School Preparedness

Schools will likely be impacted during and following a public health emergency. One strategy that will facilitate effective management during an emergency is the building of school/district teams that have been trained in disaster response and are prepared to meet the needs of students, parents, and school personnel in such an event.

One of the Center’s priorities is to facilitate networking of school personnel who will be called upon to respond (e.g., school nurses, school counselor, safety officer) as part of these school/district teams, and to provide them with the necessary training to prepare for, respond to and recover from a public health emergency. Team-based trainings for school personnel will be provided starting in 2006-2007. These trainings are designed to enhance a school’s preparedness capacity and, ultimately, the school district’s infrastructure.

Because of the complexities and intricacies of the SC school system, which is comprised of 85 school districts, the 2005-2006 year is devoted to brainstorming and planning for the upcoming school preparedness training initiative. A training needs assessment is being conducted in designated schools/districts. The results of this initial assessment serve to identify the training topics and activities for the schools. In addition, key partners are being identified for inclusion in a school emergency preparedness training planning taskforce.