District^ Orange Unified School Education Center*

With respect to reported constraints on emergency planning and preparation, over half of schools and almost three quarters of districts identified either limited time or funds. The Orange Unified School District agrees with this finding. The Orange Unified School District is currently able to support enhancing our emergency planning and preparation because of support from a federal grant. Unfortunately, future funding for this federal grant program has not been approved.

Six (of 17) school districts have managed to apply for and receive relatively large grants from governmental agencies to greatly enhance their emergency planning efforts, while others have not. The Orange Unified School District agrees with this finding. Grants from governmental agencies provide local education agencies with the resources necessary to develop and maintain adequate emergency preparedness.

Some schools anticipate responding to only a few emergency situations (e.g., earthquake and fire), while others have developed plans to respond to over a dozen different threatening situations. The Orange Unified School District does not possess sufficient information regarding the preparation of other school districts to agree or disagree with this finding. The Orange Unified School District takes an all hazards approach in emergency planning and preparation so as to maintain the ability to respond to any type emergency. Mission Statement: Orange Unified School District, being committed to planning for continual improvement, will provide a curriculum and learning environment of excellence and high expectations to provide each student with the opportunity and preparation to compete in the global economy. Orange Unified School District Orange County Grand Jury Report July 28, 2011

School districts develop plans with respect to a number of different but overlapping regulations and standards, including those required by the county, state, and the federal government. The Orange Unified School District agrees with this finding. In developing school safety plans and emergency operations capabilities the District has found little serious conflict among the various codes, regulations and standards governing the development and implementation of these plans. It is the District's experience that the Incident Command System (ICS), SEMS and NIMS achieve the objective of creating standardized responses to emergencies which are followed by the multiplicity of agencies that could be involved in a single incident.

Some schools reported they have not adequately anticipated the needs of students taking prescription medications, or with specialized medical needs, in the event of some emergencies, such as an extended lockdown. The Orange Unified School District does not possess sufficient information regarding the preparation of other school districts to agree or disagree with this finding. The Orange Unified School District has plans for such contingencies and is working on refining them as part of our ongoing emergency planning and preparation.

School districts are in communication with a variety of local and county departments, agencies, and systems to help them prepare for and respond to disasters or emergencies; not all districts access the same resources. The Orange Unified School District agrees with this finding. Districts with state or federal grants will have access to different resources. Some resources that should be county wide, such as the school district radio system, may not be available to some districts due to lack of adequate funding. ċ Orange Unified School District Orange County Grand Jury Report July 28, 2011

Few schools have plans or emergency preparation information available in languages other than English. The Orange Unified School District does not possess sufficient information regarding the preparation of other school districts to agree or disagree with this finding. Our District has not prepared emergency information in languages other than English, but is our intention to do so in the near future.