Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

School emergency planning helps school staff know how to assist students through a crisis situation. Knowing how to respond during a crisis will help everyone involved remain calm, understand their role and act as safely and efficiently as possible. It is important that emergency planning includes all hazards, risks, and emergencies a school may encounter. Minnesota Statute § 121A.035 requires all school districts and charter schools establish an emergency plan. The plan should include policy and procedures for prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

The Minnesota School Safety Center (MnSSC) has a variety resources and tools on its website to assist school leaders with emergency preparedness. The Minnesota Safety Center also offers several free training programs and classes to assist school districts with emergency planning.

Emergency Health Response for Schools

Schools should develop comprehensive emergency response plans that outline procedures for responding to medical emergencies, including protocols for assessing the situation, contacting emergency services, administering first aid, and coordinating with parents and guardians.

It is recommended to have designated personnel who have received appropriate first aid training and CPR certification. Training should cover basic first aid techniques such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), wound care, bleeding, splinting, and recognition of common medical emergencies like allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and seizures. These designated individuals should be identified before the school year begins and readily available to respond to emergencies as needed. It is important to consider how many staff members to assign to this identified first aid team to plan for absences or positions which may not allow the flexibility to respond to an emergency.  

Automatic External Defibrillation (AED)

Many school buildings have now been equipped with AEDs.  Minnesota Statute 403.51 AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATION; REGISTRATION has several key components that schools should be aware of including the definition of “public access AED”, the requirement to register all “public access AEDs” within 30 days of receiving the AED, appropriate signage, and responsibility of the owner of “public access AEDs” to develop an emergency response plan appropriate for the nature of the facility the AED is intended to serve.  The Minnesota AED Registry provides additional information on registration.  

School Nurse Role and Expectations in Emergency Management 

School nurses should be included in emergency planning teams to help develop comprehensive emergency response plans that outline procedures for responding to medical emergencies, including protocols for assessing the situation, contacting emergency services, administering first aid, and coordinating with parents and guardians.

Emergency planning also includes carefully planning for students with chronic health needs that are addressed through an IHP, 504 or IEP. The nurse should also ensure that all plans have careful steps for how to manage health needs with limited access to supplies, how to gain access to supplies or what can be kept in the classroom in case of emergency. The classroom teacher should keep a copy of the student's emergency plan with their emergency supplies.

Emergency Response and Drills

Currently there is no MN specific guidance or statute related to the provision of health services, such as medications,  during an evacuation or other disaster preparedness drills. The nurse as a member of the school team may need to define the role of the nurse and school health services in providing care to students and staff.  .  

Preparedness drills should be carried out in the same manner if an actual emergency would occur. This helps to program muscle memory in a time when the brain is in a heightened state.

NASN Emergency Preparedness Position Statement

“Preparedness in schools is a process designed to protect students and staff from harm, minimize disruption, ensure the continuity of education for students, and develop and maintain a culture of safety.” (National Integration Center, 2018 as cited in NASN, 2019).

Once a disaster occurs, the school nurse may:  

• Have either a direct or supportive role in conducting medical and psychological triage;
• Implement life-saving interventions;  
• Provide pre-hospital emergency care;  
• Coordinate the transfer of care of victims to emergency medical services; and
• Provide support for on-scene fatality management

Other considerations when making your emergency preparedness and evacuation plans:

• Assume providing care in other location
• Communicating plan to parents
• Response time of EMS – depending on the situation, a school district may be on its own for some time before assistance becomes available through the traditional means of EMS and law enforcement.  
• In a disaster or emergency situation, it may be ‘all hands-on deck’. EMS may not be able to fully manage all victims, and why triaging occurs. If a student is having an asthma attack, for example, it may be necessary for the school nurse or other trained staff member to respond to that student’s medical needs.

Another resource is the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS).  Here is a link about some guidance of the role of the school nurse in supporting emergencies and can help to get you started if you want to learn more.

To-Go Bag

Emergencies can happen unexpectedly at any time during the school day. A "to-go" bag can contain essential medical supplies and equipment necessary for managing a wide range of medical emergencies, such as first aid materials, medications, airway management devices, and emergency response protocols. Having these supplies readily available in the health office ensures that the nurse can respond promptly to medical emergencies without delay and initiate appropriate interventions quickly and effectively. 

Opioid Overdose Emergency Response Planning

Minnesota Statute § 121A.24 Opiate Antagonists requires a school district or charter school to maintain a supply of opiate antagonists in each school building. The Naloxone Administration in School Settings Toolkit was developed to assist schools and school districts across Minnesota with guidance and recommendations to put into place an emergency response to the public health crisis related to rising youth and adult opioid overdoses which are life threatening.