Crisis Response: Creating Safe Schools-- Pg 10

	Bienvenidos
			Bienvenidos

Crisis Response: Creating Safe Schools

Supporting Materials: Protocol for Dealing with a Crisis

These are questions to answer with your school-based crisis management team. The spaces to the left of each question are for the names and/or titles of people assigned to carry out the different tasks.

Crisis Team Member	Questions to Be Answered	Additional Considerations
	Who will collect the facts about the crisis?
	Who will inform crisis team members and all other staff, parents, etc. about the situation, and what will they be told?	Remember to include all relevant personnel: after-school staff director, school nurse, custodians, ESL staff, secretaries, aides, PTA members, crossing guards, etc.
	Who will be in touch with the family of the affected person or people?
	Who will determine where, how, and what the staff and children will be told? Do all children need to know what happened, and should they all be told the same information?	It can help if staff members have written information to impart.
	Who will write a letter to parents? Will the letter go home with the students or be mailed?	It is a good idea to have schoolwide address labels ready, as well as adequate postage, envelopes, etc. It is important that parents receive information on the same day as the children.
	Who will be responsible for talking with the media?	It is important that staff, parents, and students know the policy and refer people to the designated media contact.
	Who will contact the PTA?	Will there be a PTA representative on your crisis team?
	Who will be responsible for calling the systemwide crisis team, the superintendent, and other possible community resources?
	Who will be responsible for overseeing the support for students, staff, and parents provided during the days after the event?
	Who is responsible for arranging food, etc. for affected family(ies)?
	Who will be responsible for assessing whether there are students who may need extra support or intervention?	If school personnel believe that a particular child or children would benefit from outside counseling, how will this be handled? What are the criteria? How will parents be notified?
	Who should collect a list of the outside resources that the school might want to call for help in dealing with the immediate aftermath?	Where in the school will representatives of those agencies be stationed to offer counsel?
	Who will find out about and contact other schools, including preschools, that may be involved in the crisis because of siblings or because the students involved attended these schools in the recent past?	If several schools are involved, it can be helpful to coordinate letter- writing and what information is to be shared in order to cut down on rumors, panic, and misinformation.
	Who will decide which articles, bibliographies, and information about the grieving process will be helpful, as well as who should receive such information?
	If there is a death, who will handle information about funeral arrangements? Who will ask the family about their religious and cultural practices so people from the school and community will understand how to respond appropriately? Who will decide if a school commemoration is appropriate?	If there are plans for a commemoration someone will need to consult with the family of the victim to be sure that their wishes are respected. It is also important for other students and friends of the deceased to be part of the planning process.
	Who is responsible for making sure that long-range plans are in place for moving on after the initial days/weeks have passed?	It is important to think through a gradual, graceful, and helpful withdrawal of the support services that the PTA and school personnel provide in the aftermath.
	Who will assess the plan for effectiveness of the protocol after it has been used? Who is responsible for updating and keeping your team current and prepared?