White House Conference on School Safety Stresses the Need for Emergency Planning (October 28, 2006)

Following a surge of violence in our nation's schools in the Fall of 2006, the White House conducted a Conference on School Safety on October 10, 2006, at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings joined President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to host the conference.

The U.S. Department of Education presented a free one-hour Webcast to provide parents, educators, school administrators, and local safety personnel with an opportunity to review key considerations in school emergency management planning.

Original Webcast date: Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Click here to find the free archived version of this Webcast.

Secretary Spellings has now followed up on the event with information about both the conference and resources developed by the Department of Education to help schools prevent and respond to a variety of crisis situations. Downloads of these materials can be found below.

The conference allowed various individuals, including educators, law enforcement officials, mental health providers, representatives of community-based organizations, parents, and students to share successful strategies and to learn more about school violence prevention.

Participants discussed the nature and extent of school violence, ways to establish safe environments and prevent school shootings, emergency management planning activities, and strategies to help school communities heal and recover if and when a violent incident occurs.

It was agreed that a comprehensive emergency management plan is one of the most important tools needed to address the four phases of emergency management: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Developed plans need to be disseminated to teachers, students, and parents, updated regularly, and practiced frequently.

Browse the following links for additional school safety resources from the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Materials from Education Secretary Margaret Spellings:

View a letter from the Office of the Secretary in MS Word format (145K file).

  Download the conference summary "Making Our Schools Safer" in MS Word format (26K file).

Additional Materials from the U.S. Department of Education:

  Department of Education Web page about October's Conference on School Safety.

  The White House's Web page about the Conference on School Safety.

The Conference agenda.

  A Web-based "fact sheet" on the Conference.

  Conference transcripts and video clips.

  Additional school safety resources from the Dept. of Education.

  Additional school safety resources from the White House.

Photo: The U.S. Dept. of Education