2. Louisiana School Emergency Management Program
Funded through the US Department of Education’s Grants to States for School Emergency Management (GSEM)
Awarded $3.6 million over five years to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) in partnership with LSU- NCBRT/ACE

3. GSEM Mission
To help Louisiana local education agencies (LEAs) and schools develop and maintain high-quality emergency operations plans (EOPs)
To improve the ability of LEAs and schools to implement their EOPs
To foster multi-agency relationships for school emergency planning

4. Year 1 GSEM Services Step 1: EOP Evaluation Technical Assistance
Step 2: EOP Development Workshops
Step 3: EOP Analysis Workshops
All available at no cost to LA schools

5. Years 2-5 GSEM Services Additional EOP Evaluation technical assistance
Additional EOP Analysis workshops
Modular training topics to address specific EOP functions
Tabletop exercises to test school EOPs
Expansion and updates to the Louisiana School Emergency Management Toolkit

6. What is an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)?
Definition: An emergency operations plan is a plan for managing a wide variety of potential threats and hazards. The plan details who is responsible for carrying out specific actions; identifies personnel, equipment, facilities, supplies, and other available resources; and outlines how actions will be coordinated. (DHS 2016)

7. EOP Evaluation Technical Assistance
Expert evaluation and feedback provided on existing school EOPs to:
Help align plans with federal best-practices
Connect schools to support materials and resources to improve their EOPs
Meet annual review and update requirements mandated by state law

8. EOP Development Workshop
Based on REMS K-12 Guide for Developing High-Quality School EOPs
Provides an overview of the 6-step Collaborative Planning Process
Explains the structure and functions of each section of a comprehensive EOP
Allows participants an opportunity to self-evaluate planning practices and EOP content

9. Steps in the Planning Process
At each step, schools should consider the impact of their decisions on ongoing activities such as training and exercises as well as on equipment and resources.

10. Form a Collaborative Planning Team
Step 1:
Form a Collaborative Planning Team
Identify core planning team
Form a common framework
Define and assign roles and responsibilities
Determine a regular schedule of meetings

11. Step 1 Self-Assessment Exercise
Step 1: Forming a Collaborative Planning Team Checklist
Yes No
Identify Core Planning Team
Has your organization formed a planning team?
Form a Common Framework
Has your organization formally adopted NIMS and ICS?
Define and Assign Roles and Responsibilities
Has your organization defined and assigned roles and responsibilities through the EOP?
Determine a Regular Meeting Schedule
Does your organization have a schedule of meeting dates for safety?

12. Understand the Situation
Step 2:
Understand the Situation
Identify possible threats and hazards
Assess risks and vulnerability posed by identified threats and hazards
Assign values and prioritize accordingly

13. Identify Threats and Hazards
Often specific to certain schools, communities, and neighborhoods
Planning measures differ based on these characteristics
Natural hazards
Technological hazards
Human-caused hazards

14. Assessment Types Site Assessment Culture and Climate Assessment
School Threat Assessment
Capacity Assessment
Site Assessment: A site assessment examines the safety, accessibility, and emergency preparedness of the school’s buildings and grounds.
Culture and Climate Assessment: A school culture and climate assessment evaluates student and staff connectedness to the school and problem behaviors.
School Threat Assessment: A school threat assessment analyzes communication and behaviors to determine whether or not a student, staff, or other person may pose a threat.
Capacity Assessment: A capacity assessment examines the capabilities of students and staff as well as the services and material resources of community partners.

15. Prioritize Threats and Hazards
Probability
Magnitude
Warning
Duration
Risk Priority
4. Highly likely
4. Catastrophic
4. Minimal
hrs
High
Medium
Low
3. Likely
3. Critical
3. 6–12 hrs
2. Possible
2. Limited
2. 12–24 hrs
2. 3–6 hrs
1. Unlikely
1. Negligible
hrs
1. > 3 hrs

16. Step 2 Self-Assessment Exercise
Step 2: Understanding the Situation
Yes No
Does your plan address natural hazards?
Does your plan address technological hazards?
Does your plan address human-caused hazards?
Does your planning team conduct assessments and prioritize risk?

17. Determine Goals and Objectives
Step 3:
Determine Goals and Objectives
Determine goals (before, during, and after an incident)
Determine objectives

18. Step 3 Self-Assessment Exercise
Step 3: Determine Goals and Objectives
Yes No
Did your team determine goals before an incident?
Did your team determine goals during an incident?
Did your team determine goals after an incident?
Did your team determine objectives?

19. (Identifying Courses of Action)
Plan Development
Step 4:
Plan Development
(Identifying Courses of Action)
Depict the scenario
Determine amount of time to respond
Identify decision points
Develop courses of action
Select courses of action

20. Step 4 Self-Assessment Exercise
Step 4: Plan Development (Identifying Courses of Action)
Yes No
Did your team depict a scenario?
Did your team determine response time?
Did you team identify decision points?
Did your team develop courses of action?

21. Plan Preparation, Review and Approval
Step 5:
Plan Preparation, Review, and Approval
Format the plan
Write the plan
Review the plan
Approve and share the plan

22. Format the Plan Easy for users to find pertinent information
Compatible with local and state plans
Use plain language and visual aids
Primary sections:
Basic plan
Functional annexes
Threat- and hazard-specific annexes

23. Basic Plan Section Overview of approach to emergency operations
Targets the school, local emergency officials, and the community
Freepik

24. Functional Annexes Section
Details goals, objectives, and courses of action
Applies across multiple threats or hazards
Determines how the school manages a function before, during, and after an emergency

25. Threat- and Hazard-Specific Annexes Section
Specifies goals, objectives, and courses of action
Address a particular type of threat or hazard
Sets forth how the school manages a function before, during, and after an emergency

26. Write the Plan Adhere to several simple rules:
Summarize important information with checklists and visual aids
Write clearly and use plain language
Use logical and consistent structure
Provide sufficient detail but not too much
Develop accessible tools and documents

27. Review the Plan Adequate Feasible Acceptable Complete
Adequate: A plan is adequate if the plan identifies and addresses critical courses of action effectively, the plan can accomplish the assigned function, and the plan’s assumptions are valid and reasonable.
Feasible: A plan is feasible if the school can accomplish the assigned function and critical tasks by using available resources within the time contemplated by the plan.
Acceptable: A plan is acceptable if it meets the requirements driven by a threat or hazard, meets cost and time limitations, and is consistent with the law.
Complete: A plan is complete if it: 
Incorporates all courses of action to be accomplished for all selected threats and hazards and identified functions;
Integrates the needs of the whole school community;
Provides a complete picture of what should happen, when, and at whose direction;
Estimates time for achieving objectives, with safety remaining as the utmost priority;
Identifies success criteria and a desired end state; and
Conforms with the planning principles outlined here.

28. Step 5 Self-Assessment Exercise
Step 5: Planning Self-Assessment
Yes No
Does your organization use a traditional format for the plan that includes the basic plan, functional annexes, and hazard-specific annexes?
Do you feel your plan is written in accordance with the guidance that it provides sufficient information in an easy to follow format?
Do you have a formal process in place for reviewing the plan?
Do you have a formal process in place to obtain approvals and distribution of the plan?

29. Plan Implementation and Maintenance
Step 6:
Plan Implementation and Maintenance
Train the Stakeholders
Exercise the Plan
Review, Revise, and Maintain the Plan

30. Step 6 Self-Assessment Exercise
Step 6: Planning Self-Assessment
Yes No
Does your organization host regular planning meetings?
Does your organization visit evacuation sites?
Does your planning team provide involved parties with appropriate information?
Does your organization have a training plan that covers necessary skills and roles of staff?
Does your organization participate in continuous exercises throughout the school year?
Does your organization participate in a standardized review and revision process?

31. EOP Analysis Workshop Based on DHS certified course
Participants learn:
A 7-step process to assess schools’ capacity to implement their EOPs
To address training gaps which prevent the seamless implementation of school plans
To build a multi-year training grid that can be used to upgrade existing school EOPs

32. EOP Analysis Overview
ADD THE WORD “SCHOOL” BEFORE JURISDICTIONAL PROFILE IN THE GREEN BOX

33. National Preparedness System Guidelines
Identifying and Assessing Risks
Estimating Capability Requirements
Building and Sustaining Capabilities
Planning to Deliver Capabilities
Validating Capabilities
Reviewing and Updating
NPG, page 1

34. Questions?