduct an inspection of their campuses during a blackout. Dark hallways, restrooms, and gyms will be searched to rescue students in the dark -- and make sure students aren't taking advantage of the situation for mischief.
Staff also is expected to check elevators and ensure that all machine shop equipment, kitchen ovens, and other machinery are shut down -- to reduce the possibility of injury or fire when power is restored, he says. Restrooms and other darkened areas will be locked, with students escorted to restrooms as necessary.
The district also has procedures to bring computer networks back online and restore telecommunications equipment, Palmer says.
Schools also should be prepared if the power goes out during evening events, he says. "One suggestion is to start the evening with a little safety orientation, point out where the exits are, and if an outage occurs, to cancel the event."
The kind of crippling power outage that hit the Northeast this summer could happen again. But even a little preparation will come in handy during a local outage, Erste points out. "Actually, we probably have a power outage in at least one school every week."
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| Reproduced with permission from the 2003 issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2003, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |