Condition

Shelter is called when specific protective actions are needed based on a threat or hazard. Training should include response to threats such as tornado, earthquake, or hazmat.

Public Address

The public addresses for shelter should include the hazard and the safety strategy. The public address is repeated twice each time the public address is performed.

“The public addresses for shelter should include the hazard and the safety strategy.”

Hazards May Include

• Tornado
• Severe weather
• Wildfires
• Flooding
• Hazmat spill or release
• Earthquake
• Tsunami

Safety Strategies May Include

• Evacuate to shelter area
• Seal the room
• Drop, cover, and hold
• Get to high ground

Actions

The Texas School Safety Center website contains guidance resources for actions associated with severe weather and other threats. Collaboration with local responders, the national weather service, and other local, regional, and state resources should be consulted in developing specific actions for your district response.

Access the Texas School Safety Center's Severe Weather Toolkit by clicking the button below.

Incident Command System

The School Incident Command System should be initiated.

Responsibility

Sheltering requires all students and staff follow response directives. In 2025, legislation enhanced mandatory drill requirements, as outlined in Texas Education Code 37.114 and related 19 Texas Administrative Code 103.1209, for school districts to base, on the commissioner rules, their provisions for ensuring students and district personnel are provided equal access to safety during a disaster or emergency situation by ensuring accommodations are in place for a student with an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan during a mandatory school drill. Additionally, each school district and open-enrollment charter school must now include provisions as determined by the Texas Education Agency for ensuring the safety of students, staff, and spectators during extracurricular activities sponsored or sanctioned by the district.

Preparation

Identification and marking of facility shelter areas.

Drills

In Texas, a Shelter-in-place drill, for either severe weather or hazmat, must be held once per school year.

Shelter - State the Hazard and Safety Strategy

Using the Shelter directive and stating the hazard, allows for understanding of the threat and the associated protective actions. Most often, a shelter directive is utilized for tornadoes or severe weather, in which case the directive would include where students and staff should shelter and be ready to take a protective posture. Sheltering for a Hazmat spill or release is very different. In the case of a Hazmat situation, students and staff would be directed to close their windows, shut down their heating and air conditioning units, and seal windows and doors to preserve the good inside air while restricting the entry of any contaminated outside air. Listening to specific directives is critical to a successful emergency response.

Plain Language Act

NIMS and ICS require the use of plain language. Codes and specific language that are not readily understood by the general public are no longer to be used. The SRP uses shared, plain, natural language between students, staff, and first responders. This is evident in the directives provided in the SRP. If there are specific directives that need to be issued for a successful response in a school, those should be made clearly using plain language. There is nothing wrong with adding additional directives as to where to shelter, or what protective actions should be used in the response.

Customization

The classroom poster is sufficient for generic Shelter guidance. The Foundation recognizes that localized hazards may need to be added to the poster. Original, digital artwork can be provided to organizations that have signed a "Notice of Intent" or a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the "I Love U Guys" Foundation.