NCJ Number
163307
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Fall 1995) Pages: 22-24
Date Published
1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Every school district should develop a comprehensive crisis management plan, because a crisis can occur at any school as demonstrated by the shooting at Central Middle School in Sheridan, Wyo. in 1993.
Abstract
A young man stepped onto the school field where a physical education class was taking place, randomly fired 29 shots from an automatic weapon and injured four students, and then committed suicide in front of the class. These actions sent the school and community into a major crisis. However, the efforts of a crisis management team permitted rapid control of the situation. District Crisis Team members promptly came to the school and worked with students and staff. School personnel also communicated effectively with the large numbers of parents who had rushed to the school upon hearing about the incident on the radio. The responses were possible because the school district had formed a crisis intervention team and was prepared to act in such a crisis. The district defines a crisis as a violent or life- threatening situation, the death of a student or staff member, a suicide, or a condition that affects the functioning of a significant number of the members of the district. The crisis team manager directs the implementation of the crisis plan. The site teams work with the district team to implement previously planned strategies to deal with crises. All school districts should learn about crisis management and develop similar plans and teams to replace chaos with coherent planning. Photograph