Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) prioritizes student and staff safety through comprehensive emergency preparedness, which includes the following:
- Crisis Management Plan: Each FCPS school has a Crisis Management Plan that outlines procedures, operations, and assignments required to prevent, manage, and respond to a wide range of emergencies, including natural disasters, power outages, medical emergencies (like cardiac arrest), violence, and threats. It mandates immediate contact with the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund in emergencies involving victims. Each plan is developed with assistance from local law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management officials and reviewed annually. The Assistant Superintendent for Administration serves as the emergency manager.
- School Safety Audits: Annual safety audits, conducted in collaboration with local law enforcement, assess physical safety and student safety concerns. These audits lead to recommendations for structural adjustments, procedural changes, and revisions to student conduct standards. Each audit includes a review of closure plans for public health emergencies and requires detailed floor plans. The results are made public, with certain security-sensitive information protected under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. A School Safety Audit Committee, including community representatives, reviews these audits and proposes improvements.
- Safety, Health, and Fire Inspections: Schools must maintain records of regular safety, health, and fire inspections by local departments. All exit doors must have panic hardware.
- Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP): Each school must have a written CERP to address sudden cardiac arrest. This includes establishing a cardiac emergency response team, integrating with local EMS, conducting annual drills, ensuring accessible and maintained Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) (within a three-minute access time), and training staff in first aid, CPR, and AED use.
- Bleeding Control Program: Each school implements a bleeding control program requiring easily accessible bleeding control kits in each school building. These kits are to be used in drills and emergencies, inspected annually for expired materials, and restocked after each use.
- Additional Emergency Procedures: Schools must have contingency plans for various emergencies, including staff certified in CPR, AED use, the Heimlich maneuver, and first aid. This also covers written procedures for fires, injuries, illnesses, allergic reactions, violent behavior, student medication administration (including epinephrine), and safe evacuation plans for individuals with special needs, ensuring inclusive evacuation processes. Furthermore, there are written procedures for the procurement, placement, maintenance, and administration of opioid antagonists (like naloxone) and the management of bleeding control kits.
For more information, please see the following:
- Virginia Code § 22.1-279.8
- Virginia Code § 22.1-271.9
- Virginia Code § 22.1-274.4:1
- Virginia Code § 22.1-274.7
- Virginia Administrative Code 8VAC20-132-240
- FCPS Policy 221P, Administration - School Crisis, Emergency Management and Medical Emergency Response Plan
- FCPS Regulation 221R, Administration - School Crisis and Emergency Management Plan
- FCPS Policy 223P, Administration - Safety Drills