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Crisis Intervention and Crisis Management
Strategies for School-Based Response Teams

The decade of the 1990s: Grayson, Kentucky (1993); Redlands, California (1995); Blacksville, South Carolina (1995); Lynnville, Tennessee (1995); Moses Lake, Washington (1996); Bethel, Arkansas (1997); Pearl, Mississippi (1997); West Paducah, Kentucky (1997); Stamps, Arkansas (1997); Jonesboro, Arkansas (1998); Edinboro, Pennsylvania (1998); Springfield, Oregon (1998); Littleton, Colorado (1999) - Another School, Another Senseless Act of Violence.

Suicide and sudden death (natural or due to acts of violence) have become a reoccurring crisis for today's schools. Today families, schools, and communities have to help youth; even very young children confront death, grief, and loss on a routine basis. The following is a checklist of responsibilities for school administrators in the event of a crisis:

Verify the Facts: Attempt to define the type and extent of the crisis as soon as possible.

If the crisis is a death, consult with the deceased student/staff member's family before making any statement. Explain school system policy and assure them that confidential information is being protected.
Delay releasing information until facts are verified and the school's position about the crisis is clear.
Activate phone tree to alert the School Crisis Response Team and Regional Response Teams and others (police, rescue, fire department) if necessary.
Crisis Response Team members should activate the phone tree to alert faculty of debriefing meeting before or after school depending on the time of the incident
Cancel scheduled activities if necessary.
Set the tone and direction for crisis management procedures, (i.e., an expedient and positive resolution).
Contact the school administration building and inform them of the crisis. Contact the top administrator or designee to inform him/her of the current situation, emerging developments and to clarify information.
When communicating, remember to maintain a unified position and uniform message. Keep messages concise, clear, and consistent. Taylor the message to each target group with accuracy and sensitivity.
Prepare a written statement for the faculty to give to students, if appropriate.
Prepare a general announcement for students. A straightforward sympathetic announcement of a loss with a simple statement of condolence is recommended. Also, a statement that more information will be forthcoming, when verified, can be reassuring to the students and staff.
Prepare a written statement for the media; designate a spokesperson if applicable; or notify our public information officer (Ombudsman).

Remind employees that only designated spokespersons are authorized to talk with news media.
Advise school staff of media procedures.
Advise students of the media policy. Let them know that they do not have to talk to the media and that they can say no.

It may be necessary to designate a central area as a Crisis Communications Center and designate one person to manage and disseminate information. There will be many inquiries from many sources (e.g., the media, parents, feeder schools, community leaders, school board members, and concerned citizens). The center could be located in the main office, attendance office, or a designated office in the counseling suite. The person responsible would manage the center to insure consistency, and accuracy of information and to provide a timely response to prevent destructive rumors.
Instruct all employees to refer all information and questions to communication center.
Assign sufficient staff to handle phones and to seek additional information.
Keep a log of all incoming and outgoing calls and personal contacts.

Keep staff updated with daily debriefings.

Follow-up specifically with the faculty or school staff directly involved in the crisis. They need to be involved in a relatively intense "debriefing session" if they were directly involved in the crisis.

Remain highly visible and accessible to others.

Relieve key people from their normal duties so they may focus on the crisis.

Express appreciation to all persons who helped handle the crisis to an expedient and positive resolution.