Starting a new job in a school can be overwhelming. New employees are introduced to schedules, technology platforms, curriculum expectations, benefits, policies, coworkers, and countless daily procedures but not always do they get a proper safety orientation.

Safety information is often included somewhere in that process, but it may receive only a few minutes of attention or be buried inside a handbook. That is not enough.

Every new school employee deserves a practical, building-specific safety orientation before students arrive.

Safety Procedures Are Not the Same Everywhere

Even if an employee has years of experience in education they are still unfamiliar with this school’s emergency procedures. Every school is different in safety nuance. Dare I say, every school building is different in safety nuance. Meaning, an entire district can have the same policies, core response actions, and even numbers to call BUT they differ in emergency response options, infrastructure accessibilities, layout, environmental options.

Different school building sometimes also use different terminology, communication systems, visitor protocols, evacuation locations, and reporting processes.

Buildings within the same district may operate differently because of their physical layouts, student populations, staffing, or available resources.

Therefore, schools should never assume that a new employee already knows what to do simply because that person has worked in another educational setting.

Begin With the Building

New employees should be physically shown important areas of the school.

These may include:

• Main entrances and controlled-access points
• Emergency exits
• Evacuation assembly locations
• Relocation or reunification areas
• The nurse’s office
• Administrative offices
• Fire extinguishers and automated external defibrillators (AED’s)
• Emergency supply locations
• Areas with limited communication or unusual access concerns

A map can be helpful, but walking through the building creates a stronger understanding of how procedures apply in real life. This is especially important for substitutes and employees who travel between several locations.

Explain How Emergency Information Is Communicated

New employees should know how they will receive information during an emergency.

Schools should explain:

• Public-address announcements
• Radio procedures
• Phone, text, or email alerts
• Visual notification systems
• Backup communication methods
• The meaning of building-specific codes or terminology (which I hope you do NOT use if you’re in a school building but this does apply to medical buildings)

They should also understand what to do if they cannot hear or understand an announcement. A message is only useful when the recipient knows what it means and what action is expected.

Clarify Their Role

Emergency procedures should be connected to the employee’s actual responsibilities. For example, a classroom teacher, secretary, custodian, coach, cafeteria employee, and bus driver may all have different roles during the same incident.

Orientation should help new employees answer:

• Am I responsible for supervising students?
• Should I bring specific materials or emergency supplies?
• How do I account for students?
• Who receives attendance or accountability information?
• What should I do if I am away from my normal work area?
• What should I do when the standard procedure is not possible?

Employees should understand both their primary responsibilities and the flexibility they may need when circumstances change.

Teach Employees How to Report Concerns

New employees may notice something important but hesitate to speak up because they do not understand the school’s culture or reporting structure.

Prior to their first day, they should be told:

• What types of concerns should be reported
• Who should receive the information
• How urgent and non-urgent concerns are handled
• How to document an issue
• What to do if they are unsure whether something matters

This includes concerns involving student behavior, threats, unsafe building conditions, access-control problems, visitors, and unclear procedures.

Employees do not need to prove that a concern is serious before reporting it. They simply need a clear and trusted way to share what they observed.

Include Everyday Safety Expectations

Safety orientation should not focus only on major emergencies.

Employees also need to understand daily practices such as:

• Keeping exterior doors secure
• Following visitor procedures
• Wearing identification
• Maintaining clear exits
• Protecting keys and access cards
• Supervising students during transitions
• Reporting damaged equipment
• Protecting confidential safety information

These routines are often the foundation of a school’s overall safety system.

Provide a Chance to Ask Questions

New employees may be reluctant to ask safety questions in a large orientation meeting.

Schools should create opportunities for questions during building tours, department meetings, or follow-up conversations.

Supervisors can also ask employees directly:

• Is any procedure unclear?
• Do you know how to get help?
• Are you familiar with your evacuation location?
• Do you know how emergency notifications work?
• Is there anything about the building that concerns you?

Questions should be welcomed. Confusion identified before an emergency can be corrected. Confusion discovered during an emergency is far more difficult to manage.

Orientation Is the Beginning, Not the End

A strong safety orientation provides a foundation, but learning should continue throughout the year.

New employees should participate in drills, receive updated information, and be included in safety conversations.

Schools should also provide additional support to substitutes, part-time staff, contractors, volunteers, and employees who begin after the school year is underway. Every person working inside a school should understand how to protect themselves, support students, report concerns, and request help.

When employees are properly welcomed into a school’s safety culture, they are better prepared to contribute from their first day.

Safety orientation should not be treated as another box to check. It is one of the first opportunities a school has to show new employees that their awareness, judgment, and actions matter.