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Crisis Planning

How to Prepare for a Crisis

Sandi Estep, Ph.D.

EDAD 731

School Community Relations

School Violence

Stats

Violence 2011-2012

The Good News:

Schools are safe places: Only 1% of homicides involving school-aged youth occur at schools. Students are twice as likely to be victims of serious violence while away from school as at school; More Bad News

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More Bad News

In 1999, 3,930 students were expelled for bringing a firearm to school which was down 31% from the previous year.

Mounting gun related incidences in schools each year:

Winnetka -- Lori Dann – May 1988 Columbine – 4/20/1999 May 2003, student in PA. shoots and kills the M.S.

principal. Fenger HS – student beat to death.

Who are these shooters?

Most all are in white, middle-class schools where this kind of thing just does not happen.

Shooter is generally a white male

Shooter has told at least 10 people prior to the incident.

If not for the primary reason that schools should provide a safe place for children to learn, then plan for the reason of financial loss through litigation.

Three Kinds of Crisis:

Emerging

Ongoing

Immediate

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THE CRISIS PLAN

What is Included in a Crisis Plan?

Beware of adopting another district’s plan

since, as in all planning, the PROCESS may lead to ownership, deeper understanding and leadership.

THE CRISIS PLAN

Beginning to write the plan:

why a plan is needed in a few words.

types of crises

procedures

THE CRISIS PLAN

Establish an emergency telephone/pager/cell phone list of key people

Include a detailed drawing or map of each school, the grounds and nearby vicinity.

Establish an evacuation site.

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Procedural information should include:

guidelines for evacuation of the school

guidelines for locking down the school using codes:

Code 1 -- crisis can be handled at the building level

Code 2 -- central office needs to be involved

Code 3 -- all community agencies need to be involved

CRISIS PLAN con’t

Establish guidelines for effective communications with the media, staff and the community.

Create sample Backpack and/or e-letters

Customize the Plan for your site

Insert building level modifications for your particular site. tornado drill map

fire drill procedures

evacuation procedures

Other building specific procedures; Code words, such as, Mrs. is now in the building.

Determine how you will bring closure to any and all crisis.

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Things that you should have at your fingertips when needed:

cell phone

staff and student directories (keep these current and in your binder)

fact sheet about the school

grab the attendance record for the day

staff attendance and substitute record

location and contact numbers for the evacuation site.

transportation plan

staff responsibilities at the evacuation site

how to cut-off TV and internet to the school if the intruder is holed-up within

phone trees for staff, parents, district and community

What else do I need to know in an emergency?

list of sources for outside support

location for a media camp that could hold up to 750 vehicles.

clarity as to who will handle an event

Who Should Head-up the Development of the Plan?

The superintendent is always the person who is ultimately responsible

The leadership to develop or annually revisit/revise the plan is usually headed by the communications specialist or a district level person who has that responsibility.

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Who should be on the planning team?

Make a list everyone that you would invite to participate in the creation of your district crisis plan.

Who should be on the planning team?

Communication specialist, and all district level administrators.

Superintendent

All building principals and possible all building administrators.

Teachers

Secretaries

Counselors

School Psychologist

School Health Professionals (Nurses)

Transportation personnel

Tech Director

• Custodians

• Cafeteria Staff

• Students (when age appropriate)

• Police Department

• Fire Department

• Hazardous Material Action eam (HAZMAT)

• Media B T.V., radio, newspaper

• Parent groups

• Community groups (Hospital, evacuation site reps.)

• Civil Defense

• School board

• Special Education Director/Staff

How to Communicate the Plan If you don’t communicate the plan you might as well not

have one.

Ho-hum

You must find a way to communicate the importance of everyone knowing their role in the event of any crisis.

Committee needs to communicate the plan.

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Training session

Must be held at every level

Training time needs to be allotted annually

Implementing the Plan

The school board should review and adopt/approve the plan.

Inform parents and the community that the school and the district have a plan in place.

Simulations

Everyone should have a copy of the plan -- there may be 2 plans.

Checklists

Put it on the website

Where should you keep a copy of the plan?

Crisis Management Team

There should be a district level and building level team

5-12 people

Each clearly understands their responsibility.

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Types of Crisis to plan for:

accidents/injuries

armed attacks

armed intruder

un-armed intruder

bomb treat

child abuse/neglect/sexual assault

communicable diseases

criminal indictment

•death of student or staff member

•suicide

•demonstrations

•strikes

•fire

•gas or chemical leak

•tornado/hurricane or other weather related conditions

•vandalism/property loss, theft

•drug abuse

Acts of Violence

Acts of violence usually take place outside the classroom in common areas of the school where there is less direct supervision.

What to Do When Violence Strikes

Inform

Report Get the FACTS B not rumors

Invoke the plan

Announce media locations or camps.

Inform the media where briefings will be held and when.

Do not speak unless you have been given authority

Brief all board members, central office staff, principals, and other staff

Reassure students

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In the first 10 minutes…

Activate the emergency plan

Report the incident - 911

Call the central office

Decide whether to lock and secure or evacuate

Provide first aide until rescue units arrive

Verify the facts.

Designate a control area

Start a time log

Have runners deliver any additional instructions to the classrooms and return with student/staff information

Direct parents and the media to a designated area with the assistance of the crisis team.

WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

Provide Facts

Log all information released to the public

Release names of victims only after you are sure next of kin have been notified

Restrain Photographers – you have every right to!

Repeat key messages

Your Initial Statements to the Media

Plan for what you want to say,

Keep it short.

Ask yourself what you would want to know

Objectively describe do not embellish

Stress that the immediate concern is for the safety and well-being of the students and staff.

Be prepared to provide facts about the school

Remind the reports that the district has a crisis plan

Tell them when you will have another statement.

Take questions

Have an exit line ready

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Don’t

wing it

speculate

repeat hearsay

lay blame

lie

make jokes

ramble

give opinions

don’t go “off the record”

Don’t

give out names of victims or information related to the police investigation.

use jargon

say ”no comment”

give up control of the interview

patronize a reporter

start without knowing your exit line

promise information you cannot deliver

let your guard down

call your communications officer AFTER your face reports.

offer photos or information

If this is a HUGE event, create a media pool where reporters will be briefed.

Don’t give the media access to students or staff

Staff should not talk to reporters.

Role of Student Council President

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SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Don’t be tempted to express a point of

view and the superintendent should train the board to do likewise or determine which of them will speak for the board.

Bomb Treats

Although common place, remember the Jonesboro, Arkansas incident

Call the district office

Call authorities

Check list for a phoned-in threat:

when is the bomb going to explode

where is it right now

what does it look like

what kind of bomb is it

what will detonate it

did you place the bomb

Why?

What is your address -- you can always try

What is your name -- you can always try.

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Post Assessment of the Crisis

Evaluate and assess.

The 12 Steps in Crisis Planning

Step 1:

Form a broad based committee which involves all the people who might be called upon during an emergency.

Step 2

Define the kind and limits of the crisis that you will include in your plan.

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Step 3

Internal and External Assessment of the current safety of the schools

Step 4.

Create a plan – the document

Step 5.

Get board approval.

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Step 6.

• You should create your own binder with “At your Fingertips” information.

Step 7

Distribute the plan widely

Step 8.

Select the spokesperson and the crisis team leader.

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Step 9.

Train the staff at both the district and building level.

Annually retrain the staff

Step 10.

Step 11.

Annually revisit the plan with all stakeholders involved

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Step 12

Loop back to STEP 1.