Background: Families entrust their children to school staff with the expectation that they will keep their children healthy and safe for an average of seven hours a day. The reality is, medical emergencies due to trauma or illness, can occur at any time, whether it involves an adult or a student. From individual medical events to mass illness or…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major disruptor to school systems across the United States since March 2020. As a result, school nurses have had to adapt to these uncertain times. Previous research has demonstrated the impact of school nurses on student health; however, less is known about their role in educating the broader school community…

A variety of emergencies can interrupt regular school operations requiring short- or long-term facility closures and impacting the availability of school leaders and staff to act in their usual roles. To prepare for this, schools benefit from developing formal Continuity of Operations (COOP) Annexes that establish processes and systems for…

The purpose of this exploratory collective case study is to understand how climate change education can meet the learning needs of emergency management professionals to prepare and adapt to the impacts of climate change on communities throughout the United States. The primary research question guiding the study was: How do emergency managers…

Coaches serve in a unique role to oversee health and safety with their athletes especially when traveling with the team to sporting events. If there is no athletic trainer to take charge in prevention or management of injuries, the coach will need to assume that role. Coaches should understand the importance of their role and know how to implement…

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted P-12 public schools in the United States. School district superintendents were forced immediately into managing a crisis and leading organizational adaptation. This doctoral research study examined the lived experience of 15 New York State P-12 public school superintendents. This constructivist grounded theory study…

Objective: To investigate patterns of campus sexual misconduct prevention education and response coordination. Participants: Administrative staff from the campus health and wellness and the campus safety and security sectors were recruited from 830 institutions of higher education (IHEs). Methods: Each sector received a separate web-based survey…

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that the safe and effective management of opioid-related overdoses in schools must be incorporated into the school emergency preparedness and response plans. The registered professional school nurse provides leadership in all phases of emergency preparedness and response. When…

Communications Officers, the core of law enforcement emergency centers, are the first point of contact in an emergency. It is imperative to provide effective training and support geared towards retention and success in a comfortable environment. The purpose of this study was to create a training program evaluation supportive of persistence,…

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 necessitated changes in the working practices of many organisations such that online meetings suddenly became the norm. Governing board meetings were no exception. However, little is known about the impact of online meetings on the work of boards. Here we draw on empirical evidence from observations of…

State education agencies (SEAs) play a unique and essential role in supporting schools and school districts as they develop prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery protocols for their emergency operations plans (EOPs). With input from a broad array of stakeholders and experts, SEAs are positioned to aid schools and school…

When designing or updating a K-12 emergency operations plan (EOP), gun violence ranks among the top human-caused threats to be accounted for, regardless of perceived risk. Gun violence incidents have now impacted every school demographic in the United States, and no school is immune to the possibility. Providing a safe, supportive, and welcoming…

Recovery is one of the five National Preparedness System mission areas and is a critical component of an education agency's preparedness. In the context of school emergency management planning, recovery refers to the capabilities necessary to assist schools affected by an event or emergency in restoring the learning environment. Recovery is also…

During the spring of 2020, institutions of higher education (IHEs) closed their buildings but continued to offer instruction through emergency remote teaching procedures in the United States of America. Although students and teaching faculty received much attention for their mutual under preparedness for remote learning using online tools,…

This Information Technology Specialist Resource List provides resources on understanding the role of information technology specialists in supporting school safety before, during, and after an emergency. Resources are organized into the following categories: (1) Cybersecurity and Cyber Safety Considerations for Schools and Districts; (2)…