The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) has advised the Department of Education that Arkansas has no specific threat warnings at this time; however, ADEM cannot rule out this possibility with 100% certainty. The existing emergency contingency planning requirements in place for Arkansas public schools addressing such threats as severe weather, fires, bomb threats, and acts of violence have been reviewed. All administrators are encouraged to review contingency plans for each school in each district consistent with these revisions. School plans should be updated annually and appropriate drills conducted to ensure plan effectiveness. Central to the success of these contingency plans is the need for maintaining good command and control of the pupil population and suitable communications to enable adjustments to be executed as the situation dictates.
The majority of students' time is spent away from the school campus where they are not as likely to be covered by contingency planning. Consider suggesting to parents the need to develop communication and coordination plans for family members in the event a threat occurs outside the school day.
The ADEM provides useful information at www.adem.state.ar.us (501-730-9750). It is recommended that school administrators review the Website and share the address and telephone number with students, parents, and community members.
Planning, establishing good communications, and exercising the plan are good rules of behavior for most emergency situations.