Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to create plan for natural disasters risks


December 25, 2012 · 8:14 PM

How Washington school facilities handle natural hazards is the subject of a large-scale project currently underway.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, in partnership with 35 school districts across the state, received a Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning Grant in March 2012 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The two-year, $1.1 million grant will help the state identify risks and develop a statewide mitigation plan from natural disasters.

“Our chief concern is to protect everyone – students, faculty and buildings,” said Randy Dorn, superintendent of public instruction. “The FEMA grant will help us identify our needs. Obviously, no one wants a natural disaster to hit our state, but if one does, we need to be ready….”

Recent work includes the launch of a brief online survey that will capture perceptions and preferences from parents, teachers, school boards, state organizations, superintendents and the general public.

The survey, titled Increase Life Safety Before Disaster Strikes, is available through April 1, 2013 and should take less than five minutes to complete. The feedback received from the survey will assist OSPI with development of the draft mitigation plan. Results of the survey will be available on the OSPI Pre-Disaster Mitigation web page late spring 2013.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.