The Importance of Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness for Superintendents  

In recent decades school administrators at all levels—district superintendents, school principals and assistant principals—have experienced diverse crises, including, but not limited to floods, tornados, hurricanes, school shootings, chemical spills, and infectious disease outbreaks. Today we’ll explore the importance of having comprehensive crisis management and emergency preparedness plans in place, as well as essential components of both.

The Evolving Landscape of School Emergencies

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, between 2017 – 2022 “over 300 presidentially declared major disasters have occurred across all 50 states and all U.S. territories. Many of these disasters have had devastating effects on K-12 schools, including those in socially vulnerable communities for whom disaster recovery is more challenging.”

Devastatingly, aside from increasing natural disaster threats, the threat of school shootings continues to be a rising worry for administrators, staff, students, parents, and the surrounding communities. The National Center for Education Statistics shares “In 2021–22, a total of 327 documented school shootings occurred at public and private elementary and secondary schools, including:

• 188 school shootings with casualties; and
• 139 school shootings without casualties.”

This data underscores the need for schools to adapt their preparedness plans to the evolving landscape of potential emergencies and threats.

Engaging Admins, Emergency Personnel and The Community

School districts across the country are struggling to find ways to effectively engage administrators in crisis management planning. Engagement of school administrators is crucial because their involvement is essential to elevating crisis management and emergency preparedness to a high priority at every level of a school system, in every administrative department, and in every school building. Engaging superintendents and other administrative personnel also will lead to enhanced involvement of teachers and other school staff members.

Additionally, crisis management in schools involves a greater affiliation between school and community leaders such as fire, police, emergency medical services (EMS) and mental health personnel. This collaboration helps to create a dynamic and interactive environment in which the superintendents’ authority can be transformed and shared through collective messaging about emergency management priorities and actions. Depending on the scope of the crisis, this may mean that superintendents and administrative staff may be called upon to share responsibility in decision making with local responders, coordinate efforts with first responding agencies, or possibly maintain emergency response protocols.

Engaging district superintendents and other administrators in proactive crisis management planning and emergency preparedness is also essential in assisting the entire school community—students, staff, parents, and visitors—prepare for, respond to, and recover from a crisis or emergency of any size. Superintendent and administrative collaboration with a broad spectrum of professionals and agencies will help to maintain a common vision for emergency management and develop long-term commitment to implementing, sustaining, and updating emergency management plans.

School Emergency Management

Ongoing collaboration, cooperation, and communication are all critical components of an effective school emergency management. Successful district superintendents are well-versed in the benefits of establishing personal relationships with key stakeholders in community organizations to enhance protocol support available to students and their families.

The active involvement of district superintendents in school emergency management helps schools to:

• Articulate the key components of the four phases of school emergency management: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;
• Promote emergency preparedness as a top priority within the entire district;
• Work with community partners to collaboratively develop, implement, and sustain emergency management plans based on the needs and requirements of the districts; and
• Assist first responders and other community partners understand the unique characteristics of the building, grounds, and students and families of each individual school.

Crisis/Emergency Management for Schools

The best way to protect students, teachers, and staff while in school buildings and during school-sponsored events is to make sure school districts are prepared. Threats come in many forms, and the community will look to the administrative teams, as the leaders of the district, for reassurance. Having a plan in place and activating that plan will encourage the community stakeholders to have confidence in the overall safety of the school district.

Fortunately, school threats can be mitigated, and their damage alleviated, with proper preparation and planning. In cases when crises do occur, districts with solid crisis management or emergency preparedness plans are better able to recover and experience fewer disruptions to the education of their students.

Depending on the district or state, the terms crisis management plans and emergency preparedness plans for schools are sometimes used interchangeably.

Crisis Management Plans for Schools

A crisis management plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the procedures and protocols to follow in the event of various types of crises or emergencies within a school or district. School boards, superintendents and administrative staff members create these plans in coordination and partnership with local law enforcement, emergency responders, district staff and community members.

Once created, crisis management plans are effective only if the district administrative team regularly reviews and updates it based on current information and data. Many states now require districts to have these plans in place, so make sure to follow your state mandates and regulations.

Essential elements of a crisis management plan for schools include:

1. Risk Assessment

A risk assessment will identify and evaluate potential risks and hazards that could impact the safety, security, and well-being of students, staff, and visitors within a school district. These assessments should be updated frequently, with results readily available.

2. Crisis Management Team

Designating a team of crisis responders can help alleviate confusion that is common in the first moments of a crisis. The team should include a leader, a superintendent, for example, who is empowered to make immediate decisions.

3. Collaboration with Community

School districts can not manage a crisis alone, and these plans should be created with people who have expertise in crisis response and management: local law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, community mental health organizations, etc.

4. Training

Regular training is an essential element to any successful crisis management plan. Training and drills can help everyone remember their roles and the procedures needed to follow to stay safe during emergencies. Training sessions should be done calmly to ensure the drills don’t traumatize the students.

5. Communication Protocols

A proper communication protocol includes who should be informed of the emergency, and when. This includes deciding what and when to communicate to parents, community members, and the media. The more community stakeholders hear from official district sources (school website, social media, etc.), the better.

 

Emergency Preparedness Plans for Schools

An emergency preparedness plan, or emergency operations plan (EOP) is a broad all-hazards plan that considers all threats and hazards for a particular school. The plan must stipulate ways the administrative team will address threats along with a protocol for responding to those threats.

According to the United States Department of Education, an all-inclusive emergency preparedness plan for schools is built on the four phases of emergency management and provide direction to the entire school community. These include:

1. Prevention/Mitigation

This phase identifies the action schools and districts take to decrease the likelihood of an emergency or crisis event from occurring, while mitigation actions are steps that eliminate or reduce the loss of life or property damage for events that cannot be prevented, such as natural disasters.

2. Preparedness

This phase is designed to facilitate a rapid, coordinated, and effective response during an emergency. The district community is strengthened by coordinating with community partners on developing an emergency plan and putting into place policies and protocols for communicating roles and responsibilities.

3. Response

This phase takes place when emergency preparedness plans are activated to effectively contain and resolve an emergency. Plans developed in the first two phases are utilized during the Response Phase.

4. Recovery

This phase is designed to assist students, staff, and their families in the healing process and to restore educational operations in schools. Superintendents have a key role in this phase by determining the assessment and repair of facilities, the possible need for alternative sites or buildings, or the status of registration and record management systems, to name a few.

Both crisis management plans and emergency preparedness plans should be put in writing, communicated to all staff, and practiced regularly through drills and exercises. School staff should be trained, at least annually, in applicable planning procedures. For more tips and best practices on crisis management and emergency preparedness read our blog, Common Mistakes to Avoid in School Emergency Planning.

Today’s superintendents and administrators are faced not only with external pressures for academic improvement, but also with general school safety. Students and staff must feel safe from forces that may compromise their well-being. A sense of security is integral for supporting the school learning environment. Collaboration between district administrative teams, school staff, students, parents, and community stakeholders should occur before, rather than during or after, a potential emergency or crisis.