This document contains guidelines that help Oregon schools meet the components of Oregon Administrative Rule 581-22-706, Emergency Plans and Safety Programs. The standard mandates that Oregon schools shall maintain a comprehensive safety program for all employees and students. School districts may alter the guidelines provided in this guidebook to…

This paper briefly discusses new housing programs for the homeless sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the funding provided by the 100th Congress, and two additional HUD programs to aid the homeless. The following four programs are discussed: (1) the Emergency Shelter Program; (2) the Transitional Housing Program,…

An urban public library responds to an invitation from the local Fire and Rescue Services Department to make suggestions for improving communication between the library and the County Emergency Management Program. Recommendations are made for library involvement in long-term prevention, preparedness to respond, response to emergencies, and…

To protect special education students fully, bus drivers must be trained to respond to emergencies in an organized fashion. This article describes special equipment and procedures used in Baltimore County buses for the handicapped, along with yearly evacuation drills to hone drivers' skills. Speed was not a factor in these exercises. (MLH)

Mental health experts consider the return to school to be a critical step in the healing process for children and youth whose lives have been disrupted by disasters. Going to school helps these students find the structure, normalcy, and routine that is essential to their health and well-being. Federal law (The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance…

This paper describes a bioterrorism incident at a Connecticut elementary school. Flowers sent to a teacher were permeated with anthrax spores that infected the teacher, 12 of her students, 3 office staff members, and an administrator. The teacher subsequently died. The Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed that the students and staff…

With the increasing diversity of the United States population, there is a growing awareness of the need for culturally specific responses to help survivors of disasters and violence. When school psychologists are called upon to intervene, they need to be able to link survivors to support systems. In order to provide services to survivors of…

This article discusses how to teach children about fire prevention and what to do if a fire breaks out. Steps that schools should take to prepare for fire emergencies are outlined, as are fire prevention measures for the home. (PP)

Examines the impact of Hurricane Andrew on the Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS). Topics discussed include the community's response to the sudden lack of library services; the use of library branches as emergency relief centers and communications centers; library disaster policies; and visions for MDPLS under a new director. (LRW)

Two camp directors were interviewed about evacuations from their camps due to forest fires. Topics covered include descriptions of the events; actions taken; aspects of advance planning that proved helpful; unexpected portions of the experience and resultant changes made in plans; relations with outside agencies, the media, and parents; working…

The 27 institutions damaged by hurricanes Katrina or Rita--there were 14 in Mississippi, 12 in Louisiana and one in Alabama--estimate their combined physical damages at $1.4 billion. But rather than providing aid, the Louisiana Legislature was forced to call for $77 million in cuts in November, leading to a wrenching gut-check on many campuses.…

The article presents an approach to emergency response training that combines simulation of hazardous environmental factors with extensive registration of the activities in a training scenario. Simulation enhances realism by exposing the trainees to representations of hazards without putting them at risk. Registration generates data that describe…

There are students and staff in many schools with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV infections. Should parents or guardians be expected to disclose students' bloodborne infections to school officials? Can infected students play contact sports given the increased risk of blood spills? What type of response plan should schools develop in the event of…

Providing an environment that is responsive to emergency health needs of students is essential to creating a safe setting for children in schools. The question of what minimal essential emergency equipment and resources should be available in schools brings with it many and varied opinions, issues, and concerns. Through funding from the Emergency…

College and university presidents are increasingly called upon to make informed choices about technology. The rapidly shifting landscape makes it tough to keep up with change and innovation, let alone stay ahead of the curve. In this article, the authors discuss 10 trends to watch in campus technology. These trends are the following: (1) increased…