Policy 3010 Implementation Procedures - Emergency Preparedness and Response

Hazard (Threat) Analysis – A review of schools by region based on natural and manmade hazards for all schools and support facilities in the district.

Concept of Operations – Describes the level of emergency and provides a process breakdown and examples of types of emergencies that fall in each level.

Roles and Responsibilities during an Emergency – Provides high-level guidance of roles, responsibilities, and tasks for HCPSS employees functioning in specific roles during an emergency.

The Office of Safety and Security will coordinate the development, implementation, and annual evaluation of the system-level, school-specific EOPs, non-school facility EOPs, and the HCPSS COOPs in accordance with national, state, and local emergency standards.

The Chief Schools Officer will review and publicize school system procedures for communicating emergency information to HCPSS employees and to the community on an annual basis.

Principals/designee will review their school-specific EOP on an annual basis.

On an annual basis, the building administrator/designee will ensure that their individual school EOP is reviewed and submitted to the Office of Safety and Security.

The Office of Safety and Security will coordinate the delivery of emergency resources such as radios, incident kits, weather radios, etc. as required to ensure communication with the EOC during an incident.

The Department of Student Well-Being will provide support to Crisis Intervention Teams and school administrators during the immediate aftermath of an incident.

The Office of Safety and Security and the Department of Student Well-Being will provide school-based emergency kits and supply replacements as needed.

The Office of Safety and Security will provide training to HCPSS employees annually based on their assigned roles in the system-level EOC or the school-specific Incident Command System. Employees assigned to specific EOC roles must comply with the minimal requirements pertinent to their role in an incident.

The Office of Safety and Security will ensure training is provided to appropriate HCPSS employees on the use of two-way radios and conduct an annual evaluation of the radio communication system.

The Office of Safety and Security will maintain training plans. Annually, the training and exercise plans which define the approach to comprehensive emergency training of all HCPSS employees will be reviewed.

The Office of Safety and Security follows the State of Maryland requirements for evacuation drills in public schools. The schedule for these drills are provided to schools directly at the start of the school year. The Office of Safety and Security, in conjunction with local officials has developed the following breakdown for drills and exercises as follows:

The building administrator for each non-school facility will conduct the following drills and exercises annually:

The Office of Safety and Security will maintain a comprehensive training program that includes classroom based, small group settings, tabletop exercises, small scale exercises, and full-scale exercises to ensure continual understanding of emergency response procedures and incident management.

Any incident or emergency response performed by HCPSS follows the procedures outlined in the functional annex section of the EOPs. Annually, HCPSS reviews the functional annexes to ensure best practice and alignment with federal, state and local law or guidance.

The decision to dismiss early, close, or delay the opening of a school occurs by examining the following criteria:

When the school system determines to close schools based on inclement weather or other emergencies, all after-school and evening activities and all school and non-school-sponsored activities scheduled in school facilities are canceled. This does not apply to early dismissals that are scheduled as part of the academic calendar.

At times when inclement weather threatens the safety of students and employees, the Superintendent/designee may close or delay the opening of schools or the school system, or dismiss early. The Board will be notified of the decision.

If an emergency results in a closure, a late opening, or an early dismissal, HCPSS employees will work first in compliance with the provisions of their respective collective bargaining agreement (CBA), or under the direction of the immediate supervisor for groups without CBA’s.

The school-based administrator will implement their school-specific EOP during an emergency.

The Office of Safety and Security will activate the EOC as appropriate and follow the system-level EOP.

The Office of Safety and Security will activate the EOC as appropriate and follow the system-level EOP.

The Chief Schools Officer will provide appropriate communications based on the system-level EOP.

Immediate (hours, days, up to two (2) weeks)

Short-term (weeks, months, up to six (6) months)

Long-term (months, years)

Hold – The hold protocol is used when all hallways must be cleared, but normal classroom/office operations may continue. This could include scenarios such as a medical emergency or fight between students. The way hold is implemented is case specific and may be implemented for the entire building or localized to one area.

Secure – The Secure protocol is used when there is an emergency outside the building. This could include scenarios such as police activity in a nearby neighborhood, an aggressive animal on campus, or a non-specific threat. Normal operations continue inside the building.

Lockdown – The confinement of people inside secured rooms for safety measures. Used when a serious threat exists to the HCPSS school or facility that requires students, employees, and visitors to remain in a locked room/facility for safety.

Evacuation – A process where students and employees exit the school or support facility due to fire, smoke, or utility emergency.

Shelter – Taking refuge in interior rooms within your facility, or rooms with no or few windows and drop, cover, and hold. In many cases, school officials or local authorities will issue advice to shelter-in-place through various forms of communication, such as text messages, email, etc.

Natural Hazard – A source of harm or difficulty created by a meteorological, environmental, or geological phenomenon.

Manmade Hazard – A hazard that originates in some way from human activity. Manmade hazards include adversarial/intentional hazards and technological/accidental hazards and create an immediate risk, or present an imminent danger to the students, employees, or school community.