There will likely be both similarities and differences between the district and school crisis response teams. Factors such as the size of the district or school, the type of crisis and staff skills will all influence how the response teams are formed. For example, both the school and district teams may have incident commanders and safety officers, but a communications director at the district level is dispatched to the school site to answer media questions.
The best approach is to review the list below and think about how to tap district and school staff to meet the needs that are unique to the size of your district and school as well as the crisis or emergency. For example, it may be necessary to combine responsibilities in smaller districts. Also keep in mind that in most cases, police and fire personnel will take over when they get to the site.
The bottom line: The more collaborative planning school and district leaders do in advance, the better prepared they will be to respond when an emergency or crisis strikes.
Incident commander. Assesses the emergency, initiates the response, notifies authorities and requests resources. In most cases, this position transitions to police and fire personnel when they arrive on the scene.
Safety officer. Communications director (also known as the public information officer). Sets up the media operations area, tracks media inquiries and coordinates with the school district and other agencies on the public release of timely, accurate information. A member of the staff may need to be trained to serve in this role if the district does not have a communications director, or the district may wish to contract with a consultant with expertise in crisis communications and media relations. The National School Public Relations Association at www.nspra.org is a helpful resource. Liaison officer. Serves as the point of contact for outside community agencies. At the school level, this may be a mental health professional. At the district level, it could be the assistant superintendent in a smaller district or the director of health services in a larger district. Operations chief. Directs evacuations; the release of students to parents; medical care; control of gas, electric and water power; etc. The principal or assistant principal would likely take on this role at the school level, while at the district level, it may be the director of facilities, security or transportation. Planning chief. Assists in assessing the crisis situation and establishing priorities and next steps. The planning chief would likely be the superintendent at the district level and principal or assistant principal at the school level. Logistics chief. Anticipates logistical needs, arranges staffing assistance and facilities such as relocation sites, and secures necessary supplies. Documentation and finance personnel. Coordinate and track information about the crisis situation’s finances and expenditures (including donations), injuries, and lost or damaged property. At the school level, the finance secretary or the person responsible for budgeting would assume this role. At the district level, the head of the budget office would tackle this work. |