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Keeping our Children Safe

We mourn the tragic loss of lives and homes and livelihoods, even as we wonder at the acts of heroism by educators and members of the community who worked to protect and rescue hundreds of students and neighbors.

The tragedy this week in Oklahoma reminds us that bad things can happen. Keeping our children safe in school is all of our responsibility. Everyone in a school community needs to be at the table in planning since there is a role for everyone in a crisis. 

Because no two events will ever be the same, it is essential for school communities to create an emergency preparedness plan that has the flexibility to meet different needs.  Certainly, a plan should address steps to prevent crises, but prevention is not enough.  Comprehensive emergency preparedness plans incorporate prevention, response, and recovery.   In other words, the plan should represent a process that carries a community from anticipating possible crises to managing them.

Emergency preparedness plans recognize that:

• Effective crisis response and recovery requires a community effort, and
• Effective crisis response and recovery requires consistent, clear, and accurate communication

A good crisis plan is one that gets everyone on the same page with clear goals and clear instruction and does not make assumptions.  Remember, everyone sees the plan from a different perspective, so in developing a plan, it is essential to invite not just experts in crisis management but also school stakeholders who can   brainstorm ideas and perceptions. What might sound good from the central office might not make sense to staff in the building, and a quality planning process will erase disconnects and clarify for operations.

In any crisis, being able to communicate with others is imperative.  As we saw this week, technology can speed communications by notifying parents immediately of the decision to have students shelter in place. 

A plan that sits on the shelf in a binder and goes unread and unpracticed is no plan at all. Emergency preparedness requires regularly practice, and educators should insist on that practice.

The last few days have been hard on all of, and we all share a sense of loss. But while we are supporting the people of Oklahoma, let us also consider how we can help educators be better prepared when the next tragedy strikes.   Below are some resources you might want to use to help keep our children safe.

• NEA Health Information Network Crisis Guide: www.neahin.org/crisisguide
• NEW– Resources on PTSD from NEA HIN
• http://www.learningfirst.org/issues/safeschools
• National Association of School Psychologists Resources for Parents and Educators
• National Association of School Psychologists Resources for School Crisis Teams
• American School Counselor Association Helping Kids in a Crisis

 

 

We Reach Out to Oklahoma

There are times in life that bring unimaginable challenges, grief, and pain.  We at the NEA Health Information Network know that the children, families, NEA members, and residents of Oklahoma are facing those issues today.  We share in their sorrows, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies and firm commitment to help.

NEA HIN has contacted our affiliate in Oklahoma, and we are offering crisis information and support.  We are moved by the dedication of Oklahoma Education Association members and their devotion to their students and community.  Once again, we hear of how educators protected children as best they could and how they walked door-to-door to help their neighbors. Their dedication exemplifies their courage and professionalism and offers hope and the promise of renewal to an otherwise devastating moment. 

In the coming weeks, NEA HIN will stand strong with OEA members, their families, and their neighbors in Oklahoma as they rebuild their lives.  Today, we extend our hand to share the burden of sorrow and offer the comfort of friendship

Keeping Kids Safe: It’s Everyone’s Job

LaPorte Indiana is a rural school district in northwest Indiana.  It’s also a great example of a district that has brought everyone to the table to help keep kids safe. 

At the National Forum on School Improvement, I joined Donna Nielsen, a bus driver and NEA member, and Glade Montgomery, the superintendent, on a panel led by Roxanne Dove of NEA’s Education Support Professional Quality Department (ESPQ).. We were there to share what LaPorte is doing right and talk about what other districts can do to help keep kids safe. 

At the heart of the LaPorte story is the simple idea that everyone needs to be involved in the plan.  Every staff member sees the plan from a different perspective. What might sound good from the central office might not make sense to staff in the building.  LaPorte has also recognized that “the day begins and ends on the bus.”  That means that bus drivers need to have plans, understand them, and be able to implement in case something happens on the way to/from school.

The ability to put all this into practice starts with leadership from the top.  Superintendent Montgomery shared his four “non-negotiable” for the school system:

1. A culture of cooperation/communication
2. No negativity
3. Take care of your family and your self
4. Treat everyone with dignity and respect all the time and every day

As Donna Nielsen stressed, it was that culture that has allowed for regular professional development for bus drivers, expanded participation in school safety teams by head custodians, and nurtured an ongoing commitment to practicing and drilling to make sure the plans work.  School district staff works with community emergency response, police, and government to hold table-top exercises and communicate.  In fact, the local police and fire departments have school facility floor plans and master keys, just in case. 

This approach extends to the families of students. In the days after the Newtown shooting, every family (as well as every staff person) got a series of recorded calls from the superintendent explaining what the district was doing to review its safety policies and plans.

A robust approach to school safety plans assumes that “something will happen, sometime.”  We can’t always prevent a crisis, but at least the LaPorte school district is well prepared when they do. 

Does your school have a plan?  Have you been trained?  Share your experiences with us.

NEA HIN Crisis Guide Available

We are heartbroken over the senseless shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.  The loss is unimaginable, and we grieve over the lives cut short.  We extend our deepest sympathies to the students and educators of Sandy Hook Elementary School and to the families and entire community in Newtown, Connecticut.  

For guidance and resources on handling a crisis, please see the NEA HIN Crisis Guide. 

Please also see the statement of NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and the most recent coverage in NEA Today.  You can also read more from NEA at www.nea.org.

NEA Members: Champions for Safe and Healthy Schools

As I reflect on 2012, I am amazed by how NEA members, working with our NEA HIN partners, have taken remarkable action to improve the health and safety of students and educators.  Here are just a few of this year’s accomplishments:

• NEA members helped thousands of students from being hungry.  More than 1,000 NEA members—teachers and ESP—participated in the NEA HIN co-sponsored Breakfast in the Classroom program in eight states, helping feed more than 41,000 hungry students in high-need schools.  These are students who otherwise would not have breakfast that morning. 
• With guidance from NEA members and allergy experts, NEA HIN worked with the USDA to produce the (first-ever) booklet on food allergies.  This booklet identifies the role that every member of the school community plays in keeping kids safe.  This information can be life-saving, and it is now online and available to every one of the nearly 99,000 public schools in nation.
• Recognizing the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy, NEA affiliates and members sent thousands of dollars in donations to the NEA HIN Disaster Relief Fund.  Donations continue to come in and will provide needed supports to NEA members and their school communities.  If you wish to donate, please make your tax-exempt contribution here.
• Over 1,300 NEA members and other educators across the country took NEA HIN training to advance health and safety in their schools.  Topics covered school safety, food allergies in schools, healthy eating, managing stress, and implementing breakfast in the classroom.

This year, NEA HIN also completed an analysis of our previous year’s work to improve indoor environmental quality.  We learned that NEA members who took NEA HIN training had used NEA HIN materials to train their colleagues.  Their actions more than doubled our original reach, and today 5,000 NEA members are informed and are taking action for healthier schools.

While there is much more to do, we are grateful for every one of the NEA HIN partners who helped in this work—and especially for the thousands of NEA members who acted to help students succeed and fellow educators thrive. 

In this season of gift-giving, NEA HIN appreciates the greatest gift: the caring, dedication, and professionalism of NEA members. 

Season’s Greetings,

Jerry Newberry

Hurricane Sandy

Like you, I watched with deep concern as “Frankenstorm” devastated portions of the East Coast.

But in the midst of devastation, we also saw the American spirit of caring and can-do emerge from the wash.  In New Jersey, Barbara Keshishian, the president of the New Jersey Education Association, announced the cancellation of the NJEA annual convention in Atlantic City, expressing NJEA’s deep concern for the safety and well-being of those traveling to the convention and noting the need to attend to home school districts. 

Simultaneously, Keshishian announced that NJEA has contacted Atlantic City officials about ways NJEA can help in that city’s recovery.  She promised that the NJEA Convention will be back to Atlantic City next year. 

What a great example of community commitment.

I was also encouraged by the quick action of the federal government.  For instance, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declared a public health emergency for New York to ensure that beneficiaries of Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP—the Children’s Health Insurance Program—continue to receive services.

That is kind of spirit that rebuilds and empowers communities. 

That same spirit has inspired NEA HIN to activate our relief program. 

The NEA HIN Disaster Relief Fund is a 501(c) (3) tax exempt charity that provides aid to the education community in the wake of large scale disasters. When the Fund is activated in response to a disaster, NEA HIN staff works with state and local NEA affiliates to give grants to local aid organizations positioned to meet the needs of disaster-struck education communities.

Our goal is to help educators, support professionals, students, and their schools recover from a disaster. 

If you would like to support the fund, donate to the NEA HIN Disaster Relief Fund.

The fund is now offering grants to 501(c)3 organizations that are helping provide relief to school communities damaged by the storm.  To learn more about applying for a Disaster Relief grant, go to www.neahin.org/disasterrelief.

To view materials for parents, teachers, and crisis teams on how to talk to kids after a natural disaster, PTSD, and surviving traumatic events, visit our resources.

Natural Disaster Resources

Thank you for your patience.  Our donation forms are working.  If you have any questions, please contact us.

The NEA School Crisis Guide has resources on preparing for, reacting to, and responding to a crisis. Additionally, we have available resources from the National Association of School Psychologists on Talking to Children about natural disasters and  Tips for Parents/Teachers and Crisis Teams.   We are also providing information on PTSD from the National Institute of Mental Health.

In the event of a natural disaster, NEA HIN has a continually updated list of materials.

In addition, NEA HIN has a Disaster Relief Fund (learn more about the disaster relief fund) that can participate in.

From Helping Children After a Natural Disaster: Information for Parents and Teachers:

Possible Reactions of Children and Youth to Natural Disasters

The severity of children’s reactions will depend on their specific risk factors. These include exposure to the actual event, personal injury or loss of a loved one, level of parental support, dislocation from their home or community, the level of physical destruction, and pre-existing risks, such as a previous traumatic experience or mental illness.  Adults should contact a professional if children exhibit significant changes in behavior or any of the following symptoms over an extended period of time.

• Preschoolers—thumb sucking, bed wetting, clinging to parents, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, fear of the dark, regression in behavior, and withdrawal from friends and routines.
• Elementary School Children—irritability, aggressiveness, clinginess, nightmares, school avoidance, poor concentration, and withdrawal from activities and friends.
• Adolescents—sleeping and eating disturbances, agitation, increase in conflicts, physical complaints, delinquent behavior, and poor concentration.

A minority of children may be at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms can include those listed above as well as re-experiencing the disaster during play and/or dreams; anticipating or feeling that the disaster is happening again; avoiding reminders of the disaster; general numbness to emotional topics; and increased arousal symptoms such as inability to concentrate and startle reactions.  Although rare, some adolescents may also be at increased risk of suicide if they suffer from serious mental health problems like PTSD or depression.  Again, adults should seek professional mental health help for children exhibiting these symptoms.

Immediately Following a Natural Disaster: Information for Parents and Teachers

Remain calm and reassuring. Children take their cues from you, especially young children. Acknowledge the loss or destruction, but emphasize the community’s efforts to cleanup and rebuild. To the extent it is possible to do so, assure them that family and friends will take care of them and that life will return to normal. 

Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. Allow children to discuss their feelings and concerns, and address any questions they may have regarding the event. Listen and empathize. An empathetic listener is very important. Let them know that their reactions are normal and expected.

Encourage children to talk about disaster-related events. Children need an opportunity to discuss their experiences in a safe, accepting environment.  Provide activities that enable children to discuss their experiences. This may include a range of methods (both verbal and nonverbal) and incorporate varying projects (e.g., drawing, stories, music, drama, audio and video recording). Seek the help of the school psychologist, counselor, or social worker if you need help with ideas or managing the conversation.

Promote positive coping and problem-solving skills. Activities should teach children how to apply problem-solving skills to disaster-related stressors.  Encourage children to develop realistic and positive methods of coping that increase their ability to manage their anxiety and to identify which strategies fit with each situation.

Emphasize children’s resiliency. Focus on their competencies. Help children identify what they have done in the past that helped them cope when they were frightened or upset. Bring their attention to other communities that have experienced natural disasters and recovered (e.g., Miami, FL and Charleston, SC). 

Strengthen children’s friendship and peer support. Children with strong emotional support from others are better able to cope with adversity. Children’s relationships with peers can provide suggestions for how to cope and can help decrease isolation. In many disaster situations, friendships may be disrupted because of family relocations. In some cases, parents may be less available to provide support to their children because of their own distress and feelings of being overwhelmed. Activities such as asking children to work cooperatively in small groups can help children strengthen supportive relationships with their peers.

Take care of your own needs. Take time for yourself and try to deal with your own reactions to the situation as fully as possible. You will be better able to help your children if you are coping well. If you are anxious or upset, your children are more likely to feel the same way. Talk to other adults such as family, friends, faith leaders, or counselors. It is important not to dwell on your fears or anxiety by yourself. Sharing feelings with others often makes people feel more connected and secure. Take care of your physical health. Make time, however small, to do things you enjoy. Avoid using drugs or alcohol to feel better.

Immediately Following a Natural Disaster: Specific Information for Schools

Identify children and youth who are high risk and plan interventions.  Risk factors are outlined in the above section on children’s reactions. Interventions may include classroom discussions, individual counseling, small group counseling, or family therapy.  From classroom discussions, and by maintaining close contact with teachers and parents, the school crisis response team can help determine which students need counseling services.  A mechanism also needs to be in place for self-referral and parent-referral of students.

Provide time for students to discuss the disaster.  Depending on the situation, teachers may be able to guide this discussion in class, or students can meet with the school psychologist or other mental health professional for a group crisis intervention. Classroom discussions help children to make some sense of the disaster. They also encourage students to develop effective means of coping, discover that their classmates share similar questions, and develop peer support networks. Teachers should not be expected to conduct such discussions if children are severely impacted or if they themselves are distressed.

Allow time for staff to discuss their feelings and share their experiences.  Members of your crisis team should also have the opportunity to receive support from a trained mental health professional. Providing crisis intervention is emotionally draining and caregivers will need an opportunity to process their crisis response. This could include teachers and other school staff if they have been serving as crisis caregivers for students.

Secure additional mental health support.  Although many caregivers are often willing to provide support during the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster, long-term services may be lacking. School mental health professionals can help provide and coordinate mental health services, but it is important to connect with community resources as well in order to provide such long-term assistance. Ideally these relationships would be established in advance.

Helping Children Adjust to Relocation After a Natural Disaster

The frequent need to relocate after a disaster creates unique coping challenges.  It may contribute to the social, environmental, and psychological stress experienced by children and their families. Children will be most impacted by the reactions of their parents and other family members, the duration of the relocation, their natural coping style and emotional reactivity, and their ability to stay connected with friends and other familiar people and activities. To the extent possible parents and other caregivers should:

• Provide opportunities for children to see friends.
• Bring personal items that the child values when staying in temporary housing.
• Establish some daily routines so that the child is able to have a sense of what to expect (including returning to school as soon as possible).
• Provide opportunities for children to share their ideas and listen carefully to their concerns or fears.
• Be sensitive to the disruption that relocation may cause and be responsive to the child’s needs.
• Consider the developmental level and unique experiences of each child; it is important to remember that as children vary, so will their responses to the disruption of relocation,

In addition, school personnel should:

• Determine the status of every child in the school. Contact each child who is absent and keep a record. Identify the needs of children whose home was destroyed or damaged.
• Find out the phone numbers and addresses of every student that had to relocate. Encourage classmates to write notes or make phone calls.
• Develop an advisory committee of students to report back to school staff about what resources and changes in routines will help students cope.
• Listen to and observe students’ behavior. It takes time for children to understand and adjust to disasters. It is perfectly normal for them to discuss the event over and over again. Provide opportunities for children to discuss how they are coping. Use creative arts (e.g., drama, art, music, photography) to help them express their emotions.
• Help connect families to community resources. Bring agencies into the school that can deal with needs related to housing, finances, and insurance. Ensure that children get any necessary medical and emotional assistance.
• Increase staffing for before and after school care. If possible, extend the service for additional hours and even on weekends.
• Incorporate information about the disaster into related subject areas, as appropriate. Science, math, history, and language arts are especially relevant.

Get Ready To Shake Out!

NEA HIN wants to share earthquake preparedness resources and promote The Great American Shakeout. Why? 

1. Earthquakes – like other natural disasters – can be prepared for.
2. We believe preparation is key to reacting and responding in the event you, your school, or your community is affected by an earthquake or another type of crisis.
3. Earthquakes, despite there severity, are affecting non-traditional earthquake zones.  Recently, there have been earthquakes in Maryland, Virigina, Maine, and Eastern Canada to name a few.

Today, a number of Federal, State, and Local Agencies are providing resources for schools, communities, and businesses so that they can take steps to be ready, and react to an earthquake no matter where you are.

There are a number of resources available on their web site including a ShakeOut Drill Manual for K-12 Schools.  I encourage you to take a look at content on their site and see for yourself.

From The Great American Shakeout Web Site:

Official rescue teams who have been dispatched to the scene of earthquakes and other disasters around the world continue to advocate use of the internationally recognized “Drop, Cover and Hold On” protocol to protect lives during earthquakes:

• DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!),
• Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
• HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops.

If there isn’t a table or desk near you, drop to the ground in an inside corner of the building and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms. Do not try to run to another room just to get under a table.

These are general guidelines for most situations. Depending on where you are (in bed, driving, in a theater, etc.), you might take other actions, as described in Recommended Earthquake Safety Actions.

The main point is to not try to move but to immediately protect yourself as best as possible where you are. Earthquakes occur without any warning and may be so violent that you cannot run or crawl; you therefore will most likely be knocked to the ground where you happen to be. You will never know if the initial jolt will turn out to be start of the big one. You should Drop, Cover, and Hold On immediately!

In addition, studies of injuries and deaths caused by earthquakes in the U.S. over the last several decades indicate that you are much more likely to be injured by falling or flying objects (TVs, lamps, glass, bookcases, etc.) than to die in a collapsed building. Drop, Cover, and Hold On offers the best overall level of protection in most situations.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. To be ready to protect yourself immediately when the ground begins to shake, practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On as children do in school at least once each year.

What NOT to do:

DO NOT get in a doorway! An early earthquake photo is a collapsed adobe home with the door frame as the only standing part. From this came our belief that a doorway is the safest place to be during an earthquake. In modern houses and buildings, doorways are no safer, and they do not protect you from flying or falling objects. Get under a table instead!

DO NOT run outside! Trying to run in an earthquake is dangerous, as the ground is moving and you can easily fall or be injured by debris or glass. Running outside is especially dangerous, as glass, bricks, or other building components may be falling. You are much safer to stay inside and get under a table.

DO NOT believe the so-called “triangle of life”! In recent years, an e-mail has circulated which has recommends potentially life threatening actions , and the source has been discredited by leading experts. Read our special report to learn more

You could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes: at home, at work, at school or even on vacation. Are you prepared to survive and recover quickly should an earthquake affect you?  Protect yourself. Spread the word.

 

School Safety

School Safety

According to the Centers for Disease Control, violent deaths at schools accounted for less than 1% of the homicides and suicides among children ages 5-18.  And CDC reports that most school-associated violent deaths occur during “transition times,” before and after the school day and during lunch.

While a tiny percentage, even one incident is too many. 

As we work to improve school safety, NEA HIN staff had the opportunity to participate in a forum on school safety at the Summer Leadership Conference of the Northeast Ohio Education Association.  Like too many places, this area has been touched by an incident of horrific school violence.  Last February, three students were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting incident that has been called the deadliest school shooting since 2005.

While this kind of horrific violence is rare, shootings are just one type of crisis situation for which schools and districts need to be prepared.

Whether it is severe weather (think hurricanes and tornados), an earthquake, or a shooting, a good crisis plan can make all the difference in reducing mental and physical trauma. A good plan can also facilitate the healing process, helping students and staff move on and return to school and work in a timely manner.

If you are unfamiliar with your school or district’s crisis plan now, is the perfect time to get involved.   

The School Crisis Guide from NEA HIN and NEA provides the building blocks for creating and implementing crisis plans.  Before something happens is the best time to create a plan.  The guide will walk you through the important elements:

• Who needs to be at the planning table
• What needs to be in the plan
• What types of emergencies and crises should be addressed
• Prevention programs
• How federal, state, and local laws affect the plan
• Creating a crisis response team
• Communications and media relations
• Training
• Planning for recovery

In an ideal world, the plan will never need to be implemented.  But when something happens, it is important to know what to do as things unfold.  The guide provides tips for what to do:

• In the first hour
• In the first twelve hours
• At the end of the first day
• The second day
• The first week
• When school resumes

After a major event, it is common to hear that people just want to “move on” or “return to normal.” Too often though, there is a new normal and students, families, and staff may need support to reach that new normal.  Some important things to address are:

• Long –term mental health needs
• How to handle donations
• How to manage long-term reminders such as anniversaries
• Long-term communications and media strategies
• Evaluation of the response and revisiting the plan

Preparation and planning can make all the difference when something happens.  I encourage you to find out what your district or school plan is and if there is not one, work with your state and local association and your district administration to develop one. 

To order a copy of the School Crisis Guide go to our order page or view the entire guide and supplemental resources online.

Top Five Lessons I’ve Learned Working With Schools In A Crisis

I am a Hurricane Andrew Kid.  When I was 12, my house – with me and my family in it – was torn apart in a matter of hours, not to mention life as I knew it.

Maybe it was kismet when I happened to answer a phone call from an educator who had just experienced a natural disaster in 2006, roughly 1 month into my new job with NEA HIN.

I wasn’t trained to help, but I did what I could. The most important thing was to listen.  I listened and provided a shoulder to lean on.  I understood how it felt – what she was going through – and I remembered what was important to me then.  I kept thinking to myself, “I don’t want her to feel alone.”

Since then, we’ve done that and more.  NEA HIN proactively tries to help NEA members, locals and states be better prepared for a crisis.  The Top 5 Things I’ve Learned:

1. Don’t Wait For A Wake Up Call
   There is zero reason to not be prepared for a school crisis.  Are you prepared?  Is your school prepared?   If you’re not 100% sure the answer is yes, please look into your school’s safety plan.  What are the gaps?  How can you help?
2. Keep Thinking About Crisis Response
   Let’s say there is a crisis/emergency in your school.  What’s the first thing you do?  What if it’s raining?  What if there is construction nearby? What if the PA system is down? Where will the buses park?  You’re not supposed to think of everything and every variable.  I’m suggesting that the return on your investment (ROI) of thinking about preparing, reacting, responding to a crisis situation is very high.  The more you think of the little things, the better off you’ll be.

3. Collaboration Is Key
   It takes a team of people with knowledge of the school – working together – to prepare for a crisis.  Everyone from Administrators to Education Support Professionals to Classroom Educators to First Responders to Parents through local business owners/community groups should be involved, not just to prepare, but so everyone is on the same page.  Not one of those groups can go it alone.  Build a coalition of interested people and form a crisis response team in your school/community.  Don’t forget to keep substitutes in the loop.
4. Practice Pays Off
   Only 1 way to know if you’re really ready:  practice. I can’t speak more highly of practicing, collecting data, evaluating how you did.  What should you change?  What did you do well?  What needs to be improved?  There is no substitute for practice.  Practice different scenarios during different times of the year to make sure your plan is ready for the variables that affect schools.

5. It’s Never Too Late To Start
   There is no time like now.  As we approach the summer, have a goal of putting something in place by back-to-school.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be a step in the right direction.  We have resources that can help.  Anything is better than nothing.

One is too many, but this?

Hello all,

I hope this finds you well, and willing to give some thought today to a topic that is very uncomfortable and difficult to talk about. It’s important that we do, though, because gun safety is an issue that should concern us all. 

On Wednesday, March 14, in Tacoma Washington, a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun that was left in the car when his mother went in to buy food. The child got out of his car seat, found the gun and shot himself.  He was rushed to the hospital and was declared dead. This tragedy was one of four shootings of children in seven weeks in Washington State. Two of the children died and two were wounded.

On Saturday, April 7, a 4-year-old boy shot himself in the chest in Philadelphia with a gun he found under his mother’s pillow. The shooting appeared to be accidental. Fortunately, it appears that the child will recover.

On Monday, April 12, 2012, a 6-year-old-boy found a gun that was kept in the house where he lived and shot and killed himself.  The tragic event took place in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

And on April 15th, a 4-year-old boy from Tyler, Texas found his mother’s gun in her car (she works in the prison system), shot himself in the head, and died.

These incidents have all happened in the last few months, and there are even more of them. But the point is made.

Gun accidents are the fifth-leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 14, and according to the National Safety Council there are an estimated four to six non-fatal injuries for every fatal accidental shooting.  If the number of children injured is added to the number killed, the situation is even more chilling.  The Council reported that in 2008, 88 of the total firearms-related deaths were of children under 5-years old, and 288 were children 5-14 years old.  There were 2,590 deaths of teens and young adults 15-19 years old. Those numbers total almost 3,000, and, if the number of children injured is five times the number killed, the total goes up to 18,000.

The Children’s Defense Fund estimates that there are over 280 million guns in civilian hands in the U.S.  Guns are in approximately half of all U.S. households, and even when they are there legally, they present a real and present danger to children.  Even if there is no gun in the household, children can come into contact with guns when they are in neighbors’ homes, when they are playing with friends, or in many other circumstances outside their homes.  NEA HIN plans to begin taking a hard look at the issue of gun safety, and hopes you will share your thoughts and ideas about this important topic. 

Thanks for your attention. I’ll keep you posted on our progress. 

Bette

2012 NEA ESP Conference: Join Us

If you are planning on attending the 2012 NEA ESP Conference next week, we can’t wait to see you.  NEA HIN is pleased to once again be joining Education Support Professionals from around the country. We are looking forward to seeing many friends from past conferences and meeting new ones.  As in the past, we will be in the exhibit area with resources and materials to help ESPs create safe, healthy, great public schools for all.

NEA HIN staff will also be presenting two workshops as part of the Skill-Based Learning Professional Development Track.  On Saturday afternoon at 2:45 pm Lisa Creighton will be presenting Healthy Kids Learn Better: Why and How to Improve School Food.  Making sure that kids have access to healthy, wholesome foods at school can impact both health and behavior. This highly interactive session will focus on the importance of nutrition for child health, programs to improve access to school meals  (such as breakfast in the classroom) and the quality of school food (such as farm-to-school).  The session will also cover some of the things being done at the local, state, and federal level to improve school food. The session will focus on the ways that ESPs can help students, while building strong community partnerships.

On Sunday morning at 8:15 am, NEA HIN Executive Director Jerry Newberry will present, School Security Officers:Making a Difference for At-Risk Students.  Participants in this session will address the critical role of the school security officer in support of at-risk students. Through discussion and activities, participants will address the needs of at-risk students and discuss the unique challenges of the students they work with.  The session will focus on building bridges with families and community resources to support student success. 

We hope to see you at the conference and copies of the presentations will be available on our website after the conference.

Helping Children After a Natural Disaster: Information for Parents and Teachers

The NEA School Crisis Guide has resources on preparing for, reacting to, and responding to a crisis. We have resources from the National Association of School Psychologists for School Crisis Teams Responding to a School Crisis.  We are also providing information on PTSD from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Helping Children After a
Natural Disaster: Information for Parents and Teachers

Natural disasters can be
especially traumatic for children and youth. Experiencing a dangerous or
violent flood, storm, or earthquake is frightening even for adults, and the
devastation to the familiar environment (i.e., home and community) can be long
lasting and distressing. Often an entire community is impacted, further
undermining a child’s sense of security and normalcy. These factors present a
variety of unique issues and coping challenges, including issues associated
with specific types of natural disasters, the need to relocate when home and/or
community have been destroyed, the role of the family in lessening or
exacerbating the trauma, emotional reactions, and coping techniques.

Children look to the
significant adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions
after the immediate threat is over. Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can
help children and youth cope in the aftermath of a natural disaster by
remaining calm and reassuring children that they will be all right. Immediate
response efforts should emphasize teaching effective coping strategies,
fostering supportive relationships, and helping children understand their
reactions.

Schools can help play an
important role is in this process by providing a stable and familiar
environment. Through the support of caring adults school personnel can help
children return to normal activities and routines (to the extent possible), and
provide an opportunity to transform a frightening event into a learning experience.

Issues Associated With Specific Disasters

Tornadoes.

Like earthquakes, tornadoes
can bring mass destruction in a matter of minutes, and individuals typically
have little time to prepare. Confusion and frustration often follow. Similar to
a hurricane, people experience sensations during tornadoes that may generate
coping challenges. It can be difficult to cope with the sights and smells of
destruction. Given the capricious nature of tornadoes, survivor guilt has been
observed to be an especially common coping challenge. For instance, some
children may express guilt that they still have a house to live in while their
friend next door does not.

Recovery Can Take Time

Although the natural
disasters may only last a short period, survivors can be involved with the
disaster aftermath for months or even years. Collaboration between the school
crisis response team and an assortment of community, state, and federal
organizations and agencies is necessary to respond to the many needs of
children, families, and communities following a natural disaster. Families are
often required to deal with multiple people and agencies (e.g., insurance
adjustors, contractors, electricians, roofers, the Red Cross, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), and the Salvation Army). Healing in the aftermath of
a natural disaster takes time; however, advanced preparation and immediate
response will facilitate subsequent coping and healing.

Possible Reactions of Children and Youth to Natural
Disasters

The severity of children’s
reactions will depend on their specific risk factors. These include exposure to
the actual event, personal injury or loss of a loved one, level of parental
support, dislocation from their home or community, the level of physical
destruction, and pre-existing risks, such as a previous traumatic experience or
mental illness. Adults should contact a professional if children exhibit
significant changes in behavior or any of the following symptoms over an extended
period of time.

• Preschoolers—thumb sucking, bedwetting, clinging to parents, sleep
disturbances, loss of appetite, fear of the dark, regression in behavior, and
withdrawal from friends and routines.

• Elementary School Children—irritability, aggressiveness,
clinginess, nightmares, school avoidance, poor concentration, and withdrawal
from activities and friends.

• Adolescents—sleeping and eating disturbances, agitation, increase
in conflicts, physical complaints, delinquent behavior, and poor concentration.

A minority of children may be
at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms can include those
listed above as well as re-experiencing the disaster during play and/or dreams;
anticipating or feeling that the disaster is happening again; avoiding
reminders of the disaster; general numbness to emotional topics; and increased
arousal symptoms such as inability to concentrate and startle reactions.
Although rare, some adolescents may also be at increased risk of suicide if
they suffer from serious mental health problems like PTSD or depression. Again,
adults should seek professional mental health help for children exhibiting
these symptoms.

Immediately Following a Natural Disaster: Information
for Parents and Teachers

Remain calm and reassuring. Children take their cues from you, especially young
children. Acknowledge the loss or destruction, but emphasize the community’s
efforts to cleanup and rebuild. To the extent it is possible to do so, assure
them that family and friends will take care of them and that life will return
to normal.

Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. Allow children to discuss their feelings and
concerns, and address any questions they may have regarding the event. Listen
and empathize. An empathetic listener is very important. Let them know that
their reactions are normal and expected.

Encourage children to talk about disaster-related
events. Children need an opportunity
to discuss their experiences in a safe, accepting environment. Provide
activities that enable children to discuss their experiences. This may include
a range of methods (both verbal and nonverbal) and incorporate varying projects
(e.g., drawing, stories, music, drama, audio and video recording). Seek the
help of the school psychologist, counselor, or social worker if you need help
with ideas or managing the conversation.

Promote positive coping and problem-solving skills. Activities should teach children how to apply
problem-solving skills to disaster-related stressors. Encourage children to
develop realistic and positive methods of coping that increase their ability to
manage their anxiety and to identify which strategies fit with each situation.

Emphasize children’s resiliency. Focus on their competencies. Help children identify
what they have done in the past that helped them cope when they were frightened
or upset. Bring their attention to other communities that have experienced
natural disasters and recovered (e.g., Miami, FL and Charleston,
SC).

Strengthen children’s friendship and peer support. Children with strong emotional support from others
are better able to cope with adversity. Children’s relationships with peers can
provide suggestions for how to cope and can help decrease isolation. In many
disaster situations, friendships may be disrupted because of family
relocations. In some cases, parents may be less available to provide support to
their children because of their own distress and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Activities such as asking children to work cooperatively in small groups can
help children strengthen supportive relationships with their peers.

Take care of your own needs. Take time for yourself and try to deal with your own
reactions to the situation as fully as possible. You will be better able to
help your children if you are coping well. If you are anxious or upset, your
children are more likely to feel the same way. Talk to other adults such as
family, friends, faith leaders, or counselors. It is important not to dwell on
your fears or anxiety by yourself. Sharing feelings with others often makes
people feel more connected and secure. Take care of your physical health. Make
time, however small, to do things you enjoy. Avoid using drugs or alcohol to feel better.

Immediately Following a Natural Disaster: Specific
Information for Schools

Identify children and youth who are high risk and plan
interventions. Risk factors are
outlined in the above section on children’s reactions. Interventions may
include classroom discussions, individual counseling, small group counseling,
or family therapy. From classroom discussions, and by maintaining close contact
with teachers and parents, the school crisis response team can help determine
which students need counseling services. A mechanism also needs to be in place
for self-referral and parent-referral of students.

Provide time for students to discuss the disaster. Depending on the situation, teachers may be able to
guide this discussion in class, or students can meet with the school
psychologist or other mental health professional for a group crisis
intervention. Classroom discussions help children to make some sense of the
disaster. They also encourage students to develop effective means of coping,
discover that their classmates share similar questions, and develop peer
support networks. Teachers should not be
expected to conduct such discussions if children are severely impacted or if
they themselves are distressed.

Allow time for staff to discuss their feelings and
share their experiences. Members of
your crisis team should also have the opportunity to receive support from a
trained mental health professional. Providing crisis intervention is
emotionally draining and caregivers will need an opportunity to process their
crisis response. This could include teachers and other school staff if they
have been serving as crisis caregivers for students.

Secure additional mental health support. Although many caregivers are often willing to provide
support during the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster, long-term services
may be lacking. School mental health professionals can help provide and
coordinate mental health services, but it is important to connect with
community resources as well in order to provide such long-term assistance.
Ideally these relationships would be established in advance.

Helping Children Adjust to Relocation after a Natural
Disaster

The frequent need to relocate after a disaster creates
unique coping challenges. It may
contribute to the social, environmental, and psychological stress experienced
by children and their families. Children will be most impacted by the reactions
of their parents and other family members, the duration of the relocation,
their natural coping style and emotional reactivity, and their ability to stay
connected with friends and other familiar people and activities. To the extent
possible parents and other caregivers should:

• Provide opportunities for
children to see friends.

• Bring personal items that
the child values when staying in temporary housing.

• Establish some daily
routines so that the child is able to have a sense of what to expect (including
returning to school as soon as possible).

• Provide opportunities for
children to share their ideas and listen carefully to their concerns or fears.

• Be sensitive to the
disruption that relocation may cause and be responsive to the child’s needs.

• Consider the developmental
level and unique experiences of each child; it is important to remember that as
children vary, so will their responses to the disruption of relocation,

In addition, school personnel
should:

• Determine the status of
every child in the school. Contact each child who is absent and keep a record.
Identify the needs of children whose home was destroyed or damaged.

• Find out the phone numbers and
addresses of every student that had to relocate. Encourage classmates to write
notes or make phone calls.

• Develop an advisory
committee of students to report back to school staff about what resources and
changes in routines will help students cope.

• Listen to and observe
students’ behavior. It takes time for children to understand and adjust to
disasters. It is perfectly normal for them to discuss the event over and over
again. Provide opportunities for children to discuss how they are coping. Use creative
arts (e.g., drama, art, music, photography) to help them express their
emotions.

• Help connect families to
community resources. Bring agencies into the school that can deal with needs
related to housing, finances, and insurance. Ensure that children get any
necessary medical and emotional assistance.

• Increase staffing for
before and after school care. If possible, extend the service for additional
hours and even on weekends.

• Incorporate information
about the disaster into related subject areas, as appropriate. Science, math,
history, and language arts are especially relevant.

By

Philip J. Lazarus, NCSP, Florida International University

Shane R. Jimerson, NCSP, University of California,
Santa Barbara

Stephen E. Brock, NCSP, California State
University, Sacramento

 

Download the full document here

 

 Adapted from Lazarus, P. J.,
& Jimerson, S. R., Brock, S. E. (2002). Natural Disasters. In S. E. Brock,
P. J. Lazarus, & S. R. Jimerson (Eds.), Best Practices in School Crisis
Prevention and Intervention (pp. 435-450), Bethesda, MD:
National Association of School Psychologists and other crisis information
posted on the NASP website at www.nasponline.org. ©2003, National Association
of School Psychologists, 4340 East
West Highway #402, Bethesda, MD 20814

If You See Something, Say Something

I mentioned to you in an earlier
posting that I would give you some information on the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security’s If You See Something,Say Something campaign. 

To learn more
about this public awareness campaign, which is a simple and effective program designed
to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism and violent crime, and to
emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper state
and local law enforcement authorities, please go to www.dhs.gov/ifyouseesomethingsaysomething.  If all of us acquaint ourselves with the
things we can do to help keep our nation safe, we will be doing our part as
good citizens.  Another link that you
might find interesting follows, and our colleagues at DHS thank you for
learning more about their training programs.  

5 Things You Can Do To Prep For a Hurricane

If the East Coast earthquake wasn’t enough, much of the
Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern portion of the country are now bracing for
Hurricane Irene.

Hurricanes in this part of the world are rare but they do happen – and being that we’re in the midst of hurricane season – now is a good time to
get ready no matter what.

Here are 5 Things you can do to prep for a hurricane:

1. Get educated – There are tons and tons and tons of hurricane
   resources out there that you should familiarize yourself with.  There are resources
   for kids you should also
   look at.

2. Make a plan – With hurricanes, you have to prepare for a
   little bit of everything: shelter, flooding, power outages, debris, heat,
   wind damage, etc.  It can be overwhelming
   so we like resources
   that have checklists (here
   and here)
   and easy-to-follow
   instructions.  Kids can also learn about planning.

3. Buy supplies – When you look for supplies,
   you should be
   prepared for evacuation as well as surviving without power and other
   utilities.  Think about medicine and first aid,
   non-perishable food (especially
   fresh drinking water),
   and a method to transport your supplies if necessary. 

4. Know your surroundings – Where will you be in the
   event of a storm? Get to know how your area
   deals with hurricanes.  If you are anticipating a
   storm, your local government will have posted evacuation plans and
   directions toward evacuation centers.  Find
   your local Red Cross and more here.

5. Stay up-to-date – Your local government, as well
   as state and federal agencies, will be
   issuing warnings in the event of a storm. 
   Know how to access the Emergency
   Alert System. Your local
   meteorologists and weather reports are essential to planning. 

 

The best way to stay safe and secure is to make educated
decisions.  Knowing what you can/should
do before, during, immediately following, and after the storm can make a huge
impact on your ability to weather the storm.

Stay safe and let us know how you prepared!

5 Things To Do Following The Virginia Earthquake

You’re probably well aware of, or perhaps recovering from, Tuesday’s
earthquake.  Go ahead east coasters, take a deep breath. Earthquakes may
not be the most pleasant experience but they do happen and it’s important to be
educated and ready for them.

For educators, parents/guardians, and other care-givers,
that means being able to respond to the needs of others as well as your own.

5 Things to do following the Virginia Earthquake:

1)     
Get
educated – What do you know about earthquakes?  The U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) has tons of helpful resources about earthquakes,
including an earthquakes FAQ.

2)     
Teach
yourself and others – As we progress through school, we are taught about
plate tectonics. Adults and kids on the east coast should catch-up with their
west coast counterparts and understand the science, especially now that they
may have experienced one. 

USGS has resources
for teachers in addition to materials
for kids.  You can also link directly
to their education page for general earth science.
 So what if the lesson is out of
curriculum sequence, take time to teach, or discuss what happened, especially
when students have personal reason to be interested

3)     
Be prepared
– How did you respond to the earthquake? 
What would you do differently? 
Did you feel unsafe?  Now is the
time to make plans for crisis response and really evaluate your level of preparation.  NEA HIN has resources for preparing for, reacting,
and responding to a crisis.  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes a number of suggestions as
well.  USGS does too.  Now is the time for serious discussion
amongst your colleagues and peers about crisis response. 

4)     
Talk
about it – Traumatic events can have a varying effect on you and your peers
BUT one thing that is certain is that stress should not be handled alone.   Find resources for coping here, here, and here.  FEMA has resources too.

5)     
Practice
and evaluate– Schools are very safe but the reality of the situation is that
a crisis can occur anywhere and ultimately, what matters is how you respond.  Washington Post reported some
chaotic moments at schools following the earthquake.  Use this as opportunity to be prepared if
there is a next time.

 

If you have helpful hints or suggestions, please share them below.  We’d love to hear your feedback.

Local health department and schools working together

I recently read an article prepared for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) that beautifully illustrated the role of a local health department during a measles outbreak.  The importance of having developed relationships between the local health department and school nurses was well articulated. 

When an infectious disease begins to spread within a community the local health department is the first responder. It acts as the communications hub, coordinating the flow of information to various public organizations.  One of the most important relationships a local health department can have during an outbreak is with the schools in its community; most especially with the school nurse. 

Please read on to discover the importance of the relationship between the local health department and schools, and what that means for you and your child:  Measles outbreak: Perspective from a local health department.