Superman Found: School Counselors Come to the Rescue Superman Found: School Counselors Come to the Rescue Connecticut School Counselor Association Conference May 21, 2015

Elementary School Counselors Middle School Counselors Secondary School Counselors Directors of School Counseling Counselor educators Graduate students Other

Previous conference attendees? Who had to pay out of pocket? What are you here for? –Professional development –Your school made you come –Nothing else to do

School Counselor and K-12 Director of School Counseling 22 years in the profession Leader – local, state, regional & national Advocate for students, school counselors and our profession Dealt with many crises – natural disasters, power outages, student deaths, bomb scares

Sandy Hook picture

Katrina Picture

Turn to Your Neighbor 1.When you think of a crisis in a school, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? 2.When you answered question #1, WHO did you refer to? 3.Why is it that school counselors are so critical to crisis response?

Types of Crises that Impact Schools Death of a student Death of a staff member Death of a parent School shooting, intruder, neighborhood incident Natural disaster (hurricane, tornado, blizzard, earthquake, flood) Fire, explosion Accident (plane, car or train crash)

So What?

Before, during and after a crisis, school counselors are most often the link between all stakeholders School counselors focus on the mental health needs of students, staff and the community

Turn to Your Neighbor What are some of the most common mistakes made during school crisis response incidents?

What to DO during a crisis or response Tailor your response to age/school appropriate actions Know your staff and community well and ensure impacted staff are attended to and given relief if necessary Designate a communication spokesperson Utilize your communication chain and update annually

What to DO during a crisis or response (cont’d) Know your role Make referrals when appropriate Use social media to communicate Allow help from other schools or outside agencies Provide staff time to debrief and to grieve/talk/comfort each other

What to DO during a crisis or response (cont’d) Ensure you have schedules for students with disabilities to plan accordingly depending upon the crisis Attend to detail and follow through Organize appropriate community meetings/ritual opportunities

What NOT to do during a crisis or response Make an all call announcement Just carry on as normal without acknowledging the situation Leave students unattended Allow students to congregate in halls without supervision Be afraid to attend to oneself before helping others

Appropriate after crisis activities – student death Grieving time – how long Stay in school or go home? Funeral attendance? –Provide bus transportation –Allow excused absence Memorial service Tribute –Living, scholarship, activity Parent/family meetings

I’m just a School Counselor, What can I do? Provide Professional Development opportunities for your staff Work with school/district administrators to provide training and meeting time Organize/lead a Crisis Response Committee Start a book study circle Provide parent/family educational programs

Planning Principles of Crisis Response Plans Senior school leaders must be involved in the planning process Comprehensive, ongoing assessment of the school community is needed The needs of all community members must be considered – disabled, diverse backgrounds, limited language skills

Planning Principles of Crisis Response Plans (cont’d) Consider all threats and hazards Consider all settings and times – during/after school, on/off-campus Create emergency operations plan templates collaboratively Allow for flexibility and revise often

1. Alert – Use plain and specific language to Alert others to the danger. 2. Lockdown – Barricade the room. Prepare to Evacuate or Counter if needed. 3. Inform – Communicate the violent intruders location and direction in real time. 4. Counter – Create noise, movement, distance and distraction with the intent of reducing the shooters ability to shoot accurately. Counter is NOT fighting. 5. Evacuate – When safe to do so, remove yourself from the danger zone.

Five themes of Crisis Response Plans 1. Prevention- what do we do to prevent an actual incident from occurring 2. Protection – actions to secure schools from harm 3. Mitigation – reducing the likelihood that threats and hazards will happen 4. Response – stabilize the emergency once it has happened 5. Recovery – assist in restoring the learning environment

Members of a Crisis Response Team –School Counselors –Administrators –Teachers/Staff –School psychologist, social workers –Nurse –City/town officials – Police, Fire, Emergency Response –Community agencies –Clergy

Crisis Response Teams Should –Get properly trained –Follow protocols –Meet regularly, especially when there is not a crisis –Practice protocols – table tops, drills –Reflect the community makeup

Logistics –Do all staff have a copy of the written plan (or abbreviated version)? –Are maps of your school available? –Are keys/entries accessible to outside first responders? –How do you practice drill with students?

When a Crisis Occurs Follow protocols Communicate with stakeholders as soon as possible –Students/staff –Families –Community Modern technology (i.e.: cell phones, social media) makes proper communication a challenge

When a Crisis Is Over Committee must meet to evaluate the situation and review protocols –Where they followed? –Did they work? –What can be improved upon?

School Counselor Crisis Response Resources Cheri Lovre – Crisis Management Institute – US Dept of Education Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans State Resources -

School Counselor Crisis Response Resources (cont’d) ASCA – National Association of School Psychologists – Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence (2 nd edition)

What questions do you have? What resources do you need? What is one thing you can commit to right now to create change in your school(s) to improve crisis response? Create your own action plan

Bob Bardwell School Counselor & Director of School Counseling 55 Margaret Street Monson, MA x bardwellr