Mitigation Planning
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says, "The goal of mitigation is to decrease the need for a response as opposed to simply increasing response capability." Mitigating emergencies is also important from a legal perspective. For example, if a school, district, or state does not take all the necessary actions to prevent an emergency, it could be vulnerable to a negligence suit. It is important to make sure the building is up to local, state, and federal codes.
Prevention Planning
Creating a safe learning environment should not be new to any school district. Identifying students, and sometimes staff, who may pose a danger to either themselves or each other is called "threat assessment."
Many schools have programs in place that are aimed to prevent children from initiating harmful behaviors. Social problem-solving for life skills programs, anti-bullying programs, and school-wide discipline efforts are common throughout the United States. The staff in charge of prevention in a school, such as counselors, teachers, health professionals, and administrators, should be part of the crisis planning team.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-3. According to FEMA, the goal of mitigation is to _____.
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