One thing I've noticed about schools is, with most emergencies, they tend to follow the same procedure that they do during a fire-drill. (i.e. they line up and walk out of the classroom, either to the outside or to an auditorium)

During such drills, they're typically told to leave backpacks and such behind. The only thing they might grab with any regularity is a jacket, and even that is iffy.

This is kind of annoying because it basically means....if an item isn't on your child's person at all times, it isn't likely to be there when your child might really need it (like during a major emergency).

With that being the case, I would try to get your child to at least carry some bare essentials on their person. A small flashlight, whistle, and some form of identification would be a great start. If they can handle a cell phone with that, even better.

Obviously, it's still a good idea to keep some other items in their backpack or whatever, but I wouldn't load it up with stuff under the assumption it will be with them during an emergency.

**On a side note, if you do give your child some form of identification (with your address on it) and a house key, make sure not to keep them together. I see this all the time and it drives me nuts. If they're together and your child looses them, whoever finds them now has your address and a key to get in at their leisure.