Skip to main content
mobile menu
Arizona Department of Education Homepage
  • SY 2021-2022
  • Home
  • Students & Families
    • Adult Education
    • Early Childhood & Preschool
    • Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)
    • Parents & Families
    • School Report Cards
    • Transcripts & Test Scores
  • Educators
    • Academic Standards
    • Assessment
    • Career & Technical Education
    • Certification & Career
    • Peer Support Program
    • Post-Secondary & ECAP
    • Public Educator Search
    • Support & Improvement Resources
    • Training & Professional Development
  • Administrators
    • Accountability
    • School & Student Data
    • School Finance
    • School Support & Improvement
    • State & Federal Grants
    • Training & Conferences
  • Programs & Supports
    • Afterschool & 21st Century Learning Centers
    • Educator and School Excellence
    • English Learners, Foster Care, Homeless, & Migrant
    • Gifted & Advanced Learning
    • Health & Nutrition Services
    • Information Technology
    • Office of Digital Teaching & Learning
    • Office of Indian Education
    • School Safety & Social Wellness
    • Social and Emotional Learning
    • Special Education
  • About ADE
    • About the Department
    • Contact Us
    • Data Request
    • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
    • Events
    • State Board of Education
    • State Board for Charter Schools
    • Submit a Complaint
  • ADEConnect
    • ADEConnect
    • Common Logon
  • Search
  • Home
  • School Safety & Social Wellness
  • School Preparedness

School Preparedness

School Preparedness1024_1.jpg

Welcome to School Preparedness

 

Emergency Operations Planning/Continuity of Operations Planning

Behavioral Threat AssessmentCrisis Prevention and Intervention

 

Welcome to the School Preparedness webpage!

What is Preparedness?

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) defines preparedness as “a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective active in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response.” 

The Preparedness Cycle was created to illustrate the following steps: 

NIMS Preparedness Cycle.png

National Incident Management System Preparedness Cycle
  1. Plan

  2. Organize/Equip

  3. Train

  4. Exercise

  5. Evaluate/Improve

Each stage in the Preparedness Cycle relates to one or more of the five mission areas in the National Preparedness Goal, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2015). 

 

Blue Line.png

Decorative Line to Separate

The National Preparedness Goal

The five mission areas of the National Preparedness Goal in the context of schools include:

  1. Prevention - To prevent, avoid, or stop a crisis event from happening in a school environment.
  2. Protection - To protect all individuals in a school environment against the greatest threats and hazards to them in their specific school's environment.
  3. Mitigation - To reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of future potential crisis events in a school environment.
  4. Response - To respond to any crisis event on a school campus quickly to save lives, protect the school's property and environment, and meet basic human needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic event.
  5. Recovery - To recover through a focus on the timely restoration, strengthening and revitalization of infrastructure, housing and a sustainable economy, as well as the health, social, cultural, historic and environmental fabric of communities affected by a catastrophic incident.

 

Blue Line.png

Decorative Line to Separate

How does ADE support the five mission areas of the National Preparedness Goal?

 

The Arizona Department of Education supports education agencies across the state in preparing for emergencies of all types. Some activities in school preparedness that ADE supports include:

  • Emergency Operations Planning (EOP) regional workshops

  • Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) regional workshops

  • Crisis prevention and intervention training

  • School-based threat assessment training

  • Training of the trainer and other professional development opportunities

  • FEMA Multi-hazard training

  • Comprehensive School Wellness Program

  • Social-emotional learning and supports

  • The Arizona School Nurse Access Program (ASAP)

 

ADE Statewide Partners in School Preparedness

  • The Arizona Department of Health Services

AZDHS.png

The Arizona Department of Health Services logo

 

  • The Trust

The Trust.png

The Trust

 

Helpful Resources

  • After Action Report (AAR)
  • Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center
  • Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Toolkit
  • National Incident Management System (NIMS)
  • NIMS Implementation Activities Checklist
  • Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101V.2
  • School Buildings and Infrastructure Protection
  • FEMA Crosswalk of Capabilities
  • National Preparedness Goal Handout
  • How to Talk to Children about School Shootings
  • Psychological First Aid for Schools
  • MOU with Emergency Management - AZ MUTUAL AID COMPACT
  • Sample MOUs with Law Enforcement, Public Health, Fire Services, and Behavioral Health

Agency Contacts

  • County Emergency Managers
  • County Public Health Departments
  • Tribal Regional Behavioral Health Authorities
  • Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services
  • Regional Behavioral Health Authorities (RBHAs)

  • Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school site to have an emergency response plan that meets the minimum state requirements. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the Arizona Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) are responsible for developing the minimum standards for school emergency response plans in Arizona.
  • The Arizona Schools Emergency Response Plan Minimum Requirements guidance document provides the required elements that must be included in every school’s emergency response plan. The standards are not a systematic guide for completing a comprehensive response plan, but rather the minimum of what to include in the plan.
  • Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 41-1801.  Definitions for Critical Infrastructure Information to include Emergency Response Plans. ARS 41-1801
  • Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 41-1803 Statewide critical infrastructure information system; disclosure; definition. ARS 41-1803
  • Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 15-341. (A-F) (36). General powers and duties…bullying policy requirements for school districts

FEMA Independent Study Online Courses The Arizona Minimum Requirements mandate that school employees who fill a role within the Incident Command System (ICS) structure are required to complete three FEMA online training: IS-100SCa: Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools, IS-200: Applying for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents, and IS-700: National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction.

County Emergency Management On-site Training Upon completing IS-100.SCa, IS-200, and IS-700, district and school ERP teams are strongly encouraged to also complete the Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools course either through their local emergency management office or FEMA. Districts can schedule the two-day MAG-364 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools course by submitting a DEMA (Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs) training request form to the county emergency management office. There is no cost to the district for this training.

FEMA Training  E-361 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools Course.

Advanced Training through DEMA Upon completing FEMA’s E-361 or DEMA’s G-364, key personnel on a district’s ERP team are encouraged to also complete MAG-300 (Intermediate Incident Command Station) and MAG-400 (Advanced Incident Command Station) through DEMA.

Please note: DEMA provides G-364 trainings by request only. You can request G-364 trainings by filling out DEMA's Training Request Form and submitting it to [email protected].

1. What law mandates that all Arizona schools have emergency response plans in place that meet ADE Minimum Requirements?

Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school site to have an emergency response plan that meets the minimum state requirements.

2. Are there opportunities to network with school districts around the state to collaborate on the development of emergency response plans and identify best practices?

Yes.  The Arizona Regional Consortiums for School Emergency Preparedness (ARCSEP) is organized into five regions in the state to include Phoenix (Central),  Phoenix (East Valley), Tucson (Southern), Flagstaff (Northern), and Yuma (Western).  The regional consortiums are sponsored by The Trust and meet quarterly to provide presentations on emergency preparedness topics of interest and lessons learned.  Email Ivonne Garber, at Ivonne [email protected], if you would like to participate in one of the regional consortiums.

3. Are districts/schools required to use the ADE Emergency Response Template when developing their district/school plan?

 No.  The ADE ERP Template is provided as a service to school districts by providing a framework and outline as to what should be included in their ERP.  The template incorporates many components required to be NIMS compliant.

Keep in mind that the template should not be used “as is” by simply filling in the blanks.  A district/school planning team comprised of district and community partner representation should carefully “vet” template components they intend to incorporate in their plan.  Specifically, action steps are included in the functional and threat/hazard annexes.

4. Who should be included in a district/school emergency response plan planning team?

 It would be wise to keep your planning team to no more than 10-12 people.  Small districts/schools may have a planning team of 5-7.  Departments such as facilities, transportation, food services, communications office, community education, and special education are among the departments that would provide good insight on many components of the plan.  A representative from each of the school levels in your district (elementary school, middle school, & high school) would also be good to include.  Last but not least, community partners can include law enforcement, fire, public health, and local emergency management would be excellent contributors to a planning team.

Keep in mind that there is not one specific composition of team members for districts to put in place.  It is a district decision based on the knowledge of the expertise different people can bring to the table. 

  • Ivonne Garber, School Preparedness Specialist, School Safety & Social Wellness

[email protected] - (602) 542-5005

 

  • Comprehensive School Wellness
  • School Preparedness
    • Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG)
    • School Emergency Planning (EOP/COOP)
    • PREPaRE
  • Mental Health & Wellness
    • Project AWARE
  • School Nursing & Health Services
    • School Nursing & Health Resources
  • School Safety Program
    • School Safety Program Grantees
    • School Safety Program - ESSER Grantees
    • Which grantee type am I?
    • Newsletter Sign-up & Archive
  • School Safety Task Force
  • Other Programs & Resources
    • Educator Threat Assessment Training
  • Quick Search

Contact

  • [email protected]

From the School Safety & Social Wellness Blog

Working with Schools to Reduce Suicide Tue, Sep 28 2021

Through a collaboration with AZ Department of Health Services and AZ Department of Education, AHCCCS has launched a peer-based support program for educators

Working with Schools to Reduce Suicide Thu, Sep 23 2021

Project AWARE is a federal initiative funded by SAMHSA to build and expand the partnership between education and mental health systems at both the state and local levels. 

    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Certification
    • Data & Public Records Request
    • Language / Lenguaje
    • Privacy Policy
    • School Report Cards
    • State Board of Education
    • State Board for Charter Schools
    • Web Accessibility

    © 2022 Arizona Department of Education

    Social Links

    Arizona Department of Education Twitter
    Arizona Department of Education Facebook Page
    • Statewide Policies
    • Site Map