Expecting the unexpected.

Expecting the unexpected. YOU CAN'T BE TOO PREPARED for a disaster. That's themessage school technology advocacy group Consortium for SchoolNetworking (CoSN) is striving to convey with its new IT CrisisPreparedness pre��par��ed��ness?n.The state of being prepared, especially military readiness for combat.Noun 1. preparedness - the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action); "putting them Initiative, a sustained program that will feature planningguides, presentations, workshop-style conference sessions, case studiesand other resources--all designed to help technology directors preparetheir schools and districts for disaster before, during and after itstrikes. "Technology officers may have a clear plan on what to do ifwinter weather strikes or if an earthquake occurs, but they may not havea plan in place to deal with other circumstances like a school shooting See also: School shooting is a term popularized in American and Canadian media to describe gun violence at educational institutions, especially the mass murder or spree killing of people connected with an ,terrorist attack or pandemic pandemic/pan��dem��ic/ (pan-dem��ik)1. a widespread epidemic of a disease.2. widely epidemic.pan��dem��icadj.Epidemic over a wide geographic area.n. outbreak," says Linda Sharp, projectdirector for the initiative. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CoSN officials say technology officers are uniquely positioned toplay an integral role in their schools' disaster planning disaster planning - disaster recovery efforts,as IT is often "the nucleus of a school's functions,"from payroll to maintenance of student records. The crisis preparedness initiative details what a district planningprocess should include--plans for disaster mitigation MITIGATION. To make less rigorous or penal. 2. Crimes are frequently committed under circumstances which are not justifiable nor excusable, yet they show that the offender has been greatly tempted; as, for example, when a starving man steals bread to satisfy and prevention,communication and the continued availability of services during adisaster, and evaluation of the effectiveness of the plan following adisaster. To learn more about the program, go to www.cosn.org/ITCrisisPrep.