School Safety and Childrens Survival Kits

School Safety

You may have your emergency preparedness supplies at home, but what if something happens when your child is at school? Is the school prepared for situations that pose imminent danger to your child, like an active gunman or a natural disaster? What if the school must stay in a lockdown situation for an extended period of time? Such incidents are not common, but as with any other emergency, it is important to be prepared for them.

 

What Parents Can Do

 

Parents can ask to review the emergency procedures of their child’s school—many school districts have made these procedures available online. Parents can also emphasize the importance of following these procedures to their children and paying attention during lockdown drills.

 

What Teachers and Administrators Can Do

 

Prepare and practice emergency procedures. Though incidents that require lockdown are rare and the nature of each one is different, having an action plan can make a difference in lives saved. Provide training in lockdown procedures to faculty members and have lockdown drills periodically. Establish clear routes for communication, which is key in any emergency situation.

Provide emergency supplies for each classroom. At the very least, a first aid kit should be supplied. The Guardian Classroom Lockdown Kit includes everything a class of 30 would need to survive a 72-hour emergency. In Stillwater, Oklahoma on September 26, 2012, an eighth-grade student at Stillwater Junior High took his own life with a shotgun. The student was the only one harmed, but until the nature of the situation was determined, the school was in lockdown for four hours. In this and other situations, students and teachers would benefit from the extra food, water, and sanitation supplies provided in one of Guardian’s survival kits sold through Providence Safe Rooms.com.

School emergency preparedness is a team effort, and with procedures, practice, and emergency supplies, many lives can be saved.

 

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