Sometimes school administrators and staff must feel they are operating in parallel universes. There are the predictable, reassuring rhythms of the school day with the smell of chalk, the shouts of kids at play, the hum of classrooms and stray notes wafting from the music room. And then there are the Disaster Response Team meetings, in which the "what-ifs" of horrific scenarios are played out, dissected, discussed and evaluated and the plans for dealing with those imagined scenes are refined. It is work that is intense and real and yet much of the work of these committees is kept low key and confidential for security reasons.

Since 1989, each school has had an individualized plan to deal with emergencies. In those days, weather events, accidents and fire were the major concerns and are still the most likely to occur. But the sea change ushered in by Columbine and September 11 have made the unimaginable, imaginable, and even though statistically improbable, terrorist and homicidal events must have plans for rescue, evacuation and protection of the students and staff. And while the district has always worked in conjunction with local police and fire departments, now they also work with emergency management specialists and the FBI.

Each school-based team is composed of administrators, school secretaries, the school nurse and psychologist, teachers, custodians and in some schools, parent representatives. They meet with district personnel to review their plans and with representatives from the local police departments. They are mandated to have detailed plans in place for a whole host of possible emergencies so that precious time is not wasted in times of emergency. There are plans for natural hazards such as hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornados and winter storms; plans for system failures affecting the building itself, electrical or heating problems, sewage failure or roof collapse; plans for dealing with a gas leak, an airplane crash, hazardous materials leak, whether on-site or offsite, or water emergencies. There are plans for criminal offenses including bomb threats, civil disturbances, hostage-taking, intrusion or kidnapping. These emergencies fall under color codes that require either evacuation, relocation within the building, or lock-downs.

Each school has a designated nearby shelter to which children would be transported if a school evacuation were required. The information about the back-up space is not made public. David Kincaid, the district emergency coordinator, who works extensively with the school committees, says, "If there were a bomb threat, we wouldn't want to arrive at the back-up space and have a bomb go off there." Such thinking might have been labeled "far-fetched" just three years ago, but in today's climate, one agrees with the logic albeit grimly and sadly.

Each school has a "speed bag" that is essentially a small suitcase on wheels, which contains essentials that would be needed for an emergency. The bag contains items such as, but not limited to, building floor plans/maps, the student roster and guardian phone numbers, the emergency plans and phone numbers, bullhorns, cell phones and walkie-talkies, emergency medications, student medical cards and the asbestos management plan for the building. One person and alternates are assigned the responsibility of making sure the bag is in tow in the event of an emergency.

Elementary school principal Dr. Leslie Korant said, "I can't emphasize enough how important it is for parents to keep the emergency phone numbers that they provide to us up to date." Guardians are required to complete these emergency cards at the beginning of the school year, but if their phone numbers change during the school year, they should immediately inform their respective school(s).

According to Mr. Kincaid, while plans on paper are essential, there is no substitute for drills. There is a fire drill in each school 13 times a year and each school conducts at least one code pink, yellow, or white safety drill a year. Some drills require evacuations while other may require staff and students to assemble in various parts of the building. The staff is trained to know what the various codes mean. Drills are designed to encourage the staff to be prepared to make modifications to plans since real life emergencies may block certain exits. So, for example, a custodian might stand in a hallway with a sign marked "Fire" and the teacher would lead the students to the nearest available exit. After drills are conducted, the school-based team evaluates how it went and what could be done to make it work better.

The same applies to real life events such as recent snowstorms and last week's bomb threat. Last Thursday at 7:23 a.m. a call came in to Nassau County's 911 stating that there was a bomb set to go off in 20 minutes at "Great Neck High." Police from the Sixth Precinct and police from the Village of Lake Success responded immediately rushing to North and South Highs to trigger the evacuation process. Both schools' principals were attending a meeting of school principals, but returned to their respective schools. Meanwhile, assistant principals in both schools followed the steps that are required in such an incident. The announcement was coded so that staff would know which kind of emergency was at hand and most importantly, everyone was advised to turn off cell phones, which in a real event could spark a bomb's detonation. Students and staff, who were involved in before-school programs, were quickly evacuated. Buses and parents who were arriving at school were diverted until police and custodial staff could sweep the buildings. No bombs were found. As a precaution, custodial staff in other schools in the district scanned the buildings to make sure that nothing was amiss. The police are conducting an investigation into the call. The school teams involved and the district staff carefully reviewed the events of the day to determine if the emergency plans could be improved.

A spirit of teamwork and clear communication are the under girding principles in ever refining responses to drills and real life events. The staff is sensitive to the delicacy involved in preparing the children for a calm response to an emergency while maintaining an atmosphere that will not fuel needless anxiety. Dr. Shine said, "The children are aware of the world we're in and how much we need these plans and drills. These are things we can do to help the children feel confident that we will do everything we can to protect them. We can't despair and say it's hopeless."