Crisis Management in

Schools; Common Practices

and Implementation
Greg Marshall
Drake EDL

The secret of crisis management is not

good vs. bad, its preventing the bad from
getting worse.

Objectives:
1. Students will understand the sequence of
crisis management.
2. Students will learn key principles for effective
crisis planning.
3. Students will be able to discuss strengths
and weaknesses through analysis of case
studies.

Agenda:

Key Principles and Phases

Common Errors Scenarios
Response Scenarios

Children and youth rely on and find great

comfort in the adults who protect them.

Families trust schools to keep their children safe

during the day.

The unfortunate reality is that school districts in this
country may be touched either directly or indirectly
by a crisis of some kind at any time.
The time to plan is now. If you do not have a
crisis plan in place, develop one. If you do have
a plan in place, review, update and practice
that plan regularly.

What is a crisis?

Crises can happen before, during, or after school and

on or off school campuses. The definition of a crisis
varies with the unique needs, resources, and assets
of a school and community.

All districts and schools need a crisis team. One of

the key functions of this team is to identify the types

of crises that may occur in the district and schools
and define what events would activate the plan.

Plans need to address a range of events

and hazards caused both by both nature
and by people, such as:
Natural disasters (earthquake,

tornado, hurricane, flood)

Severe weather
Fires
Chemical or hazardous
material spills
Bus crashes

School shootings
Bomb threats
Medical emergencies
Student or staff deaths (suicide,
homicide, unintentional, or
natural)
Acts of terror or war
Outbreaks of disease or infections

KEY PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE

CRISIS PLANNING
Effective crisis planning begins with leadership at the top.
Crisis plans should not be developed in a vacuum.
School and districts should open the channels of communication well

before a crisis.
Crisis plans should be developed in partnership with other community
groups, including law enforcement, fire safety officials, emergency
medical services, as well as health and mental health professionals.
A common vocabulary is necessary.

KEY PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE

CRISIS PLANNING
Schools should tailor district crisis plans to meet individual school

needs.
Plan for the diverse needs of children and staff.
Include all types of schools where appropriate.
Provide teachers and staff with ready access to the plan so they can
understand its components and act on them.
Training and practice are essential for the successful
implementation of crisis plans.

THE SEQUENCE OF CRISIS

MANAGEMENT

Mitigation/Preventi
on
Preparedness
Response
Recovery

 Establishing access
Mitigation/Prevention

Mitigation and prevention

require taking inventory

of the dangers in a school
and community and
identifying what to do to
prevent and reduce injury
and property damage.

control procedures and

providing IDs for students
and staff might prevent a
dangerous intruder from
coming onto school grounds.
Conducting drills can
reduce injury to students
and staff because they will
know what to do to avoid
harm.
Planning responses to and
training for incidents such
as fire, tornado and

Mitigation/Prevention: Action Steps

Know the school building

Know the community
Bring together regional, local, and school

leaders, among others

Make regular school safety and security
efforts part of mitigation/prevention practices
Establish clear lines of communication

Preparedness

Good planning will

facilitate a rapid,
coordinated, effective
response when a crisis
occurs. Being well
prepared involves an
investment of time and
resourcesbut the
potential to reduce
injury and save lives is
well worth the effort.

Preparedness: Action Steps

Identify and involve stakeholders.
Consider existing efforts.
Determine what crises the plan will address.
Define roles and responsibilities.
Develop methods for communicating with the staff,
students, families, and the media.
Obtain necessary equipment and supplies.

Preparedness: Action Steps

Prepare for immediate response:

evacuation/reverse evacuation/lockdown/shelter-in-place.

Create maps and facilities information.

Develop accountability and student release procedures.
Practice!
Address liability issues.

Response

A crisis is the time to

follow the crisis plan,

not to make a plan
from scratch.

One common

mistake is to delay
calling emergency
responders.

Response: Action Steps

Expect to be surprised.
Assess the situation and choose the appropriate response.
Respond within seconds.
Notify appropriate emergency responders and the school crisis

response team.
Evacuate or lock down the school as appropriate.
Triage injuries and provide emergency first aid to those who need it.

Response: Action Steps

Keep supplies nearby and organized at all times.

Trust leadership.
Communicate accurate and appropriate information.
Activate the student release system.
Allow for flexibility in implementing the crisis plan.
Documentation.

Recovery
The goal of recovery is to return to learning and restore the infrastructure of
the school as quickly as possible.

School staff can be trained to deal with the emotional impact of the crisis, as
well as to initially assess the emotional needs of students, staff, and
responders.

One of the major goals of recovery is to provide a caring and supportive

school environment.

Recovery: Action Steps

Plan for recovery in the preparedness phase.
Assemble the Crisis Intervention Team.
Return to the business of learning as quickly as possible.
Schools and districts need to keep students, families, and the media
informed.
Focus on the building, as well as people, during recovery.
Provide assessment of emotional needs of staff, students, families,
and responders.

Recovery: Action Steps

Provide stress management during class time.
Conduct daily debriefings for staff, responders, and others
assisting in recovery.
Take as much time as needed for recovery.
Remember anniversaries of crises.
Evaluate:

What worked? What didnt? How could you improve operations?

Learning from our Mistakes

5 School Crisis Scenarios:

1. Alcohol Related Fatality
2. Self-Injurious Behavior
3. School Homicide
4. Racial/Ethnic Conflict
5. Community Violence

Read and Discuss each scenario to determine actions taken

that went well, and determine what needs to be improved.

Practice Examples
common response protocols (lockdown, lockout, shelter-inplace and evacuation)

Intruder
Disgruntled Parent
Winter Weather Event
Bomb Threat
Bus Accident

Work though each module and develop the outline of a plan to share
out with large group.

Conclusions
1.

Students will understand the sequence of crisis management.

2. Students will learn key principles for effective crisis planning.
3. Students will be able to discuss strengths and weaknesses through
analysis of case studies.

Questions/Final Thoughts?

Resources
Common Errors in School Crisis Response: Learning from our Mistakes

http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/common-errors.pdf

School Emergency Operations Plan Exercise

http://www2.cde.state.co.us/artemis/psmonos/ps68em32011internet/ps68em320110
6internet.pdf

Practical Information on Crisis Planning A Guide for Schools and

Communities

http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf