Emergency Management Planning for Schools

2024-2025 School Safety Advisory : A memorandum in collaboration between the Department of Fire Services (DFS) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) providing assistance with fire drills and various emergency plans.

Laws and Regulations

• An Act Requiring Automated External Defibrillators in Schools, Chapter 443 of the Acts of 2016 (approved January 13, 2017).
  • Related Department Guidance
• An Act Relative to the Reduction of Gun Violence, Bill H. 4376, Section 7 (approved July 30, 2014).
• An Act Relative to Medical Emergency Response Plans for Schools, Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2012 (approved April 18, 2012, amended 2022)
• Multi-Hazard Evacuation Plans for Schools, Section 363 of Chapter 159 of the Acts of 2000

Also see DESE's Bullying Prevention and Intervention and Medical and Behavioral Health Emergency Response Plan web pages for additional information on school safety laws and regulations.

Additional Information and Resources

• Evidence Based Programs, Curricula and Practices
• Information for Families
• School Resource Officer MOU Information
• Resources
  • By Topic
  • From State Agencies
  • At the National Level
• View all

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Evidence Based Programs, Curricula and Practices

Please note that the following programs and links are provided as resources for schools and districts. School and district leaders have discretion to select evidence-based curricula and other resources that are not on the list. Local education officials should determine which school safety curricula and strategies are most appropriate for each school and grade they oversee, taking into account students' developmental stages, community contexts, and other factors.

• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
  CISA partners with educational institutions to make schools safer for students, staff and parents
• Readiness and Emergency Management in Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center
  Part of the U.S. Department of Education's initiative to support schools in the development of high-quality emergency operations plans (EOPs) and comprehensive emergency planning efforts.
• Multihazard Emergency Planning for Schools Toolkit
  Sample forms and checklists from the FEMA training, designed for school personnel and emergency planning partners.
• FEMA — Emergency Management Institute (EMI) School Program
  Online training, tools and resources available for emergency planning in schools.
• Youth Preparedness: A National Framework
  A collaboration between FEMA, Red Cross, and the U.S. Department of Education that provides guidelines and tools for youth preparedness programs.

Information for Families

• Helping Children Cope with Emergencies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) : Tips for parents and educators on how to talk with children about violence, including reassurances of safety, maintaining routines, listening to children's concerns, and managing media consumption.
• Family Emergency Plan, FEMA's Ready.Gov
• Prepare My Family for a Disaster | Homeland Security (dhs.gov) prepare families for a disaster

School Resource Officer (SRO) MOU Information

SRO Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Related Resources

• Section 37P of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as amended by Section 79 of chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020.
• School Resource Officer (SRO) Model Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) : This model MOU is available as a resource for school districts and police departs to adapt for their use in defining SRO roles and responsibilities.
• Information on the number of SROs and mental and social emotional health support personnel can be found within School and District Profiles Race/Ethnicity and Gender Staffing Report.
• Information on the percentage of students with a school-based arrest and the percentage of students with a non-arrest law enforcement referral (citations/tickets and court referrals) can be found within School and District Profiles Student Discipline Data Report.

Resources

Resources by Topic

Bullying and Harassment

• Please see the Bullying Prevention and Intervention page on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website

Bus Safety

• Back to School Safety , National Safety Council
• Driving Safely —School Buses , National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning

• Continuity of Operations (COOP) Annex with Related Resources, REMS Technical Assistance Center
• Continuity of Operations Planning , Specialized Training Package, REMS Technical Assistance Center

Cybersecurity

• K-12 School Security Guide (cisa.gov)
• School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT) | CISA — Self Assessment Schol Security Tool
• Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools (cisa.gov) The CISA Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools is designed to help local education agencies, and their law enforcement and community partners create tailored approaches to addressing anonymous threats from assessment to response.

Drills and Exercises

• Inclusive Emergency Planning: Strategies and Resources for K-12 Schools and School Districts (schoolsafety.gov) prepare for emergency events through activities and exercises that incorporate the needs of the entire school community.

Emergency Operations Planning (EOP)

• Building Blocks to School Safety , REMS Technical Assistance Center — A Toolkit for Schools and Districts for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans
• Emergency_Planning_Resources_for_Schools_and_Districts.pdf (schoolsafety.gov) emergency planning resources for schools and districts
• EOP Assist , REMS Technical Assistance Center — A free, web-accessible software application designed to help K-12 schools and school districts create and update high-quality school EOPs.
• Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans , REMS Technical Assistance Center
• An Action Item Worksheet helps you to identify the action items that support school EOP sustainability and implementation efforts.

Positive Learning Environment

• The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
• School Climate and Emergencies , REMS Technical Assistance Center

Preparedness, Prevention, and Mitigation

• Emergency Planning | SchoolSafety.gov prepare for emergencies and know how to respond and recover.
• Mitigating Hazards in School Facilities , FEMA
• Education Facilities Clearinghouse's Safety Resource Page

Recovery

• Children and Trauma: Update for Mental Health Professionals , American Psychological Association
• Recovery for Schools and School Districts (schoolsafety.gov)
• National Association of School Psychologists
  • Addressing Grief: Tips for Teachers and Parents

Reunification

• Integrating Family Reunification Planning Before, During, and After an Emergency into the School Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) (ed.gov)
• Databases to assist in family reunification in an emergency:
  • National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System (NEFRLS)

School Health

• Information for Schools about the coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Bureau of Infectious Disease , Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Influenza
  • School Planning , Flu.gov

Special Needs/ Functional and Access Needs

• Individuals with Disabilities or Access & Functional Needs , Ready.Gov
• Integrating the needs of students and staff with disabilities and other access and functional needs , Specialized Training Package, REMS Technical Assistance Center
• My Personal Emergency Plan , Individuals Requiring Additional Assistance Preparedness Project, Western Mass Ready

Suicide Prevention

• American Association for Suicidology
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS)
• Suicide Prevention Program , Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Threat and Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA)

• Identifying hazards
  • Common Natural and Human-Made Disasters in Massachusetts found on the Ready Massachusetts webpage.
  • Threat and Hazard Type Examples — REMS Technical Assistance Center
• Assessing hazards
  • Culture and Climate Assessment — evaluates student and staff connectedness to the school and problem behaviors.
    • Safe Supportive Learning's School Climate Survey Compendia
  • School Threat Assessment — analyzes communication and behaviors to determine whether a student, staff member, or other person may pose a threat.
  • Capacity Assessment — examines the capabilities of students and staff as well as the services and material resources of community partners.

Violence

• Safe School Initiative , a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Secret Service on preventing school violence.
• DESE Violence Prevention and Intervention Webpage

Weather-related Emergencies

• Follow National Weather Service's (NWS) Forecast Office — Boston/Taunton, MA
• Sign up for Massachusetts Alerts , a free public safety alerting app including notifications on severe weather watches and warnings

Resources from State Agencies

• School Resource Officer Model Memorandum of Understanding : This MOU is available as a resource for school districts and police departs to adapt for their use in defining SRO roles and responsibilities.
• Massachusetts Department of Fire Services
  • Fire Prevention in Schools
  • School Safety Memo — August 2024
  • School Fire Safety Reference
  • School Fire MFIRS Guidance
    • 3a. Form FP-200
  • PASS Barricade Statement
  • Fire Drill Record
  • School Fire Reporting Law Memo — January 2025
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health — School Health Services
• Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
• Massachusetts State Police

Resources at the National Level

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Caring for Children in a Disaster
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — School Safety
• The National School Safety Center
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — Safe Schools/Healthy Student (SS/HS)
• US Department of Education - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

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For more information or assistance, please contact:

The Office of Student and Family Support (SFS) via achievement@mass.gov or 781-338-3010.

Last Updated: February 26, 2025