Date
8-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Department
College of Nursing
Abstract
Background: Public K-12 schools are vulnerable to a range of emergency events, yet preparedness remains inconsistent across settings (Horton et al., 2015). The absence of a standardized tool to evaluate emergency operations plans (EOPs) limits the ability to assess plan quality, identify gaps, and guide improvement efforts (Elshami et al., 2025). School nurses are essential to emergency response but are often underrepresented in planning processes (Rebmann et al., 2015).
Aims: This project aimed to develop a structured evaluation tool for K-12 school EOPs, to assess current EOPs within a South Carolina public school district, and encourage the integration of school nurses into the emergency planning process.
Methods: A structured evaluation tool was developed in accordance with federal guidelines and current evidence on school emergency preparedness. The tool was designed to assess EOP quality across key domains, including team structure, emergency response functions, hazard-specific responses, health condition protocols, and medical readiness infrastructure. The evaluation tool was initially distributed to school nurses and administrators within a single South Carolina public school district, yielding 30 responses. To obtain a larger and more diverse sample for pilot testing, the survey was subsequently distributed to school nurses across South Carolina and through a professional school nurse social media group, resulting in a total of 156 respondents.
Results: School EOPs demonstrated strengths in overall organization but revealed significant gaps in medical readiness infrastructure and emergency response functions. Perceived deficiencies included limited accessibility of EOPs for school nurses, lack of mass-casualty exercises, limited participation in community emergency drills, inadequate staff triage training, inconsistent after-action reporting with corrective action tracking, and noninclusive emergency communication. School nurses were frequently identified as members of EOP teams but reported inconsistent access to EOP documents. Conclusions: The structured EOP evaluation tool and ACE2 Framework provide a practical approach for identifying emergency preparedness gaps and guiding continuous quality improvement. Strengthening the integration of school nurses into interdisciplinary emergency preparedness planning has the potential to enhance school medical readiness and overall emergency preparedness (Rebmann et al., 2015).
Recommended Citation
Duckwall, Natasha M., "Emergency Preparedness in Public Schools: Evaluating Plans and the Role of School Nurses" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects. 7.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/updnp/7
Rights
© Copyright Natasha Duckwall