The REMS TA Center is excited to announce our NEW Virtual Trainings by Request (VTBRs) program! Like our live Trainings by Request, these interactive trainings are designed to assist education agencies, including school districts, schools, institutions of higher education (IHEs), state education agencies, and regional education agencies, with their professional development and emergency preparedness capacity-building efforts. Read more about our VTBRs, including how they can support your professional development, in our fact sheet Virtual Trainings by Request (VTBRs): Support for Your Education Agency’s Emergency Preparedness Efforts.
Our VTBRs vary in length from 2 to 4 hours. They are led by the REMS TA Center team and our cadre of highly qualified subject matter experts, who come equipped with hands-on knowledge of emergency preparedness principles and practices in the educational setting. To support learning before and after the event, each interactive VTBR also features pre- and post-training activities that enhance professional development efforts, build individual preparedness capacity, and support education agencies in bridging training and practice. All VTBRs feature interactive polls, breakout rooms, and chat-based discussions to enhance the learning process.
Training Catalog
The REMS TA Center designed the new VTBR program to mirror our live Trainings by Request offerings, ranging from developing a high-quality emergency operations plan (EOP) to understanding the behavioral threat assessment process. To learn about a training’s purpose and intended audience, select a training topic below or download the Virtual Trainings by Request At a Glance.
Train-the-Educator (TtE)
Planning Considerations for K-12 Rural Schools
Duration
3 hours
Description
Learn the six-step planning process and how to build the capacity of rural schools to develop a comprehensive high-quality school and/or school district emergency operations plan (EOP). As part of a comprehensive school EOP, it is important for rural schools and school districts to have a realistic understanding of their unique rural situation so that they can develop partnerships, build capacity, and design customized and feasible emergency plans to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from critical incidents.
Intended Audience
School and school district administrators, educators, and staff; members of an EOP planning team; and individuals who have a role or responsibility in school safety, security, and emergency preparedness. Also applicable for fire officials, emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement and school resource officers, public health officials, mental/behavioral health practitioners, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Resilience Strategies for Institutions of Higher Education: Techniques for Self-Care and Compassion Fatigue Prevention
Duration
4 hours
Description
Learn resilience strategies that you can use to increase your ability to work more effectively with peers, students, faculty, and staff impacted by stress, loss, and trauma brought on by emergency events, including, but not limited to, community or family violence and economic hardship. Important concepts covered include dimensions of compassion fatigue, including occupational burnout, the unique aspects of institution of higher education (IHE) campus culture and climate, the relationship between trauma and resilience when crises occur, the development of a self-care plan, and Psychological First Aid. This training can assist IHEs in their health, social, emotional, and behavioral recovery efforts before, during, or after an emergency event.
Intended Audience
IHE administrators, faculty, and staff; IHE counselors, clinical staff, and mental/behavioral health staff; and IHE students. Also applicable for local mental/behavioral health practitioners and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Communications and Warning Considerations for Your K-12 Emergency Operations Plan
Duration
3 hours
Description
Learn key considerations for establishing and carrying out communication protocols before, during, and after emergencies. This learning opportunity will help core planning teams develop a deeper understanding of the Communications and Warning Annex in a school EOP. The Communications and Warning Annex is one of the 10 functional annexes recommended in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans and The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. Participants will be equipped to create a customized Communications and Warning Annex that meets the needs of their whole school community and review and update their Communications and Warning Annex on a regular basis to ensure the most successful outcome.
Intended Audience
School and school district administrators, educators, and staff; members of an EOP planning team; and public information officers. Also applicable for law enforcement and school resource officers and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Planning for Family Reunification Before, During, and After an Emergency
Duration
2.5 hours
Description
Learn about family reunification and how it is used to reunite children with verified and authorized family members after a critical and often highly stressful incident (e.g., a fire, a natural disaster, a school bus accident, a situation involving weapons or violence at school, etc.) that prevents a normal school dismissal. The Family Reunification Annex is recognized in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans and The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans as a critical functional annex in the school EOP. Participants will be equipped to create a customized Family Reunification Annex that meets the needs of their whole school community; review and update their Family Reunification Annex on a regular basis to ensure the most successful outcome; and ensure that their annex includes a step-by-step plan to reunify children with their families before, during, and after an emergency across the five mission areas.
Intended Audience
School and school district administrators, educators, and staff; and members of an EOP planning team. Also applicable for fire officials, emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement and school resource officers, local public health officials, local mental/behavioral health practitioners, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Resilience Strategies for Educators (RSE): Techniques for Self-Care and Peer Support
Duration
4 hours
Description
Learn resilience strategies that you can use to increase your ability to work more effectively within a school community impacted by stress, loss, and trauma caused by a variety of emergencies, including, but not limited to, community or family violence, natural and man-made disasters, and/or economic hardship. Important concepts covered include dimensions of compassion fatigue, professional and personal self-care plans, and Psychological First Aid. This training can assist schools in their health, social, emotional, and behavioral recovery efforts before, during, or after an emergency event.
Intended Audience
School district and school administrators, educators, and staff; and school counselors; school psychologists; and school social workers. Also applicable for local mental/behavioral health practitioners and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Conducting K-12 Site Assessments With SITE ASSESS
Duration
2.5 hours
Description
Learn about site assessments, including their purpose; who should serve on a site assessment team; how site assessments can help schools examine the safety, security, and emergency preparedness of buildings and grounds; how data from site assessments are incorporated into the planning process outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans; and key topics such as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. This training also provides an overview of SITE ASSESS, including how the REMS TA Center developed it, some of its features, and how to use it collaboratively. SITE ASSESS is compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems, and participants are asked to download and install SITE ASSESS prior to attending the training.
Intended Audience
School district and school administrators, educators, and staff; school facility managers, custodians, and maintenance staff; school nutrition directors, cafeteria workers, and food management staff; school transportation directors, bus drivers, and dispatch staff; school nurses, health staff, and security staff; athletic directors, coaches, and athletic department staff, members of a site assessment team; members of an emergency operations plan planning team. Also applicable for law enforcement and school resource officers, fire officials, emergency medical services personnel, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101
Duration
2.5 hours
Description
Learn key considerations for creating, revising, or enhancing school EOPs using the recommended six-step planning process, outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans and The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. The training is designed to help schools develop a custom plan that addresses a range of hazards and threats, conduct a comprehensive review of their entire plan, or conduct periodic and incremental reviews of a plan’s components. The planning process discussed during the training is flexible and can be adapted to accommodate a school’s unique characteristics and situation. It provides an overview of the recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP.
Intended Audience
School and school district administrators, educators, and staff; members of an EOP planning team; and individuals who have a role or responsibility in school safety, security, and emergency preparedness. Also applicable for fire officials, emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement and school resource officers, public health officials, mental/behavioral health practitioners, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
School Behavioral Threat Assessments: An Introduction
Duration
4 hours
Description
Learn various components of school behavioral threat assessments, originally put forth by the Safe School Initiative, alongside new information and guidance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. The training highlights key aspects of school behavioral threat assessments that need to be considered when deciding which threat assessment features are most appropriate for the district, school, and/or local community. In addition, participants will receive guidance on how to develop a multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment team and conduct a meeting. According to The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans, school districts and schools should establish a threat assessment team and develop a Behavioral Threat Assessment Annex.
Intended Audience
School district and school administrators, educators, and staff; school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers; and members of a behavioral threat assessment team. Also applicable for law enforcement and school resource officers, local mental/behavioral health practitioners, representatives from youth-serving organizations, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Earthquake Preparedness for Schools
Duration
4 hours
Description
Learn about earthquakes as a natural hazard and how your school can comprehensively protect the whole school community from, prevent additional emergencies from occurring after, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from earthquakes. Generally, an earthquake can occur almost anywhere in the United States, at any time of year, and at any time of the day or night. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 42 states have a “reasonable chance” of having damaging ground shaking from an earthquake. Therefore, it is essential for everyone, regardless of where they live or work, to be prepared for earthquakes, including what to do before, during, and after an earthquake. This training covers how to develop an Earthquake Annex and other related annexes in your school emergency operations plan (EOP).
Intended Audience
School district and school administrators, educators, and staff; and members of an EOP planning team. Also applicable for fire officials, emergency medical services personnel, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) IHE 101
Duration
2.5 hours
Description
Learn key considerations for creating, revising, or enhancing higher ed EOPs using the recommended six-step planning process, outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education. The training is designed to help IHEs develop a custom plan that addresses a range of hazards and threats, conduct a comprehensive review of their entire plan, or conduct periodic and incremental reviews of a plan’s components. The planning process discussed during the training is flexible and can be adapted to accommodate an IHE’s unique characteristics and situation.
Intended Audience
IHE administrators, faculty, and staff; members of an EOP planning team; campus public safety officials; students; and individuals who have a role or responsibility in campus safety, security, and emergency preparedness. Also applicable for law enforcement and campus police officers, fire officials, emergency medical services personnel, public health officials, mental/behavioral health practitioners, and other community partners.
Class Size
50 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Train-the-Trainer (TtT)
K-12 Cybersecurity Risk Management 101
Duration
2 hours
Description
Learn how school computer networks and systems are vulnerable to cyber threats and how to prepare for and manage them. During the spring of 2022, 33 percent of public schools offered full-time remote instruction, and in June 2022, 10 percent of public schools offered hybrid instruction to students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. As remote and hybrid instruction increase, and technology systems become more integrated, school leaders must be aware of cybersecurity risks and the strategies that enhance cybersecurity planning. This training covers how to develop a cyber incident response plan and how it can be integrated into school emergency operations plans (EOPs) via a Cyber Annex.
Intended Audience
School district and school administrators, educators, and staff; information technology staff; and members of an EOP planning team. Also applicable for regional and state-level entities who support schools with technology management, and other community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101
Duration
3 hours
Description
Learn key considerations for creating, revising, or enhancing school EOPs using the recommended six-step planning process, outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans and The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. The training is designed to help schools develop a custom plan that addresses a range of hazards and threats, conduct a comprehensive review of their entire plan, or conduct periodic and incremental reviews of a plan’s components. The planning process discussed during the training is flexible and can be adapted to accommodate a school’s unique characteristics and situation. It is intended to build the capacity of your education agency by creating a cadre of master trainers to deliver future trainings.
Intended Audience
Potential master trainers from participating schools and school districts responsible for training site-based planning teams. Also applicable for school district and school administrators, educators, staff; members of an EOP planning team; individuals who have a role or responsibility in school safety, security, and emergency preparedness; community partners.
Class Size
25 attendees at a minimum and 475 attendees at a maximum.
Learn More
Download the Training Flyer
Eligibility Requirements
Please carefully review the topics, attendance requirements associated with each training type, as well as the length of the training and its applicability to your school, school district, or IHE. In order to receive a virtual training, you must also meet the following criteria:
- Be a public or nonpublic K-12 school, school district, IHE, local education agency, regional education agency, state education agency, or partner with an education agency that will serve as the lead requestor.
- Market the virtual training to ensure the minimum required number of attendees. Most trainings require 25 or 50 attendees and have a maximum of 475 attendees. Please review the number of participants required for the training in which you are interested.
- Designate a point of contact who will coordinate with REMS TA Center staff members and trainers regarding the logistics of the event.
- Other requirements, as they pertain to specific virtual trainings.
Application and Hosting Process
If you meet the above criteria and are ready to request a REMS TA Center VTBR, fill out the Training by Request Application. Please submit this form no later than 15 days from your requested training date. Step-by-step instructions for hosting a virtual training are outlined below.
Step-by-Step Process
Complete and submit the Virtual Training by Request Application at least 15 days prior to the requested training date. You will receive a confirmation email from the REMS TA Center acknowledging receipt of the application. If you do not receive this email, please contact the Help Desk.
Training by Request Application
Wait while the REMS TA Center and U.S. Department of Education review the application. If the application is approved, the REMS TA Center will send an email notification with documents attached, including a Host Site Agreement and Planning Checklist. If the application is not approved, the REMS TA Center will send an email with compliance instructions for resubmittal.
Review, approve, sign, and return the Site Host Agreement and Planning Checklist to the REMS TA Center within 3 business days of receipt of these two documents. The REMS TA Center provides the following services: online registration for the event, weekly registration reports, a customized and electronic marketing flyer for local distribution, and online training materials to be downloaded and/or printed.
Participate in a site coordination call/dry run with the REMS TA Center, including its expert trainers and staff representative, at least 1 week prior to the training date.
Participate in the pre-conference and live virtual training. The REMS TA Center, via its expert trainers and staff representative, delivers the training via a virtual platform.
The REMS TA Center will send online evaluations to training attendees. Electronic certificates of participation are issued upon completion of evaluation forms.
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