The Florida Department of Education Emergency Information Network (EIN)
is designed to provide uninterrupted communication of school operational status
and critical emergency and security information to Florida’s School District,
Community College and SUS-FL institution communities. The EIN is comprised
of two components: 1) a backed-up Emergency Information Web server and portal,
and 2) the Florida Knowledge Network (FKN) Emergency Broadcast system. The
EIN provides the in-place architecture and set of procedures to allow school
administrators to communicate pre and post hazard information of relevance
to students, their parents, school staff and teachers.
Emergency web site templates have been established on a redundant network
of secure servers for each School District, Community College and University to individually customize.
These templates have general information and data fields that can be changed
to keep the school’s community informed on security and emergency hazards
that have an impact on the school. The web site also has fields to inform the
school community on standard security and emergency procedures, and to provide
educational information to help families better prepare for emergency situations. Although
the EIN will predominately provide information on school operations, critical
information regarding the hazard will also be provided as an additional means
to facilitate communications. This information will be closely coordinated
with the local County Emergency Management agency.
The emergency web site architecture is designed to be up and running at all times,
even in the event of a local hazard situation that may disrupt the schools web
server. School Districts, Community Colleges, and Universities may even
configure their home pages to be redirected to the emergency web page before,
during, or after an emergency situation to help facilitate communication of critical
information to their community. For the emergency web site to be effective,
students, parents, teachers, and staff must be aware of it and know that it will
be used to communicate important security and safety information. As an example,
the emergency web site would serve as the key mechanism for communicating school
opening information to evacuated parents, students, teachers and staff.