JENNIFER EDWARDS, M.A.

Crisis Management in Our School

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?

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.

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.

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).

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):1. Mitigation2. Preparedness3. Response4. 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.

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.

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

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