Start with a Site Walkthrough
Before students arrive, a deliberate physical walkthrough of campus gives administrators a clear picture of what has changed over the summer. Construction, new furniture arrangements, updated signage, or shifted staff assignments all affect how emergency plans function in practice. Walking the grounds with a fresh set of eyes takes less than a day and regularly surfaces gaps that paperwork alone will not reveal.
During the walkthrough, test doors, check that exterior cameras are operational, and confirm that AED units and first-aid supplies are stocked and in their designated locations. These checks are straightforward, but they tend to slip through when teams are focused on curriculum preparation and enrollment logistics. Building the walkthrough into a standard pre-opening protocol ensures it happens every year.
Review and Update Your Emergency Plans
Emergency operations plans are living documents. Staff turnover, new student populations, physical campus changes, and updated guidance from district and state agencies all create reasons to revise existing plans before the school year begins. A plan written two years ago may reference staff members who are no longer on campus or procedures that no longer reflect current best practices.
Review each annex of your plan and assign a staff member to verify that the information in their area is accurate. Particular attention should go to communication trees, parent reunification procedures, and the contact information for local fire, police, and emergency medical services. Confirming that these details are current costs very little time and adds meaningful reliability to your response capability.
If your district has a safety coordinator or external consultant relationship, the back-to-school period is a logical time to schedule a plan review meeting. Having an outside perspective on your procedures often surfaces assumptions that internal teams have stopped questioning.
Train and Orient New Staff
Every school sees some degree of staff turnover between school years. New teachers, support staff, and administrators need safety orientation before students arrive, not after the first drill. At minimum, new staff should know the location of emergency equipment, the protocols for lockdown and evacuation, and who to contact when they observe a safety concern.
Orientation does not need to be a long session. A focused 30-to-45-minute walkthrough covering the basics, combined with clear written reference materials, gives new staff a solid foundation. More detailed training can be layered in throughout the year through scheduled drills and professional development days.
Communicate with Families Before Day One
Parents and guardians benefit from knowing, in general terms, how the school approaches safety at the start of each year. A brief communication that outlines visitor sign-in procedures, early dismissal protocols, and how the school will reach families in an emergency sets clear expectations and builds confidence in school leadership.
This communication does not need to be elaborate. A single paragraph in the back-to-school letter or welcome email is sufficient. The goal is to let families know that safety procedures are in place and that the school has thought carefully about how to handle unexpected situations. That kind of transparency goes a long way toward establishing trust before any incident occurs.