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Emergency Preparedness and Support |
The Cobb County School District continues to be
proactive when it comes to protecting the safety of our students and
staff members. The Board of Education has established that safety is
the school district’s highest priority. In these uncertain times, it
is important that parents and the rest of the Cobb County community
know that our schools are prepared in the event of an emergency or
crisis.
School District officials work closely with federal, state and local
emergency management agencies that are planning our community’s
response to potential threats. The District has a Special Response
Team comprised of administrators, security officials and support
specialists, equipped to quickly respond to any crisis situation
that may arise. The District’s safety and emergency procedures are
drafted to be consistent with all other local emergency preparedness
plans.
The District’s Department of Public Safety provides the first level
of safety support for our schools. Each high school has a full-time
P.O.S.T. certified law enforcement officer. Additional officers
cover middle schools by cluster, and are available to elementary
schools as needed. In addition, the District partners with the Cobb
County Sheriff’s Department to provide additional officer support
for schools.
All local schools have been provided with emergency procedure
manuals that provide step-by-step guides for how principals and
administrators should respond to a wide variety of scenarios ranging
from tornados and fire to biological threats. These plans are
regularly reviewed and updated, and schools practice response drills
several times during the school year.
The actions taken during an emergency situation will depend a great
deal on the specifics of the incident. Before decisions are made,
many factors are considered such as how many schools are impacted,
the proximity of the incident to schools, and the severity or
danger-level of the threat. Responses to safety threats may range
from placing school staff on a heightened state of alert to a
full-school lockdown, or from a temporary evacuation to early
dismissal. The point is that flexibility in the event of an
emergency is a key component of each school’s plan.
If you have questions about your child’s safety, please contact your
principal or refer to the resources below.
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Cobb County School District Safety Links
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Other
Safety Resources
Ready Campaign for Emergency Preparedness
http://www.ready.gov
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
http://www.fema.gov
Georgia Emergency Management Agency
http://www.gema.state.ga.us/
Cobb County Emergency Management Agency
http://ema.cobbcountyga.gov/
U.S. Dept. of Education Emergency Response and
Crisis Management Technical Assistance Center
http://www.ercm.org/
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