Emergency Preparedness Plan

Hazard Specific Guidelines

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CIVIL DISTURBANCE/GUN FIRE
 

Ideally, school systems would not be involved in any situation that might interrupt the normal day-to-day routine of the schools. However, if schools are disrupted, methods must be devised to handle disruptions to minimize the danger to pupils, staff, and the school plant.

The school administration, which includes the School Board, Superintendent, principals, and consultants/supervisors, is charged by law to take every possible precaution to assure the safety of the students and other school personnel in the event of any emergency. The following guidelines are presented in an effort to assist school officials in planning for possible civil disturbances and, through such plans, minimize the danger to the children and adults in their care.
 

A.

Preventive Measures
 

The most effective way to prevent a disturbance is to preclude the development of situations that could cause a disturbance. A careful analysis of all parts of the school system (school plant and personnel) should be made immediately to identify potential problem areas.

School principals should regularly report to the District Office the development of potentially explosive situations. The Superintendent or his assigned representative should personally review such reports and take the necessary action to alleviate tension &endash; action to include notification of Director of Student Services and possible intervention of Student Services personnel.

Most importantly, school officials must be able to recognize signs that indicate that trouble may be "brewing" and to take necessary action to control any potential outbreak of violence. School administrators and staff should constantly be on the lookout for excessive complaints, unusual gatherings of students, unauthorized persons in or about the school buildings, and other signs of unrest. Immediate steps must be taken to control any type of potential disturbance and to clarify situations about which there are rumors.

School administrators and staff should constantly be aware of the morale of the student body. Such awareness can be enhanced through the following:
 

1.

An open door policy that creates an atmosphere in which students feel free to discuss with the administrator or teacher any problems which they may have and in which they have assurance that they will be heard.
 

2.

Close working relations with the student government and other student leaders.
 

3.

Regular meetings with a committee of students that includes a representative of every known racial and social group in the school.
 

4.

An awareness of what students are saying to one another. Heightened sensitivity to artwork, projects, and topics of papers, reports or journals.
 

5.

Follow-up to rumors regarding radical ideas or threats to students or staff.
 

B.

School-Community Relations
 

A vigorous effort should be made to make the members of the community feel that the schools belong to them; community pride in their schools is often a deterrent to petty vandalism and destruction. Ways in which District personnel can help to develop community pride in the schools are to invite parents to the schools for evening activities and to make school facilities available for various community functions. If students know that their parents are proud of the schools, they may be discouraged from committing acts of vandalism. Instilling a feeling of pride in the school is equally important for students. Students who are proud of the school will help to protect it.

Troublemakers constitute a small percent of a student body; when those students can be isolated, their influence is ineffective. Problem groups must attract sympathizers, followers, and on-lookers to gain sufficient numbers to impress authority. When a problem group finds no support from peers, it does not long survive.
 

C.

Need for Emergency Plan
 

A well-developed plan for controlling school disturbances must be developed and ready for implementation at any time. The plan should contain actions for control of all foreseeable types of disorder. Disturbances at schools are generally initiated by: 1) students or persons attending the school, or 2) students or persons who do not belong at the school. The emergency plan should provide for actions to be taken in the event that either or both groups are involved in the disturbance.

A full awareness of the responsibilities of the administration, faculty, and staff as well as a realization of the seriousness of the problem are necessary for the development of a realistic, workable plan.

Because each school is unique in its internal characteristics and in its community setting, no uniform plan can be developed that will meet the needs of every school in the District. Plans must be specific enough to give directions for immediate actions required in an expected or predictable situation and yet flexible enough to allow for adjustment as unexpected or unusual situations develop.

Before a definite statement of action can be incorporated in the emergency plan for a school, an inventory of available resources is needed.
 

1.

How many buildings are in the school complex?

2.

Are floor plans of the buildings available?

3.

Which building is most likely to be the scene of trouble?

4.

How secure are the buildings? Can all of the buildings be securely locked?

5.

How rapidly could students be moved from one location on the campus to another?

6.

What routes would be most appropriate for student evacuation?

7.

How many staff members would be required to protect nonparticipating students in any of the buildings?
 

As in any other emergency, during a civil disturbance, the first concern of the school administrators must be the safety of students and staff. Emergency plans must not only deal with the persons who are causing the disturbance, they must also provide for the safety and physical and psychological protection of students who are not participating in the disturbance.

Consideration should be given to action needed to prevent dissidents from involving onlookers in their activities. School administrators should consider the advisability of immediately locking classroom doors and turning off the class bells to prevent movement of students in large numbers.

The emergency plan should include procedures for identifying persons directly involved in the disturbance. It may be desirable to establish a procedure by which nonparticipations may be identified so they can be moved to an area of safety, and unauthorized persons and dissidents, alike, may be required to leave the school buildings and grounds.

The plan should include provisions for transporting nonparticipating students from the disturbance if it becomes necessary. Consideration relating to transportation include the following:
 

1.

Notification of contracted bus company to provide bus transportation.

2.

Transportation boarding areas sufficiently removed from the disturbance as to assure safety of students to be transported.

3.

Alternate boarding areas to be used in the event that regular boarding areas do not afford safety of students.

4.

The amount of time required to assemble buses in sufficient numbers at a school.

5.

Other modes of transportation to be used in the event that buses are not available.

6.

Facilities to which children may be transported in the event that there is no one at home to care for them.

7.

Special transportation procedures required for handicapped students.
 

The school emergency plan must include provisions for release of students from school. Administrators must consider the following:
 

1.

Would you be endangering students' safety if you released them from class?

2.

Would any of the students be likely to join with the dissident group?

3.

Would the addition of your students, if they joined the dissident group, create a situation beyond the capability of local law enforcement agencies to handle?

4.

Should you notify the local police and request their advice on whether or not to dismiss pupils?

5.

Would you be justified in holding some, or all, of your pupils beyond regular dismissal time? Or overnight? (For example, if the persons causing the disturbance were all of one color or nationality, and if they were threatening persons of another color or nationality, what groups would you release?)

6.

Would you attempt to transport all of your pupils to their homes or to another area? Would contracted buses be available in sufficient number to accommodate all of the students? Would contracted buses, supplemented by employees' cars, be sufficient to effect the move? What other transportation resources could you utilize? Where could sufficient transportation be obtained? How? Should you request police escort for buses or cars?

7.

If you wished to hold students at the school until their parents called for them, would it be safe for the parents to drive into the area? If not, what alternate action might be advisable? Should police protection be requested?
 

D.

School-Police Relations
 

Meetings with appropriate law enforcement officials must be held to work out an agreement regarding circumstances under which the assistance of law enforcement officials will be requested and the procedures to be followed in obtaining their help in various types of disturbances. Such an agreement should include the following:
 

1.

A statement regarding method of notification (via telephone, courier, or other method, by the Superintendent, principal, or other designated person), including alternate methods and personnel in the event that such are necessary.

2.

A statement regarding circumstances under which law enforcement officials will be notified of possibility of disturbance.

3.

A statement regarding procedures to be followed when immediate assistance of a law enforcement personnel is required.
 

It is imperative that the agreement be worked out to the satisfaction of both school authorities and law enforcement officials, and that school officials provide inservice staff training.

Arrangement should be worked out in advance with law enforcement agencies with regard to the need for a specially designated room for the police in the event that such is needed.

School administrators must determine whether plainclothes police will be asked to be present at functions at which disturbances are expected. Just as school administrators are able to act more effectively when they are prepared for problems, police agencies should be informed of situations that may develop into potential emergencies so they may be prepared.

School personnel may want to consider the advantages of having police department representatives attend staff meetings to explain police procedures to the staff. Such contact also helps to develop rapport with the law enforcement agency. Consideration should also be given to inviting representatives of the Police Department's Juvenile Division or Community Relations Department to speak to student groups.
 

E.

Faculty and Staff Responsibilities
 

An inventory of faculty and staff resources available at each school will provide answers to such pertinent questions as the following:
 

1.

How many are available to assist in controlling a disturbance?

2.

How many are available to assist with nonparticipating students?

3.

What type of assignment should each person be given to enable that person to effectively assist in controlling a disturbance?

4.

How many members of the faculty and staff can be depended upon to remain calm and reasonable in the face of an emergency?
 

In the event a civil disturbance threatens the school(s), school administrators must be prepared. A crisis plan must address many complex contingencies. There should be a step-by-step procedure to use when a crisis occurs. An example follows:
 

Assess life/safety issues immediately.
 

Provide immediate emergency medical care.
 

Call 911 and notify police/rescue first. Call the Superintendent second.
 

Convene the crisis team to assess the situation and implement the crisis response procedures.
 

Evaluate available and needed resources. Request assistance as necessary
 

Alert school staff to the situation
 

Activate the crisis communication procedure and system of verification.
 

Secure all areas.
 

Implement evacuation and other procedures to protect students and staff from harm. Avoid dismissing students to unknown care.
 

Adjust the bell schedule to ensure safety during the crisis
 

Alert persons in charge of various information systems to prevent confusion and misinformation. Notify parents.
 

Contract appropriate community agencies if appropriate.
 

Assess need for psychological first aid. Activate Crisis Team, if necessary.
 

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