1. Crisis Management With Contributions from Don Bertuccii Chaffey Unified School District

2. CRISIS MANAGEMENT Definition: A sudden, generally unanticipated event that profoundly and negatively affects a significant segment of the school population and often involves serious injury or death. What events could happen to qualify as a crisis?

3. Essential Components Evacuation Primary and Secondary sites Relocation (off campus) Lockdown Aftermath

4. Other Components Primary staff responsibilities Communication plan Staff District Incident Management Team Responding Agencies Parents and Media Semi-annual review

5. Plan Ahead Designate a leader and backup Select Your Crisis Response Team Nurse Custodians Counselors Media & Community Services Laison Phone Tree for Staff and Parent Contact

6. Plan Ahead Develop clear and consistent policies and procedures –Develop Forms & Information Sheets –Develop Protocols for Staff Communication –Provide Staff Training for Crisis Response Team –Provide Emergency Coverage for Classes –Practice Drills Long Term Follow-up

7. Decide who will be in charge Crucial first step Assign 1 person to provide leadership during emergency –Organize activities –Disseminate information –Often the principal or vice principal Designate a substitute –In case appointed leader is unavailable or incapacitated –Extremely important students & staff know who these people are –Identification badges are helpful

8. Select your Crisis Response Team CRT Typical members of your CRT –Administrator –Nurse –Psychologist and/or Social Worker –Teachers –Counselors –Support Staff Representative –Custodians –Others with appropriate task to perform CRT member must be present full-time at school or able to respond immediately to telephone call

9. Develop clear/consistent policies and procedures Provide all staff with clear guidelines for tasks and responsibilities during crises and emergencies Ensures all staff respond consistently in each situation Include policy and procedure by which students are released to parents or caregivers Provide training to CRT

10. Establish police liaison Designate one person with whom police can communicate Inform police this person can be telephoned 24/7 –Report crises –Exchange relevant information Designee will in turn contact key people at school Accurate information from police quells rumors

11. Establish media liaison Identify suitable facilities where reports can work and new conferences held Community and publish spokespersons to whom all media requests are referred Communicate with media liaison to establish procedures for responding to media Consult with school board when district has no media liaison designated Develop relationship with that board member

12. Establish working relationship with community EMS and resource groups Facilitate quick, collaborative response Develop strong relationships with community agencies prior to emergency Make list of support services available to CRT

13. Set up telephone trees Communicate crucial information quickly as possible Complexity of telephone tree depends upon side of community & school

14. Plan to make space available Required for community meetings Staging area for outside service providers Designate school sites Include potential alternative sites in community

15. Develop necessary forms & information sheets Record-keeping to assist management of crisis situations Translate materials into other languages for families based on community demographics

16. Other considerations Develop plan for emergency coverage of classes for teachers who are part of CRT Establish code to alert staff without alarming the entire school or creating panic Develop list of reference books relevant to crisis situations for students and staff Have attorney review crisis response procedures and forms and revise to comply with liability concerns

17. More considerations Practice “crisis alerts” through role playing Identify potential problems and discuss how to address them Hold annual in-service training on general crisis intervention for all school staff Include information on unanticipated events

18. Unanticipated Events Suicides, school bus crashes, natural disasters, multiple injuries, deaths Knowing what to do minimizes chaos, rumors, and impact on event or students

19. Near death or fatal crisis Tell staff and person reporting crisis not to repeat information to anyone Explain need to verify information Announcement must come from administrator Keep reporting person in office if compliance is a concern Request only adults answer telephone Verify report with police liaison or coroner Do not disturb affected family

20. Following verification Notify superintend or appropriate district administrator Convene CRT by code – no need to alarm others If special education student involved notify program coordinator Assign CRT to gather closes friends together before announcement Prepare formal statement for initial announcement Decide on time for emergency meeting and notify staff

21. Following verification Identify individual most likely to be affected and provide additional support Notify district/community resources if needed to stand-by

22. Following verification Assign CRT members to: –Provide grief support –Review & distribute open-ended questions for class discussion –Stand in for any staff unable to deal with crisis –Coordinate auxiliary support services and provide sign-in sheet –Distribute community resources to all classes –Designate staff member to follow deceased student’s class schedule for remainder of day to help teachers of those classes

23. Following verification Station staff/student support members as planned prior to making announcement Announce crisis via PA or written announcement

24. Following announcement Monitor grounds for students leaving without permission –Redirect them to support services –Notify family if unable to intercept Notify parents of students closest to deceased/injured student –Ask them to pickup student after school –Implement evaluation plan previously developed

25. Following announcement Notify bus drivers especially those who drive buses usually traveled by deceased/injured student Notify feeder schools regarding siblings or students predicted to be strongly affected Provide support to faculty and staff in lounge Collect deceased/injured belongings at end of day Officially withdraw deceased student from school attendance records

26. The staff meeting Circulate picture of deceased/injured student to familiarize staff with student Review facts of crisis & dispel rumors Help staff process their responses Describe feelings students may experience Suggest ways to handle specific situations Provide guidelines for helping upset students

27. The staff meeting Encourage teachers to allow expressions of grief, anger, etc. –Emphasize acceptability/normalcy of range of emotions –Guiding principle is return to normalcy ASAP –Structured routine provides security & comfort Encourage staff to dispel rumors Discourage glorification of even Request staff meeting 30 minutes early the next morning to review and debrief

28. The Day After: Workday 2 Update faculty on additional information or procedures Provide funeral/visitation information in case of death with family’s permission Identify students in need of follow-up support

29. The Day After: Workday 2 Assign staff member to monitor at risk students –Coordinate ongoing counseling –Announce ongoing support for students with place, time, & staff facilitator –Notify parents of affected students regarding available community resources

30. The Day After: Workday 2 Convene CRT for debriefing ASAP –Discuss successes & problems –Discuss things to do differently next time Allow staff opportunity to discuss feelings and reactions

31. Long term follow up and evaluation Provide list of suggested readings to teachers, parents and students Amend crisis response procedures as necessary Send thank-you notes to off-site district and community people who assisted

32. Long term follow up and evaluation Be alert to anniversaries and holidays –Often students have “anniversary” grief 1 month or 1 year following event –Similar crises remind them of original crisis –Holidays too difficult for those who experience loss

33. Classroom discussion guidelines Review facts & dispel rumors Discuss facts & myths about suicide Inform students of local grief support groups Encourage students to express their reactions Affirm appropriateness of all reactions Discuss possible feelings of guilt or responsibility Discuss possible fears for their safety

34. Classroom discussion guidelines Encourage students to support each other Provide designated grief support stations Reassure students all staff available to help Help them understand loss often triggers past losses – this is normal Encourage students to discuss feelings with parents and families

35. Suggested questions What was it like for your when you heard the news? Did/will you discuss it at home? –How did it go? –How do you think it will go? If were a member of _____’s family, what do you think you would want at a time like this? How can you students help each other through this? What other losses have you experienced? What thoughts and feeling does this bring up for you?

36. Read Crisis Response Box: Partnering for Safe Schools A Guide to Help Every School Assemble the Tools and Resources Needed for a Critical Incident Response by Bill Lockyer, California Attorney General and Delaine Eastin, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Crisis Response Box: Partnering for Safe Schools