Creating an emergency preparedness and crisis response plan: key elements

When developing a district-level plan, these are among the major categories to think through and address:

Crisis response team personnel identification. Specific roles and responsibilities assigned to district staff in emergency situations.

Policy and procedures. School district safety policies, research-based violence prevention programs, intervention procedures and threat assessments.

Communication channels. Clear communication channels for students, families, staff and the community to report threats or suspicions to avert potential violence. School districts and schools should implement threat assessment teams to evaluate threats made and to provide mental health support and outreach to students and staff in crisis. (Be sure to have an alternative backup plan in place for communication if electricity or phone lines are not working.)

School safety assessment. Schedules for inspecting each school building’s safety and assessing potential vulnerabilities in school organization and culture.

Comprehensive communications for internal and external audiences. Equipment and policies and procedures for contacting emergency services, staff, parents and students and for responding to media inquiries.

Equipment — laptop computer, cell phones, two-way radios
Policies — confidentiality of student records, release of student photos
Procedures — mental health referrals, spokesperson identification, media protocols, student and staff emergency contact information, phone trees
Technology — Consider that new technologies can be both an asset and a problem. While the use of cell phones, text messaging, email and other technology can help get the word out quickly, it also spawns rumors and unverified information, making it hard to control accurate messages.

Alert response procedures. Written, step-by-step instructions for notification of and response to various crises. Include checklists for use during varying degrees of danger levels:

Monitor — raising awareness of emergency or potential crisis to avert potential crisis and/or prepare to respond
Standby — securing resources to respond if the situation worsens
Emergency — deploying resources to respond

Command post. A location to which district- and school-level crisis response team members should report, equipped with communication equipment such as phone lines, computers with access to the Internet, televisions, fax machines, etc. Click here for a supply list.

Community resources. Relationships with community support agencies, public health, safety, law enforcement and the media.

Equipment and supplies. Sufficient supplies such as building floor plans, backup generators, walkie-talkies, cell phones, etc. Click here for a supply list.

Healing assistance. Protocols for assisting all those affected by crisis, including students, staff and families. Procedures for using community-based mental health resources.

Recovery after the crisis — both operationally and in human terms. Written plans for post-crisis healing activities, such as staff and student counseling; classroom lesson planning; and where to reassemble students and staff if the school building is not available.

Training and practicing. Training needs, dates and types of training to be offered, and practice schedules for schools.