Safety First: How Our Schools Prepare for Emergencies

Press release from the Humboldt County Superior Court:

[Stock photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash]

Every parent wants assurance that their child will be safe at school.  Parents play a critical role in emergency preparedness by understanding their school’s safety plan, knowing their responsibilities, and being prepared to take appropriate action when emergencies occur.   Clear and consistent communication between schools and families is essential.

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury reviewed school safety plans throughout the county, focusing specifically on preparedness for natural disasters.  Our review examined how schools respond to earthquakes and tsunamis.  We found that all reviewed schools met California requirements for safety plans, but we also identified several schools and districts that exceed minimum standards through innovative and effective practices.

This report highlights some of the best practices and encourages their adoption by other schools.  Because we did not interview every school district in Humboldt County, there are likely additional schools with exemplary safety programs that are not mentioned in this report.

Our primary recommendation is that the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) continue what we started and identify notable safety practices and facilitate sharing this information among schools and districts.

The Civil Grand Jury Report Safety First: How Our Schools Prepare for Emergencies published 6/17/2026 on the Humboldt County website Civil Grand Jury | Humboldt County, CA – Official Website, highlights the positive efforts schools are making and makes recommendations to address shortcomings.