California Professional Standards for Education Leaders · 4C–3
Work with community emergency and welfare agencies to develop positive relationships.
Emergency partnerships are built in ordinary time, so people, procedures, and communication can work together under pressure.
What this looks like in practice
A leader should know the local roles of law enforcement, fire, public health, emergency management, child welfare, behavioral health, and family reunification partners. Relationships deepen through joint planning, site walks, accessible exercises, and candid after-action review.
Data sharing requires special care. Agree in advance on contact protocols, the minimum information needed, legal authority, secure channels, records, and who may communicate publicly. Familiarity must never become casual handling of sensitive information.
Developing the practice
Build named relationships
Maintain primary and backup contacts, shared expectations, and a regular cadence that survives staff turnover.
Exercise together
Test realistic decisions, accessibility, reunification, communications, technology failure, and handoffs—not only evacuation speed.
Learn without blame
Record gaps, owners, deadlines, and verification after drills or incidents and report progress back to partners.
Useful connections
Campus safety solutions
Use SDLA’s readiness collection for hazard-specific planning prompts, including reunification and technology recovery.
Emergency preparedness coordinator
This role profile helps districts consider who sustains planning, exercises, agency coordination, and follow-through.
Questions for reflection and mentoring
- Which agency relationship currently depends on one person’s private contact list?
- When did partners last test an information or responsibility handoff?
- Are students with disabilities and multilingual families visible in the exercise design?