An Emergency App

Think fast: What does your school district’s emergency plan direct you to do if a teacher you were talking to suffered a sudden heart attack? Do you have to look it up? Where is it?

What about this: What does your school district’s emergency plan direct you to do if you come across an abandoned package that looks suspicious to you? Do you have to look that up too?

Have you read your emergency plan?

According to a survey conducted by SchoolDude, an education asset management firm, 79 percent of all schools communicate their emergency plans on paper in binders. Do you have the emergency plan on a binder in your office?

CrisisManagerDiscovering that, SchoolDude came up with an idea that will put your emergency plan at the fingertips of every single teacher and administrator in your school and school district.

It’s a smartphone app called CrisisManager. You will find it at your app store — SchoolDude has released versions for all of the major smartphone operating systems.

It has a sample emergency plan for administrators. That, of course, isn’t your school’s plan, but you can load your plans — for administrators, teachers and even students — into the app.

The material stays in the smartphone’s memory — not online — but inside the smartphone. When the emergency plan gets updated, notifications go out to everyone registered in the system, and everyone can download the update.

If an emergency cuts off power, and the Internet goes down, and nearby cell towers go down, everyone in your school will have the information necessary to dealing with the emergency on personal cell phones.

That way you won’t have to memorize an emergency plan printed on paper and stored in a binder on a shelf — somewhere.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Colorado State University Global, SCTE Launch Online Certificate Program

    Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), based in Denver, Colo., recently announced a partnership with CableLabs subsidiary the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) to launch an online certificate training program for broadband professionals, according to a news release.

  • School Construction Projects Boom as Education Systems Address Aging Facilities and Growth

    Construction opportunities are almost always abundant, but currently there are more than usual construction projects being launched for public school campuses. Common objectives include major renovation or expansion of aging facilities, total replacement of inefficient classrooms, upgrades to lighting, technology, and security equipment, and adding new sports and cultural facilities.

  • Designing Learning Spaces that Support Student Mental Health and Wellness

    In today’s education landscape, schools are more than just centers for learning; they are integral to the holistic development and well-being of students. The global pandemic underscored the importance of addressing mental health in schools, as productivity dropped, stress levels rose and students faced challenges managing emotions.

  • Texas K–12 District to Build New Elementary, High Schools

    The High Island Independent School District on the Bolivar Peninsula in Southeast Texas recently announced that construction on a new elementary school and a new high school will begin in January 2026, according to local news. Funding will come from a $27.9-million bond passed in May 2025.

Digital Edition