DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

APPENDIX CSchool Safety Resources(Tools for Educators, Officials & Parents)According to the U.S. Department of Education, every day more than 50million students attend schools that continue to be havens of safety. In fact,crime in schools has been decreasing since 1992. The CDC reports thenumber of children and youth homicides that are school-related make uponly 1% of the total number of child and youth homicides in the U.S.However, recent events have sparked an interest in school safety.Parents / guardians need to be proactive and work with school officials tofind out what the procedures and plans are in the event of a disaster, lockdownor evacuation. Get involved by attending school safety planningmeetings, working with local PTAs or volunteering your time at the school.And keep the lines of communication open with your children starting at avery early age so kids feel comfortable coming to you with questions orproblems they may face at school.Due to limited space, we are providing a sampling of the many agencies,companies and nonprofits providing products, services and resources aboutSchool safety and planning (in alphabetical order). Please spend some timeresearching these links to see which ones fit your school’s specific needs.Also check out Additional Resources & Web Sites on page 244.American Psychological Association (offers books, videos, articles andnews on topics like bullying, natural disasters, trauma, violence, etc.)www.apa.org/topics/topicviolence.htmlAmerican Red Cross (offer Youth Programs like Masters of Disaster, BeReady 1-2-3, etc.) www.redcross.orgAmerican School Counselor Association (offers resources and publicationsfor Counselors & Members, Administrators and Parents & Public)www.schoolcounselor.orgCDC Healthy Schools Healthy Youth! (offers data on health topics likeCrisis Preparedness & Response, Injury & Violence, etc.)www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouthCenter for Safe Schools (provides physical and online resources for theprevention of school violence and recovery after traumatic events, list ofState School Safety Centers, etc.) www.safeschools.info234 www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325