Crisis Management in Our School Jennifer Edwards, M.A. Welcome back! I hope everyone has had a restful summer! The purpose of the in-service today before school begins is to discuss with you crisis management and what that encompasses. As we have only scheduled 25 minutes to meet today, I obviously will not be sharing with you an in-depth crisis management plan.

Crisis Management Discussion today: What constitutes a crisis situation? What is my role in responding to this situation? What does our school’s crisis management plan look like? Rather, what I will share with you today will include what constitutes a crisis, your role in responding to this crisis, and a general overview of what a school crisis management plan should consist of so you are aware of the general procedures to follow. I will then introduce our newly formed CMT, who will be meeting in one week to revise our existing CMP. Following this, I will then meet with you again to disseminate this information and to provide you with an updated copy. Does everyone have the current version of this school’s CMP?

Importance of a Crisis Management Plan Schools have a responsibility to do all that we can to provide our students with a safe, secure environment. Having a plan now can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage later in the moment of crisis. Teachers and staff must know how to help their students through a crisis and return them home safely. Knowing what to do when faced with a crisis can be the difference between calm and chaos and between life and death. There are thousands of fires in schools every year, yet there is minimal damage to life and property because staff and students are prepared. This preparation needs to extend to all risks that schools face.

What is a School Crisis Situation? Crises range in scope and intensity. For today’s discussion, we will focus on crises that affect the school at large, as our focus is on what a school crisis management plan should consist of. Range from a single student to the entire community. Can happen before, during, or after school and on or off school campus. With this, we will discuss what these crises might look like, what your role as educators is in response, and how a cmp can be implemented to help minimize the devastation of the aftermath.

Types of School Crises Crisis management plans should address a range of events and hazards caused by both nature and people (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2004): Natural disasters - School shootings Severe weather - Bomb threats Fires -Student or staff deaths Hazardous material spills - Acts of terror or war

A History of School Crises Deaths During the past seven years, 116 students were killed in 109 school-associated homicides (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Bomb Threats From 1990 to 2002, ATF recorded 1,055 incidents of bombs being placed in school premises (Newman, 2005). Natural Disasters In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, 372,000 students were displaced by the storm (Jacobson, 2006). Deaths – average of 16.5 student homicides each year Bombs – alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives Natural disasters – displaced students, coping with the loss of a family member or friend, loss of home

Your Role in Crisis Management Be Proactive School personnel play an important role in observing the students and creating a supportive school environment (NCTSN, 2004). Immediate Response Ensure both you and your students are in a safe environment. Aftermath Children at different developmental levels may react differently to a traumatic event (NCTSN, 2004).

Crisis Management Plan Four phases of a crisis management plan (U.S. Department of Education, 2003): Mitigation Preparedness Response Recovery

Mitigation What schools can do to reduce threats (USDOE, 2003): Encourage the input of school faculty. Identify potential hazards in the community and within the school. Determine who is responsible for overseeing violence prevention strategies in the school. Important to be proactive – research has shown that early interventions reduce the risk of future delinquent and violent antisocial behavior, improving overall school climate (NCTSN)

Preparedness Good planning will allow for a coordinated and effective response when a crisis occurs (USDOE, 2003). Develop procedures for communicating with staff, students, families, and the media. Develop procedures to account for students during a crisis. Gather information about the school facility, such as maps and locations of utility shutoffs.

Response Steps to take during a crisis (USDOE, 2003): Identify the type of crisis that is occurring and determine appropriate response. Maintain communication among all relevant staff. Establish what information needs to be communicated to staff, students, families, and the community.

Recovery How to restore a teaching and learning environment after a crisis (USDOE, 2003): Students coping with the crisis situation may have difficulty with attention, concentration, and memory (NCTSN, 2004). Consider modifying teaching strategies to those that specifically aid organization and concentration (scaffolding, mapping, outlining). Plan how anniversaries of events will be commemorated. Be aware that poor academic performance following a situation of crisis may not necessarily be the result of insufficient effort or low intelligence

Cultural Competence in Crisis Culture influences both what is perceived as a crisis situation and how individuals respond to this traumatic event (National Association of School Psychologists, 2004).

Cultural Competence in Crisis Culturally competent considerations when developing crisis management plan (NASP, 2004): Maintain a current profile of the cultural composition of the school district. Identify specific culture-related needs of community. Develop a list of community resources to help act as interpreters and translators in the event of a crisis. Identify the full names of parents and guardians of all children in the school, as last names can differ within families.

Next Faculty In-Service Monday, September 5th 3:00-4:00 p.m. Location information to follow

We would appreciate your feedback! Questions? We would appreciate your feedback! Please review the crisis management plan phases on handout. If you have any ideas or suggestions you would like to see implemented at each of the phases, please write them down and put them in my mailbox. The Crisis Management Team will meet to review these one week from today.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). School-associated violent death study. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/SAVD.htm Jacobson, L. (2006, January 31). Hurricanes’ aftermath is ongoing: States work on details for graduations, funds. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/02/01/21katrina.h25.html National Association of School Psychologists. (2004). Culturally competent crisis response: Information for school psychologists and crisis teams. Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/culturalcompetence/cc_crisis.aspx National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2004). In-depth information on childhood traumatic grief for school personnel. Retrieved from http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/reports/schools_package.pdf Newman, G. R. (2005). Bomb threats in schools. Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 32. Retrieved from http://www.popcenter.org/problems/bomb_threats/ U.S. Department of Education, The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. (2003). Practical information on crisis planning: A guide for schools and communities. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf