Shelter-in-Place Annex

Plan courses of action for when students and staff are required to remain indoors, perhaps for an extended period of time, because it is safer inside the building or a room than outside. Depending on the threat or hazard, students and staff may be required to move to rooms that can be sealed (such as in the event of a chemical or biological hazard) or without windows, or to a weather shelter (such as in the event of a tornado).

The planning team should consider the following when developing goals, objectives, and courses of action:

• What supplies will be needed to seal the room and to provide for the needs of students and staff (e.g., water).
• How a shelter-in-place can affect individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, such as students who require the regular administration of medication, durable medical equipment, and personal assistant services.
• How to move students when the primary route is unusable.
• How to locate and move students who are not with a teacher or staff member.
• Consider the need for and integration of “safe rooms” for protection against extreme wind hazards (such as a tornado or hurricane) in order to provide immediate life-safety protection when evacuation is not an option.