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Toolkit

Welcome to the NEMLEC STARS Toolkit 2nd Edition!

Whether you are starting from scratch or updating your school safety plans, doing so without assistance can be an overwhelming task. The NEMLEC STARS Toolkit 2nd Edition is a resource designed to assist school districts and their communities with crisis planning and preparedness.  It contains samples and templates that can be used to jump-start or update your community’s school preparedness program, as well as provides essential guidelines during a critical incident.

Among other things, this Toolkit includes guidance on the following:

  1. Forming multi-disciplinary District Level Emergency Management and School Level Crisis Response Teams
  2. Developing an all hazards crisis plan
  3. Assessing threats and school preparedness
  4. Responding to bomb threats and other critical incidents
  5. Creating a "Go-Kit"
  6. Creating and conducting training and exercises
  7. Creating and disseminating standardized floor plans
  8. And much more…

The NEMLEC STARS Toolkit 2nd Edition offers an in-depth look at some of the most problematic areas that schools may lack experience in handling, and provides the user with guidance to make planning, response, and recovery more comprehensive.

Nothing in the Toolkit or its accompanying supplementary web site and documents should be construed as prescriptive.  Instead, districts are encouraged to use this comprehensive resource as a starting point for collaborative discussion and planning.  Only when school systems, their public safety partners, and other community stakeholders come together to plan a comprehensive strategy for effective school safety, can the goal of providing safer schools be met.

If you are new to this site and its accompanying resources, it is highly recommended that you download and read the NEMLEC STARS Toolkit 2nd Edition first, as the cornerstone of your school safety program.