Need help right now?
If someone needs immediate help with school prep, use emergency mode.
Do this nowThis content is in Draft and has not been professionally reviewed. It is provided for preview while expert review is in progress.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Coordinate with your child's school on emergency plans, reunification points, and what children should know before disaster.
The essentials if you need to act right now.
Get school emergency plan. List who can pick up child. Child knows address and numbers. Contact card in bag.
What might I see? Observable signs — no diagnosis required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You do not know where school sends children during evacuation.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Child cannot say parent phone number or alternate pickup person.
Optional deeper explanation — not required to act.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — NDMA mandates school safety plans in many states — earthquakes, fire, and terror drills require parent coordination.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Red Cross reunification guidance: pre-authorized pickup list prevents chaos when roads block parents.
Check the scene before you approach.
Civilian-safe actions you can take.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Request emergency plan at next parent meeting or school office.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Write child name, blood group, allergies on card for school bag.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Register authorized pickup persons with school in writing — photo ID may be required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Save school office and bus driver numbers separate from teacher WhatsApp.
When and how to get professional help.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Coordinate with school authorities. Follow school instructions during active emergency.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — School helpline during incident — confirm reunification location before travelling.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — 112 only for immediate danger to child — trust school lockdown protocols otherwise.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Counselling if child traumatized after drill or real event — school counsellor or helpline.
Dangerous actions, when not to attempt rescue, and common myths.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT drive to school against traffic or police barricade during city emergency.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT tell child to leave school grounds alone to find parents.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Schools handle everything — parents do not need a plan
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Red Cross stresses family-school alignment on meeting points when school evacuates to alternate site.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Parents and child search different locations for hours.
What you can do before an emergency happens.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Update pickup authorization when relatives visit or phone numbers change.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Review plan at start of each school year and after child changes school.
Other scenarios in the same family.
Disability prep
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Plan for wheelchair users, blind, deaf, and neurodiverse family members so emergencies do not cut access to mobility, communication, or medicine.
Earthquake prep
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Prepare your home and family for earthquakes — secure furniture, know drop-cover-hold, and plan for aftershocks.
Elderly prep
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Help elderly family members prepare for emergencies when mobility, memory, or chronic illness makes evacuation harder.
Heat prep
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Prepare for extreme heat — stay hydrated, keep home cool, and protect elderly, children, and outdoor workers.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Injured child — school calls 108; parents go to hospital named by school.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Drills scare children so schools should skip them
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Age-appropriate drills reduce panic. NDMA recommends regular practice with calm debrief.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Child freezes or runs wrong direction in real emergency.