A national report card for emergency preparedness ranks Indiana among the least prepared states when it comes to emergency plans for schools and child care facilities. The state does not meet half of the minimum standards for addressing natural and manmade emergencies.
The report card the international Charity Save the Children released Tuesday cites four emergency preparedness standards states must meet: a family-child reunification plan, and a K-12 multiple disaster plan, an evacuation/relocation plan, and a plan for children with special needs.
Indiana does not meet the latter two criteria, putting it ahead of only 10 other states. Due to the difficulty of securing funds, some school corporations have taken it upon themselves to pass referenda for money to upgrade safety and security measures.
Doug Hasler is the Executive Director of Support Services for Elkhart Community Schools. He says it was important for his district to pass the referendum the district proposed earlier this year.
"The list of school tragedies around the country has become longer and longer, says Hasler, "and each and every one of those incidents has unfortunately taught an additional lesson of how it is possible to make a school safer for the students and the staff and the building."
The Indiana Department of Education does require each state school corporation to develop a written emergency preparedness plan, in consultation with local public safety agencies.
Those plans must include, among other things, warning systems, evacuation routes and public information procedures.