Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center: was established in October 2004 and administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, the REMS TA Center provides a hub of information, resources, training, and services in the field of school. The REMS TA Center does not endorse products, services, or service providers.
Resource Links:
This center provides a Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans: At a Glance. The content of the guide is organized into five main sections, broken out into easy-to-read parts.
- The principles of school emergency management planning.
- A process for developing, implementing, and continually refining a school EOP with community partners (e.g., first responders and emergency management personnel) at the school building level.
- A discussion of the form, function, and content of school EOPs.
- Additional information on the critical operational functions and courses of action developed to carry them out that schools should address in developing a comprehensive, high-quality school EOP.
- Additional information on the courses of action unique to particular threats and hazards.
The link is here: https://rems.ed.gov/K12GuideForDevelHQSchool.aspx
This center also sponsors a Community of Practice. A virtual space for schools, school districts, institutions of higher education, and their community partners to collaborate, share, and learn from the experiences of others in the field.
The link is here: https://rems.ed.gov/COP/Default.aspx
This center offers The Tool Box a virtual library of tools developed by school emergency managers containing resources pertinent to the needs of schools, school districts, state education agencies, and institutions of higher education and their community partners, as they engage in the process of school and higher ed emergency management planning. These resources include sample drills, tabletops or other exercises; job descriptions; memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with community partners; organizational charts; planning guidelines or sample policies; and components of school or emergency operations plans, tools, and templates.
The link is here: https://rems.ed.gov/ToolBox.aspx
Other resources are also available.
Their home page is at: https://rems.ed.gov/default.aspx