Study Shows Mobile-Enabled Emergency Plans are a Top Safety Priority for Schools

School Dude study says 50 percent of schools want a better way to reassess the efficiency of their crisis plans.

Nearly half of school administrators say mobile access is one of their top three priorities for updating emergency response plans a new study shows.

Those plans include preparation for potential emergencies, such as fire, natural disaster, disease, accidents, threats or violent aggressive action, according to SchoolDude’s new third-party K-12 and higher education study, “Safety Crisis Planning in Today’s Schools: Overcoming Hurdles.”

“Developing and maintaining a crisis management plan should never fall by the wayside,” says Lee Prevost, president of School Dude. “Our research shows that administrators must reassess the efficiency of their current crisis response plans to make sure all safety needs are met.”

The school officials surveyed say most safety plans are paper-based, residing in binders (79%) or maps/posters (74%). Only 22% of school officials are using emergency text notifications via mobile devices.

The study also shows that 64% of school officials say improved team efficiency is the most important advantage of a mobile application for emergency notifications; 45% cite better communication as a key advantage; 58% of schools report using an email notification system to communicate with staff and faculty during an emergency;  33% use email to communicate with parents and others externally, and 42% of schools have an emergency plan based on self-imposed, rather than mandated, compliance requirements.

Click here to view infographic.

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