NCJ Number
226266
Date Published
2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This is a guide that assists schools, local law enforcement, and emergency services personnel in school crisis-prevention planning, which is designed to contain a crisis and thereby reduce the risk of violence or trauma to students and school personnel.
Abstract
The core of the proposed school crisis-prevention planning is the “Crisis Response Box,” whose goal is to enable school administrators to have immediate access to information essential for the effective management of a major critical incident. Knowing what information to collect prior to a crisis, how to organize it, and how to use it during a crisis are addressed through assembling the contents of the “box.” Schools should select the appropriate staff to review the School Critical Incident Information Inventory and identify who in the school or community will be responsible for obtaining information on each item in the inventory. The Information Inventory contains a list of the names and phone numbers of key responders, a list of agencies and phone numbers to assist during an emergency, locations and routes to evacuation sites, disposition forms, student attendance roster, a list of students with special needs, and additional items to be included based on local decisions. Other items described for the “box” include aerial photos of the campus, a map of the area around the school, the campus layout, a blueprint of school buildings, a teacher/employee roster, and descriptions of various procedures that may be required during a crisis. Each item in the Information Inventory is explained, and suggestions are offered for how each school can create its own “Crisis Response Box.” The guide also briefly describes the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), which is a nationally recognized emergency operations plan that is adapted for large critical incidents that require a multiagency response.