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Illinois School Board Journal
May - June 2001

Planning a crisis

By Tom Salter

Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote, "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." The infamous Murphy said it even better: "Anything that can go wrong will." Murphy probably once wrote a crisis plan for a school system. And anyone who has been through a crisis, even with a good plan, can tell you Murphy was an optimist.

Many Americans watched with interest the live coverage of the unfolding events at the recent shooting at Santana High School in California. We saw injured students, stern-looking police, crying children and parents, and breathless reporters. Many interviewees began their responses with "I can’t believe it happened here!"

TV stations carried the obligatory interview with the sheriff and local district attorney who promised full investigations and vowed to take whatever steps are necessary to insure safety. Officials spouted positive words about the school and staff and their professionalism. Early on, it looked as if the school and the community were fairly well organized to respond to a terrible situation.

About three hours into the coverage, the school’s principal faced reporters to make a statement and answer questions. She did a good job. She explained the school had a plan for just such a crisis and it worked "flawlessly."

Within five minutes a news anchor (probably named Murphy) asked an 11th-grader about the crisis plan to which the principal referred. The student responded, "I have never heard of any plan. As a matter of fact, when all this started, the teachers locked their doors and left all of us who were out in the halls to fend for ourselves. I had no idea where to go or what to do!" So much for the "flawless" execution of "the plan."

A report in Newsweek outlines how students who were classmates of the fallen were not so much upset about the death and injuries of their comrades as they were excited about the media attention. One girl, who was quoted as saying she didn’t like the way she looked in one TV interview, actually went to her nearby home and changed clothes (tight denim shorts and a halter top) before she would be interviewed by another reporter. This hunger for 15 minutes of fame probably was not in the school administration’s "flawless" plan.

For some educators, the time spent putting together an effective, comprehensive and workable crisis plan, making sure everyone understands the plan and practicing and reviewing the steps is just another exercise in futility — a waste of precious resources. Assuming the plan doesn’t merely go in a three-ring binder in the bottom of a drawer, nothing could be further from the truth.

In an April 2000 Gallup poll, 66 percent of American adults and 63 percent of parents of school-aged children said they thought it was at least somewhat likely shootings could happen at schools in their communities. While the chance of you having a multiple-victim crisis at your school is remote, you cannot afford to be without a complete and workable plan that everyone in your community is aware of in case tragedy strikes. Failing to prepare now will cost you credibility with the public. Remember, two out of three people in your community believe it is likely to happen at your school. If they take it seriously, so should you.

But crisis plans aren’t limited to campus shootings. Bus accidents, kidnapping, rapes, fights, embezzlement, fires, explosions — the list of potential crises is long, and while there are subtle differences in your responses to them, there are many more similarities.

Space is not available to provide a complete list of what should be in a good crisis plan, but here are a few highlights:

• Make sure staff (custodians, bus drivers, etc.) are part of the planning process.
• Work with community agencies and law enforcement in planning. Include the Red Cross, county mental health department, ambulance companies, hospitals and volunteer groups.
• Have a clear and logical chain of command. If the principal and the assistant are both away from campus or are injured, who is in charge?
• Make sure your plan contains a workable communication element covering:
• How you get information to parents.
• Making sure the media knows what to expect and what is expected of them.
• Training for staff in media relations.
• Make sure EVERYONE knows the plan, including all staff members, students, parents, media and the community at large. This is especially important for the procedures for campus evacuation and picking up students at an off-campus location.
• Make sure every staff member knows his or her job in an emergency. Forget no one. For example, what is a lunchroom worker supposed to do if there is an act of violence in the cafeteria? Are teachers supposed to lockdown their rooms or get students away from campus if there is a hostage situation? Who turns off the gas if there is a fire?
• Practice at least once a year; review the plan at least twice per year.
• Remember when a crisis occurs, parents want to know four things:
• Is my child OK?
• Where is my child?
• When can I take my child home?
• Who is in charge?

While school is the safest place for kids and it is unlikely you will ever have to put your plan in action, it is a mistake to treat this like the two dozen other plans you have in three-ring binders in your office. If you ever have a crisis like Santana High School, you won’t have time to dig through a box looking for your copy. A good plan, well rehearsed, will not only save your reputation, it could help save lives.