Emergency Management Scheduled Review Updates

These policies were under scheduled review in term 2, 2025.

Emergency Management

(formerly Emergency, Disaster, and Crisis Management)

• Gave policy a simpler title, and consolidated relevant information from other policies into one place for clarity.
• The policy now includes key information from retiring policies: Planning and Preparing for Emergencies, Disasters, and Crises; Emergency Management; Disaster Management; Emergency Kits and Supplies; Emergency Relief Centre (optional policy); and Communication During an Emergency, Disaster, or Crisis.
• Reorganised content into sections that cover roles and responsibilities, the emergency management plan, and recording and reviewing emergencies.
• Updated the board assurance in this policy to align more closely with ERO's checklist.

Planning and Preparing for Emergencies, Disasters, and Crises

(retired)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to the updated Emergency Management policy.

Evacuation

• Updated and reformatted this policy for clarity.
• If schools linked to a site map, this was removed when we published these updates, as the Ministry of Education Emergency Management Plan template advises that these should not be published online.

Emergency Kits and Supplies

(retired)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to the updated Emergency Management policy.

Communication During an Emergency, Disaster, or Crisis

(retired)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to the updated Emergency Management policy.

Emergency Closure

• Reorganised and strengthened the policy by adding clearer sections to cover planning and preparing for an emergency closure, procedures for closure and reunification, and ongoing operations.

Emergency Management

(retired)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to the new version of Emergency Management (see above).

Fire

• Reorganised content into sections that cover preventing and planning for a fire, responding to a fire, and resuming operations.

Gas Leak or Chemical Spill

• Included content from Chemical Spills and reorganised content into sections that cover preventing and planning for a gas leak or chemical spill, and the response procedures.

Chemical Spills

(retired)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to Gas Leak or Chemical Spill.

Bomb Threat

• Reorganised content into sections that cover preparing for a bomb threat and responding to a bomb threat.

Suspicious or Dangerous Item

• Expanded this procedure from suspicious letters and packages to include all suspicious or dangerous items.
• Added content from Chain of Custody (retired).
• Reorganised content into sections that cover preparing for a suspicious or dangerous item and responding to a suspicious or dangerous item, and clarified processes for responding according to whether the item appears potentially dangerous.

Trespasser or Attacker on School Grounds

• Added content from Attacker on School Grounds (retired).
• Reorganised content into sections that cover prevention and planning for a trespasser or attacker and response procedures.

Attacker on School Grounds

(retired)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites).
• Relevant policy information has moved to Trespasser or Attacker on School Grounds or should be covered in a school-specific lockdown plan that is not shared online.

Lockdown or Shelter in Place

• Clarified that the policy does not contain school-specific procedures for lockdown or shelter in place, as these cannot be published online for security reasons.
• Reformatted the policy to make it clearer for your school community what to expect in the event of a lockdown or shelter in place.

Disaster Management

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to the updated Emergency Management policy.

Emergency Relief Centre (optional policy)

• This policy has been retired (removed from sites). Relevant policy information has moved to the updated Emergency Management policy.
• Schools that have this policy were automatically given the optional wording about an emergency relief centre when these updates were published.

Earthquake

• Removed details that applied to only some schools to make the policy more applicable.
• Added content about supporting people with additional needs to the preparing section.
• Updated the language to be more inclusive of staff and visitors.
• Updated the language to reflect the fact that work and learning takes place in a variety of spaces.
• Updated the Earthquake Hazards Checklist.

Tsunami

• This is a new optional policy that replaces previous customised Tsunami policies and links to a tsunami procedure from Earthquakes.

Extreme Weather

• Added a section on planning for extreme weather.
• Clarified emergency processes during extreme weather events.

Volcanic Activity and Ashfall

• Added a section on planning for volcanic activity and ashfall.
• Clarified emergency processes during volcanic activity and ashfall and for resuming operations.
• Removed optional wording about being in a high-risk area for volcanic activity and ashfall.

Pandemic

• Added content to cover planning and responding to a pandemic.

Managing Traumatic Incidents (previously Crisis Management)

• Renamed this policy to align with Ministry of Education guidelines.
• Reorganised the policy to make the planning and response stages clearer and linked to related policies.
• Retired/removed our Crisis Management Guide and incorporated that information throughout this policy to consolidate information into one place.
• SchoolDocs will not link to school-specific emergency management plans as these contain secure information and should be kept internally at the school and not published online.

After an Emergency

• Simplified the title of this policy.
• Reformatted the policy and adapted wording for clarity.