DETROIT — Michigan schools and day care centers do not meet the most minimal safety standards to protect students in emergencies, natural disasters or active shooter incidents, according to a new report.
The 2013 National Report Card on Protecting Children in Disasters, which focuses mostly on day care centers and in-home child care facilities, notes that Michigan schools have no requirements for handling special needs children in an emergency. Additionally, the report states that there are no mandates for reuniting children with their parents after an emergency, Detroit Free Press reports.
The report also reveals that K-12 schools in the state fail to require drills and plans for multiple types of disasters.
A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Human Services, which licenses preschools, day cares and in-home child care centers, says that there is a three-prong plan in place to correct all issues found in the report. For example, effective in January, all licensed in-home and day care providers must have a written evacuation plan, a plan for reuniting families after an emergency and a plan to help special needs children.
The report also names Idaho, Iowa and Kansas for lacking emergency plans for schools.
