Nurse’s Role in Preparing for Emergency
I am not currently employed as a school nurse. As such, my content for this assignment is what I could find for a local school on the internet. Northside Christian School (NCS) is in Westerville, Ohio. It has a student population of just under 200. Their 66 page School Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) can be viewed online as a PDF here or by copy and pasting this into a web browser:
http://www.ncslions.org/editoruploads/files/Emergency_Operations_Plan_for_Handbook_2018-2019.pdf
In the introductory paragraph of the plan it states “provides policies and procedures on how to respond to all-hazard emergency incidents. This plan has been customized to meet the specific and unique needs, capabilities and circumstances found at Northside Christian School.”
As this is not my place of employment, the information I have on the EOP has been obtained directly from the EOP.
The EOP and its associated training records are available in the front office. The EOP states that per Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3301-5-01 the school and staff will conduct an Emergency Management Test and that per ORC 3737.73 Northside Christian will conduct drills as specified as necessary by the state of Ohio. Additionally, the plan states that, “An annual review of the school’s physical security features is conducted by the NCS Administration. Security equipment will be checked annually by NCS administration to ensure the equipment is working properly. NCS Administration has the responsibility of identifying funding opportunities and/or obtaining grants to cover future costs of physical security improvements.” Per the EOP, it is the responsibility of the Principal to provide and record training on emergency procedures to the teachers, substitute teachers, staff, non-teaching staff, and students. In the event it is necessary, the implementation of the plan can be activated by a hierarchy of staff – Principal, then first and second alternate. Finally, “Between January 1 and July 1 of each calendar year, the school administrator shall review the plan and certify to the Ohio Department of Education that the plan is current and accurate. The certification must be entered into SAFE no later than July 1. During the annual review, the School EOP and all components of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan will be checked for compliance with ORC 3313.536 and any other applicable state or local ordinance.”
An interesting point to note is that there is no licensed school nurse employed by the school. NCS has a contracted school nurse on campus on Thursdays during the school year. In this case, the EOP designates the “Medical Response Procedures 1. If a school nurse is present, either bring the student to the nurse or the nurse to the student. a. If no school nurse, the trained designated staff member(s) should respond.” The designated “medical response team consists of Jesse Stout, Brian Leland, Lindsay Patton, Kim Troutner, and Linda Norris.” A wise use of the School Nurse on Thursdays would be to have the SN review the EOP as well as the emergency supplies and procedures for the campus. The contracted SN be should be knowledgeable of state requirements for emergency procedures, review and comment on the school EOP, and ensure staff trainings are up to date and check the expiration dates of emergency equipment. Annually, the SN can help in creating or assessing a “Go Box”, organize and refill medical and first aid supplies, provide training for staff members as appropriate, and create emergency preparedness education lessons for the students. The NCS plan indicates that the principal is responsible for staff and student trainings and documentation. Office staff is responsible for maintaining the documents. The SN can audit these items, or create additional training and education items for staff and students as well.
I believe that the Northside Christian School Emergency Operations Plan meets the Ohio revised code requirements for disaster plans (I am making an assumption that the school has uploaded a current floorplan of their facility to the database, though it is not visible on their pdf online). Additionally, the NCS meets the suggested FEMA EOP template guidelines provided by the Ohio Board of Education published online at: https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Other-Resources/School-Safety/SSTF-School-Plan-Template.pdf.aspx .