STATE BOARD APPROVES UPDATED EMERGENCY PLANNING GUIDE

BALTIMORE  (April 23, 2013) – The Maryland State Board of Education today gave unanimous approval to “Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local Systems and Schools,” a document designed to assist local officials in preparation and training for potential emergencies.

Maryland regulations require that all 24 school systems develop and implement emergency plans.  Emergencies range from violent or traumatic events on school grounds during regular school hours to events in the community that affect normal school functioning.

The Board’s action updates a document published in 2003.  The new version of the publication will be a living document, updated regularly as needed by circumstances.  The first edition of the guidelines has been utilized by all 24 Maryland systems to strengthen their emergency plans over the past decade.

“The key to safe and successful schools is planning and practice,” said State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery.  “Schools and school systems must do everything in their power to keep students and staff free from harm.  Every staff member must know what to do in the event of an emergency, and must have practiced his or her role.”

MSDE staff developed the guide with the assistance of local school systems, Maryland State Police, Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Maryland School Psychologist Association, Maryland Emergency Management Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Maryland Association of Boards of Education.

Emergency management is an organized process by which schools and communities prevent or mitigate risks, prepare for hazards that cannot be fully mitigated, respond to emergencies, and recover from emergencies and restore the school to its pre-emergency condition.  The key to a well-functioning system is planning and practice, according to the guide.

The focus on improved planning, as well for additional drills and other practice activities, represents improvements in the new version of the Emergency Planning Guidelines.  In addition, the new document updates terminology commonly used in emergency situations.

Work on the new version began last year.  The revision adds new tools for local systems, such as information on technology hazards, threat assessment, universal drill procedures, and staff training.

The complete publication is available on the web at http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/studentschoolsvcs/student_services_alt/ep.htm