1.Administrative Roles   2.School Nurse Responsibilities  3.Instructor Responsibilities  4.Student & Parent Responsibilities  5.General Safety Recommendations    1.Internal General Building  2.External General Building  3.Specific Building  4.General & Specialized Classrooms   5.Playgrounds/Outdoor  Areas    1.Routine Emergency Care  2.Emergency Preparedness Plan

Section II: Safety Guideline Checklists  The following checklists have been developed to assist instructors and administrators in maintaining a safe environment in school facilities.  Because facilities and activities vary among schools, many of the following checklist items are subjective, or open for interpretation.  Broad terms and generality of particular checklist items are used intentionally to create liberal guidelines, as opposed to strict regulations. Parameters for the guidelines are to be determined by the checklist administrator, who should consider the activity at hand in relation to the safety checklist item. For example, “appropriate” lighting for a library setting may or may not be “appropriate” for hallways or other general building areas, depending upon a given activity.  This document does not provide specific standards for each checklist item.  Additional information regarding specific safety standards and corrective actions can be found by consulting the safety resource agencies listed in this guide.  The following checklist is divided into five building-specific areas:  Internal General Building, External General Building, Specific Building Areas, General and Specialized Classrooms, and Playground/Outdoor Recreation Areas. Checklist items listed under General  Classrooms in  the “General and Specialized Classrooms” section are broad guidelines that address general safety in both specialized and general classrooms. These guidelines, in addition to the area-specific checklists that follow, should be observed to ensure a comprehensive evaluation. Each instructor teaching a specialized class, such as technology education or graphic arts, is responsible for conducting safe activities and maintaining a safe environment in his or her classroom.

Checklist Instructions
Under each general area, specific safety guidelines are listed.  Columns following the guidelines are to be checked by the evaluator to indicate the need for attention in any specific area.

• • A check in the “OK” column indicates that evaluator has reviewed this safety area and there is no problem.

  • A check in the “Potential Problem” column indicates that corrective actions may need to be taken.  In this case, a description of the nature of the problem and the plan for improvement should be included in the “Recommended Action/Plan for Improvement” section.  Corrective actions can be determined by consulting the resource agencies listed in this guide.

  • To document that corrective actions have been taken, the date of improvement should be recorded in the last column of the checklist.  This date confirms that potential problems have been rectified.

Upon completion of the inspection, school administrators are responsible for maintaining a copy of the checklist and documenting follow-up actions for potential safety problems.

Internal General Building Areas
This Internal General Building Section is intended to assist administrators and instructors in maintaining a physically safe internal environment for all students and staff.  Under the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, this section addresses safety implications associated with inaccessible buildings and facilities.

The following areas are included in this section:  stairs and hallways, air quality, lighting, floor safety, mechanical and electrical, storage, equipment, and faculty and staff safety training.    Because these areas are broad and affect safety throughout the entire school, they should be evaluated in addition to specific building areas or specialized classrooms. According to recent Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) evaluations, the most common safety concerns in this area are nonfunctional exit lights and insufficient number of fire drills.  (MSIP minimum is two per year.)

As stated earlier, many of the checklist items are subjective, or open for interpretation. Parameters for the guidelines are to be determined by the checklist administrator, who should consider the activity at hand in relation to the safety checklist item.