Families trust their schools to keep their children safe during the day. However, many school districts across the United States may be either touched directly or indirectly by any kind of crisis. Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, fires, and tornados can hit a community with little or even no warning. School shootings are extremely rare, but chilling when they occur. Children depend heavily on their teachers and staff to protect them at school. Knowing what to do in time of crisis can mean the difference between calm and chaos and courage and fear. Taking action now can save lives, prevent injury, and lessen property damage in the moments of a crisis in our schools. If your school does not have a crisis plan in place, it is time to develop one. And, if you have one, make sure you review, practice, and update your plan. This course is designated to help schools and communities in either situation. Although every school district is unique, this course provides some general guidelines that can then be changed to fit your school’s needs and circumstances
Course Objectives
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
| ID | Objective |
|---|---|
| TO 1.0 | Achieve a minimum score of 70% on the final course assessment. |
| LO 1.1.1 | Define “crisis” and discuss the various kinds of hazards to which schools may be exposed. |
| LO 1.1.2 | List and describe the four phases of crisis management. |
| LO 1.1.3 | Describe the key principles of crisis planning. |
| LO 1.2.1 | Contrast crisis management mitigation and prevention strategies. |
| LO 1.3.1 | Describe action steps necessary to prepare for emergencies. |
| LO 1.4.1 | Discuss emergency response planning and strategies. |
| LO 1.5.1 | Describe strategies for recovery of school services after a crisis. |