School Preparedness In the Spotlight
School nurses--Our First Responders
Food Safety in Schools
Eating Safely at School: What Education Policymakers Need to Know and Do to Prevent and Respond to Food-Related Illness in Schools
Written for the National School Boards Association, this document provides information for establishing food safety policies and practices to ensure that foods available at school are safe to consume. It “also addresses how to prepare for and manage a crisis resulting from a food-related illness.” “Guidance and tools for developing, implementing, and monitoring policies to promote the safety of foods and beverages” are listed, including a checklist.
Food Safety for School Nurses
Website from the National Coalition for Food-Safe Schools. Lists recommendations school nurses can follow to prevent and respond to food-related illnesses. Also lists other resources for school nurses.
A Biosecurity Checklist for School Foodservice Programs: Developing a Biosecurity Management Plan
Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, this document provides guidelines on how to “form a school foodservice biosecurity management team, use the checklist to prioritize measures to strengthen biosecurity inside and outside the primary foodservice area, and create a school foodservice biosecurity management plan.” Several checklists and forms are provided.
About the Program
The UPCPHP, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) , and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) recognize school nurses as first responders to all public health emergencies.
Therefore, we partner to provide key training to school personnel in planning for and responding to emergencies in schools. To date, approximately 693 school nurses in Pennsylvania have completed a day-long training specific to their role in disasters. An addition, 150 K-12 school personnel, such as administrators, security directors, counselors, and transportation directors, have been trained to the National Incident Management System standards established by Homeland Security Presidential Directive #5. Team training is also provided on "Responding to Public Health Emergencies in Schools." More trainings are scheduled for 2008 - 2009.
See Save the Dates for upcoming training dates, or view a larger version of the Training Location Map to see pending and completed training locations. Contact us to schedule a training in your area.
In addition to school nurses, UPCPHP has expanded its training to include other school personel, such as administrators.
The partnership has spawned several more activities including:
- CE-accredited online course for school nurses (LMS)
- An action chart for school nurses based on Department of Homeland Security color codes (View pdf of Color Code Guide).
Additional Resources
All resources have been reviewed and recommended by UPCPHP.
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