Every August, I see the same pattern repeat itself. Administrators and School Resource Officers return from summer break facing a familiar scramble—plans rushed back into place, outdated contact lists hastily updated, and staff trying to regain confidence before students arrive. The problem isn’t effort; it’s timing.
The smartest safety planning happens before the pressure of a new school year sets in. Strategic planning looks very different from reactive updates. Instead of asking, “What do we need to fix before the doors open?” schools should be asking, “What did we learn this year that should shape next year?”
Preparing now sets administrators and SROs up for confidence on day one. It allows teams to review what actually worked under real conditions—not just what looked good on paper.
Late spring and early summer are ideal for reflecting on:
- How staff accessed emergency procedures during drills or incidents
- Where confusion or hesitation occurred
- Which roles or responsibilities felt unclear
What Administrators Can Do NOW
One effective approach is using this year’s experience to build a back-to-school safety checklist, focused on readiness rather than compliance. Before staff disperse for summer break, administrators and school safety teams should consider conducting a simple hot wash or after action review of the school year while recent drills, incidents, communication challenges, and operational lessons are still fresh in everyone’s minds. These conversations often uncover small but important gaps that may otherwise be forgotten by August. Capturing those observations now allows schools to turn real-world experiences into actionable improvements and a more refined readiness checklist for the start of the next school year.
This checklist might include:
- Verifying emergency contacts, incident command roles, and staff assignments to ensure key responsibilities are clearly understood before the school year begins
- Confirming that all staff—including substitutes, coaches, aides, and contracted personnel—can quickly access emergency plans and know how to use them during an incident
- Reviewing communication protocols with local law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management partners to ensure coordination procedures and contact information remain current
- Evaluating reunification procedures, visitor management processes, and parent communication protocols based on lessons learned during drills, events, or actual incidents throughout the year
- Assessing physical security measures such as door access controls, classroom emergency supplies, radios, cameras, and notification systems to identify maintenance issues or operational gaps before students return
- Identifying training needs for the upcoming year, including refresher training for staff, onboarding procedures for new employees, and scenario-based exercises that address challenges experienced during the previous school year
Turn This Year’s Lessons Into Next Year’s Readiness
This is also the perfect time to evaluate whether your current emergency plans are truly usable during a crisis. In many schools, emergency procedures still exist primarily in binders, desktops, or shared drives that may not be quickly accessible when seconds matter. Staff members often know the plans exist, but under stress, locating the right information quickly can become a challenge. That is exactly why I created the Mobile Emergency Response Plan (MERP). The MERP gives schools immediate, mobile access to emergency procedures, critical contacts, maps, and response information directly from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Instead of relying on outdated paper copies or hoping everyone remembers where files are stored, staff can securely access the information they need in real time—whether they are in a classroom, on a school bus, at an athletic event, or off campus.
The end of the school year is the ideal time to implement the MERP because schools can use the quieter summer months to upload plans, update contacts, review procedures, and train staff before students return. Administrators can also conduct a hot wash or after action review while lessons learned from drills, incidents, and operational challenges are still fresh in staff members’ minds, helping develop a stronger readiness checklist for the new school year. The MERP transforms emergency planning from a static document into a living operational tool by centralizing updates and improving accessibility year-round.
GOT MERP?
As you work to close out the school year, this is also an opportunity to strengthen your readiness without adding complexity. I designed the Mobile Emergency Response Plan (MERP) based on more than 30 years in education and law enforcement to give schools immediate, practical access to their emergency procedures—especially during times like this when staffing and routines are constantly shifting. Schools can take advantage of a free MERP test drive through June 30, and in most cases, it can be implemented in just days, not months. I’m also available to walk your team through a live virtual demonstration so you can easily format your MERP to include your school’s emergency plans, and how quickly it can bring clarity and confidence back to your staff.
To help schools experience its value firsthand, I am offering schools the opportunity to test drive the MERP free through June 30 in preparation for the 2026–2027 school year, including free training directly from me on how to effectively implement and use the system within your organization.
Complete the form below to get started.
Free MERP Test Drive
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