Schools ready for crisis

from Pierce County Herald.com

In this day and age of mass shootings and terrorism, besides the continuing possibility of natural disasters, Ellsworth school officials are ready to respond.

A school crisis plan has been compiled by district administrators and approved by the local school board. The 35-page document is intended to guide officials through the first steps of their response to a crisis and is subject to ongoing updates.

The plan begins with a checklist of actions to be taken. Before it’s activated, the situation is to be assessed and 911 emergency services called. Once it’s been activated, who to notify is identified, isolating the problem to the extent possible is recommended and meeting with an in-house crisis management team is to be considered.

Staging areas are to be established as needed, such as a command post, bus staging area, off-site evacuation area, media staging area, health treatment center, counseling rooms and parent reunion area. Additional meetings, communication and updates are addressed.

Advice given includes: expect to be surprised, respond within seconds, assess the situation and choose the appropriate response, and notify appropriate emergency responders and the school safety response team. Directions for the team and a basic checklist are provided.

A chain of command shows the process advancing from administration to these individual school buildings and facilities: bus garage, Prairie View Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, middle school, high school and St. Francis School. Further advancement within each is outlined.

Guidelines from the Department of Education target coordination regarding budget, emergency kits, crisis management committee members, laws and regulations, emergency operations center and alternate site, plus available equipment, district information and relationship with outside agencies.

Hazard analysis, prevention and mitigation policies, emergency functions, notification and warning, along with medical and health are other main topics. The plan has sections containing coordination, hazard analysis, resources and emergency functions specifically aimed at the high and middle schools, elementary schools and early learning center.

Reasons listed for the plan to be implemented are: severe weather, fires, presence of chemical or hazardous materials, bus crashes, school shootings, bomb threats, medical emergencies, student or staff deaths, acts of terror or war, outbreaks of disease or infections, intruders or possible abductions, nuclear responses and plane crashes. Measures to achieve safety in these cases are prescribed.

Preparations in the interest of protecting educational institutions and those occupying them are important. Schools throughout the state and nation are similarly ready, but it’s comforting to know this high level of safety response also exists here at home.