FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Vanessa Palange
Community Outreach Coordinator
C: (603) 545-9499
PRESS RELEASE
CONCORD, N.H. – On Monday, August 29, 2022, the New Hampshire Department of Safety and the New Hampshire Department of Education released a Back to School Safety video to school districts throughout the state. The video urges superintendents, principals, teachers and staff members to ensure they are familiar with their school emergency operations plans. It also reminds students of the importance of listening to administrators and faculty when an emergency situation occurs.
“From our historic School Safety Preparedness Task Force report to our first-of-its-kind $30+ million fund to help every school strengthen safety in their schools — ensuring kids can be safe in school has been a top priority,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “This safety video offers a critical, timely message and reminds school communities that there are many state resources available to ensure they are prepared for any emergency or threat.”
As the 2022-2023 school year approaches, the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) reminds residents and visitors about free resources offered by the agency:
New Hampshire School Safety Resource Center: This website divides information into nine sections, including the School Safety Preparedness Task Force, Legal Review, Legislative, Mental Health, Planning, Training & Exercises, Communication, Facilities Upgrades and Links. Resources posted to the website include free events, the Task Force report, education on bullying prevention, webinars and more. Users also can subscribe to receive updates from the website.
School Physical Security Assessments: HSEM’s School Readiness Program offers a free voluntary physical security assessment of kindergarten through grade 12 schools in New Hampshire. This program looks at the physical building and grounds and makes observations and recommendations based on three physical security capabilities: surveillance, access control, and emergency alerting. School officials can schedule an assessment by emailing schoolreadiness@dos.nh.gov.
Training and exercises: The purpose of conducting trainings/exercises is to assess, practice, and improve in the five phases of the preparedness cycle which include prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery from school-based incidents in a no-fault environment. The trainings and exercises should include your school’s emergency operations plan. Most commonly schools are prepared to participate in either a seminar, workshop, or tabletop exercise. Schools can request training by filling out the online application.
Ready the Prepared Puppy: Ready the Prepared Puppy teaches children kindergarten through fourth grade about knowing what to do and having what they need to stay safe. Children should be a part of the planning process because knowing what to do in an emergency will provide them with reassurance that they are being protected, even during dangerous conditions. To schedule a visit with Ready email hsempio@dos.nh.gov.
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The Back to School Safety video can be viewed on YouTube at the following link:https://youtu.be/uBumxUyc1pE.
