Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Walk the perimeter, exterior doors, and main office entry with the SRO and the district safety coordinator. Note line-of-sight gaps, unsecured side doors, and propped-open service entrances. Common finding: a gym or cafeteria back door propped during deliveries.

Confirm the front-desk Raptor (or equivalent) workflow is being followed: ID scan, sex-offender check, badge printed, badge worn. Spot-check by entering as a visitor without identifying yourself as the principal.

Confirm membership: administrator, school counselor, SRO, school psychologist, and one teacher. Review any open cases from the prior year and the BTAM (Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management) intake form. State models vary — confirm yours follows the state-recognized framework.

Pull last year's CSSP (or state equivalent — California schools update the CSSP annually by March 1; other states have analogous deadlines). Refresh the floor plans, staff roster, and incident command assignments. Board approval is typically required before the deadline.

Align the site EOP with the district template and the FEMA five-mission-area framework (prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery). Confirm ICS role assignments — incident commander, safety officer, liaison, PIO — and that named alternates are current after summer staff changes.

Each classroom go-bag should contain: class roster, emergency contact list, first aid supplies, flashlight, whistle, and a hard-copy red/green status card. Stop the Bleed kits on each floor with tourniquets in date. Replace expired items; tape an inventory sheet inside each bag.

Re-sign the MOU with the off-site reunification partner (a nearby church, community center, or sister school). Walk the site with the partner contact and confirm parking, restrooms, and a private space for unaccompanied minors. The Standard Reunification Method (I Love U Guys Foundation) is the model most districts follow.

Most states require monthly fire drills during the school year, with the first within the first 10 days. Vary the time of day and the obstructed exit so the same hallway isn't used every time. Log each drill date, time, and evacuation duration for the fire marshal's annual inspection.

Coordinate with the SRO and local PD watch commander. Notify families in advance — unannounced drills traumatize students and trigger complaints. Use the state-adopted model (ALICE, Standard Response Protocol, or state-specific) consistently; mixing models confuses staff.

Required when the drill outcome is Needs improvement. Identify the specific failures — slow door-locking, classrooms that didn't go dark, staff in the hall — and target retraining at those staff and rooms. Re-drill within 30 days.

Match the drill type to local hazard — tornado shelter-in-place in the Midwest and South, Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on the West Coast and in the New Madrid zone. Verify shelter areas have current capacity signage and no obstructions.

Every staff member on every floor should be able to apply a tourniquet and administer an EpiPen. The school nurse leads the session; record completion in the staff training log. Some states mandate annual refresh — verify yours.

Incident commander confirms the threat type, declares the response action (Lockdown, Hold, Secure, Shelter, Evacuate), and assigns ICS section chiefs. Capture the timestamp — every downstream reporting deadline runs from this clock.

Push through ParentSquare or SchoolMessenger using the pre-approved template for the incident type — never write copy under pressure. Send in the language(s) configured for the school community; English-only notification is an equity violation many districts have been cited for.

Each teacher reports red/green status from their classroom roster. The attendance clerk reconciles against the SIS daily attendance to identify missing students — students checked in this morning who are not accounted for in a classroom must be located before standing down.

Hand off command to the responding agency on arrival. Provide the master key/Knox box, the current floor plan, the accountability roster, and a designated liaison. The school principal becomes a unified-command partner, not the incident commander, once PD or fire arrives.

Activate the district crisis response team and any contracted community mental-health partners. Set up drop-in counseling space; brief teachers on what to say and what not to say in the next-day classroom. Plan for staff support, not just students — secondary trauma is real.

Hot-wash within 72 hours; formal AAR within two weeks. Walk the timeline minute-by-minute against the EOP. Identify what worked, what failed, and which plan changes are needed. Include the SRO, district safety coordinator, and at least one teacher who was in the affected wing.

State-mandated incident reporting deadlines vary — many require reporting of weapons, drugs, or assault incidents within 72 hours. File the district SIRS/SSDR report, the state DOE incident report, and any Title IX or Clery cross-reports if applicable.