Staying Prepared for School Security
Jun 1, 2011 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy (mkennedy@asumag.com)
Most U.S. public schools have written plans in place to handle bomb threats or natural disasters, but only about two in five schools have a plan if there is a severe risk of terrorist attack. A report from the National Center for Education Statistics, "Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools," says that only 41.3 percent of public schools have a written plan in the event the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raises the national threat level to Red (which signifies a severe risk of terrorist attack). In contrast, 95.1 percent of public schools have a written crisis plan for natural disasters, and 93.5 percent have plans that address bomb threats for school security. The report also provides data regarding preparedness for other specific crises related to school security: 84.5 percent of schools have written plans for shooting incidents; 74.9 percent have plans to handle suicide threats or incidents; 74.3 percent have plans for handling hostage situations; 71.1 percent have plans for responding to chemical, biological or radiological threats or incidents; and 69.4 percent have plans for responding to a pandemic flu outbreak.
