Roles and Responsibilities

In preparing for, responding to and recovering from an emergency, it is critical that the parties involved are aware of their particular areas of authority and responsibility, whether in a legal, professional or employment context. The following parties all play a part in ensuring the safety of children in our schools.

Superintendents:
In the public school system, superintendents act on behalf of boards of education to ensure that emergency management planning and implementation take place at the division and school levels. This includes the implementation of policy and standards; overseeing the development, maintenance and review of division and school plans; and reporting annually to the board of education on the status of divisional emergency preparedness.

Principals:
The principal is responsible for the operation and management of the school, including knowing what to do in an emergency to protect their students and staff. First responders such as firefighters and police will respond as available but it is incumbent on the principal to know how to communicate with and work with staff until such time as first responders arrive and the management of the event becomes a shared task.

Principals are responsible for the safety of their students in the event of an emergency or disaster. They must ensure a school-based plan is in place and all staff are trained on the plan. Principals are expected to maintain order during an emergency and to ensure that students are able to return safely to parents or approved guardians. The principal, or designate, is the person-in-charge during an emergency at their school. The principal is also responsible for conducting the following drills on an annual basis:

• 10 fire drills (National Fire Code requirement)
• 2 lockdown drills (Safe Schools Regulation)
• 2 tornado drills (Emergency Measures Organization recommendation)

Best Practice: Practice drills with local first responders and include them in debriefing sessions.

Teachers, Support Staff and Students:
All school personnel, including principals, teachers, educational assistants, clerical, maintenance staff and others, as well as students, are expected to be familiar with the emergency management plan and to understand their particular role(s) in carrying it out. Like the teaching staff, support staff will play a major role in an emergency response. Based on the skills that they bring to the endeavour, support staff are often best placed to take on the important roles outlined in the school emergency management plan. Students also have a responsibility to understand the emergency routines to the best of their abilities and to follow instructions given by their teachers. 

Parents and Guardians:
Parents are key partners in their children’s learning and are often very involved in school activities. Parents play an important part in the support of the school’s emergency plan by:

• ensuring that they are aware of how such plans will unfold;
• providing vital and up-to-date information regarding contact, medical and student release information;
• participating in drills or exercises related to emergency preparedness, including student release drills, when invited to do so by the principal;
• encouraging their children to take drills seriously.