Seattle Public Schools: Plans in Place
Administrators at Seattle Public
Schools (SPS) know that time will
not be on their side should an influenza
pandemic hit the Seattle area. More than
6,000 people arrive there daily from
Asia, where the majority of human cases
of avian fl u have occurred, and epidemiologists
say that a pandemic will spread
faster in highly populated cities with
many travelers than it will in rural areas.
At SPS the pandemic response plans are
in place.
With that in mind, Pegi McEvoy, safety
administrator at SPS, was asked to describe
some of the most important steps
a district needs to consider when developing
its plan. McEvoy told us these
steps include contacting the city and
county emergency management departments
and the public health department
to initiate open, frequent dialogue on
pandemic response plans.
McEvoy stressed the importance of following
the guidelines developed by the
White House and the U.S. departments
of Education and Health and Human
Services. (See p. 2 and article at left for
more on these guidelines.) She said that
because each district has unique challenges
and resources, it is important for
school districts to work with local agencies
to make certain everyone is aware
of local capacities. SPS reviewed its base
plan for all hazards to look for gaps.
District administrators also connected
with leaders in the business community
to understand what plans are in place
for continuity of business operations.
McEvoy suggested that school administrators
look at their public health
projections and think critically about the
reality for their district.
SPS always considers three issues when
planning for a crisis:
• Continuity of education—how and
when to continue instruction;
• Continuity of business—how to support
essential business functions, such as
payroll, communications, and facility
maintenance; and
• Continuity of community—how to assist
the community. How does a district
reach out to support families during a
pandemic, whether or not instruction is
possible?
McEvoy said that practicing emergency
plans is the next vital step. “Tabletop …
tabletop … tabletop.” This means gathering
key staff and officials to discuss a
simulated pandemic and to evaluate
the response plans and procedures. For
instance, consider that many districts
stock “just-in-time” inventories of disinfecting
and health care materials. Be
prepared with a plan and the means to
acquire additional supplies.
When planning for remote instruction,
consider the needs of all students,
including individualized education
program (IEP) students who require a
certain allocation of direct instruction.
She advises not to forget about the emotional
toll a pandemic will have on the
school community. “When a pandemic
hits, the district will need multiple
family liaisons in order to assist with
the emotional and administrative needs
resulting from the multiple deaths of
staff and students.”
To download a copy of the Seattle Public Schools pandemic plan, go to:
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/
sampleplans
/index.html.
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