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SCHOOLS AND THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM (RRT).
Term Paper ID:30133
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Essay Subject:
Need for schools to develop an emergency plan for a crisis situation.... More...
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10 Pages / 2250 Words
9 sources, 23 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Need for schools to develop an emergency plan for a crisis situation. Trained school staff (RRT) to handle threats to safety (gun related violence, hostage taking, etc.). Cites rise of shootings on or near school grounds in U.S. as calling for a clear crisis response plan. How to prepare a functional plan. Principles of crisis planning.
Paper Introduction:
Schools and the Rapid Response Team
For many years, educators believed that when an emergency arose in the schools, a 911 phone call was all that was needed to handle the situation. Beginning with the tragic events in Littleton, Colorado, however, educators are now asking themselves: What is our duty of care until the emergency responders arrive (Hull 2000)? A number of educators and policy makers have come to the inescapable conclusion that when a school crisis emerges, the “duty of care” entrusted to these public institutions mandates the development of what is known as a “rapid response team” that consists of school staff who have been specifically trained to respond to, control, and even ameliorate a crisis (Hull, 2000). This brief review of literature will consider what kinds of plans and actions are
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A school crisisteam able to handle low-level emergencies is required; such a tram wouldinclude on-campus security officers able to diffuse a low-level crisis suchas a fight between two or more students. References Hull, B. Emergency planning, in a schoolcontext, requires principals and other administrators to operatesimultaneously in several separate, yet interlinked, teams. Educational Leadership, 52(3). American School & University,72(2), 42b-43b. (1994). Keep the plan simple, and provide teachers and RRT members with laminated pocket cards listing their key activities and roles.These basis steps, says Lenckus (2 1), can make the tasks confronting RRTmembers and external crisis management actors such as police, fire andemergency medical easier and more amenable to both rapid response andcoordination. Santana High School, inSantee, California, was the site of murders in early 2 1. Surviving a crisis. This model - which is relatively broad - is general enough tobe relevant for most schools. Kennedy, M. Schools and the Rapid Response Team For many years, educators believed that when an emergency arose inthe schools, a 911 phone call was all that was needed to handle thesituation. American School &University, 72(9), 68-7 . Rimensnyder, S. Hull (2 ) agrees, butnotes that for any crisis management plan to become operational, the schoolmust have a team trained in response techniques and provided with theresources that are specific in the plan. A written plan, coupled with practice and communication, isnecessary to field an effective RRT. The National Education Association (2 ) also issued guidelines forimplementing a crisis response team and strategy in the event of schoolviolence or other crises, including the presence of an armed intruder orother individual on the campus. Crisis plans call for practice drills. School communities must provide in-service training for all facultyand staff to explain the plan and exactly what each RRT member or non-member is to do in a crisis. Every classroom had a telephone.Experts had wired the campus with extra radios and loudspeakers. The problem is of significance. In writing about how to make a rapid response team a functional asopposed to theoretical unit, Lenckus (2 1) suggests that schools shouldpractice their crisis management and RRT activities in much the same mannerthat they practice fire drills. However, this team must alsoinclude other actors able to respond, particularly with respect to crowdcontrol, lockdown, or evacuation. 79-84. Each team has a leader whose responsibility it isto coordinate all activities and resources during a crisis. (2 ). The importance of a team response to school crises ranging fromsimply bullying to violence, hostage-taking, and on-campus kidnappings orshootings was underscored by Kuban (2 ), who stated that by necessity,emergency planning mandates a team effort. Principals and others must interact with localemergency management departments, the media, and parent groups. Additionally, the school had a proactive conflict management program,strict disciplinary and dress codes, and a high level of interactionbetween counselors, teachers, parents and students. This briefreview of literature will consider what kinds of plans and actions areneeded to ensure that a school can field a rapid response team (RRT) in theevent of an emergency - emergencies that can range from gun-relatedviolence to hostage-taking to bomb threats and beyond, each involving athreat to the safety and well-being of students, faculty and otherstakeholders. To form aresponse team, a core team and expanded team must be considered. Kuban, R. The U.S. A number of educatorsand policy makers have come to the inescapable conclusion that when aschool crisis emerges, the "duty of care" entrusted to these publicinstitutions mandates the development of what is known as a "rapid responseteam" that consists of school staff who have been specifically trained torespond to, control, and even ameliorate a crisis (Hull, 2 ). J., & Kline, M. Any effective RRT and plan outlines how all individuals in theschool community - administrators, teachers, parents, students, busdrivers, support staff - will need to first identify the onset of apotential crisis and then respond to that crisis. Theprincipal was SWAT-trained to handle hostage situations, and strategies forevacuating and locking down the campus were in place and had been practiced(Rimensnyder, 2 1). Theseare: 1) staff must be trained in a range of skills from dealing withescalating classroom situations to responding to an armed intruder; 2)development and practice of evacuation and lockdown procedures to protectstudents and staff from harm, along with identification of safe areas inthe school facility where individuals can go when a crisis occurs; 3) aneffective, fool-proof communication system must be in place and availableat a moment's notice to all teachers and RRT members; 4) a process forsecuring immediate external support from law enforcement officials andother relevant community agencies must be created ("Early warning," 1998). Integral to creating and effective RRT andplan is upgrading intercom systems to facilitate communication throughoutthe entire school plant, and ensuring that all classroom or other doors canbe locked from inside during a lockdown situation to help contain violenceand reduce the risk to all stakeholders. Evaluate whether windows and classroom doors are small enough to prevent an intruder from entering during a lockdown; . National Education Association. Central coordination of the response iscritical, as is the designation of a RRT leader and subordinate leadersthroughout a physical facility (Hull, 2 ). Arrange for police and fire officials to be present during lockdown and evacuation drills, and ensure that the RRT members are able to execute their roles during both types of crisis response drills; . Kline, Schonfield, and Lichtenstein (1995) stated that all too often,because schools fail to use preventive mental health and safety procedures,school staff have tended to handle crises as they arise, making decisionswithout a comprehensive response plan. Kline, et al (1995), further recommend that a crisis team be made apermanent part of the school governance mechanism which participates inprevention as well as intervention activities. Create a mechanism for accounting for all students and faculty members/staff; . (2 ). Lichtenstein, R., Schonfield, D. The question is not if, but when. A real crisis takes on a life and form of its own, demanding that aRRT be in place with sufficient skills and training to behave flexibly andwith a high level of coordination. When anarmed intruder or student enters the school, rapid communication followedby lockdown and evacuation are all needed (Kuban, 2 ). Such a concept allows for designated andtrained actors to intervene early in a crisis situation, contain theproblem, ensure the safety of others, and call for assistance from externalagencies. Theadministrators of the school had taken every possible step to prevent orprepare for a Columbine-type tragedy. Have a way to get information out to parents and media quickly, and sufficient hand-held communication devices available for RRT members and all adults; . Such plans must beconsistent with federal, state and local laws, and must include liaisonwith authorized law enforcement and crisis management agencies. Several principles underpin crisis planning and the RRT format. To prepare for a crisis and toimplement rapid response, the following steps are needed: > A database with the names, phone and other contact numbers for all crisis team members; > Assigned roles and procedures for everyone on the team > A multimedia database with critical information on the organization's plants, offices, personnel, and students that can be quickly accessed and organized; > A means for everyone on the team to access these databases and collaborate from remote or distant locations; > A communication system that permits team members to determine the origin and scope of the crisis; > A system for monitoring the crisis and informing all impacted by the crisis of its existence and progress; > A system for managing media relations and communication (Kennedy, 2 ). With over 2, assaults occurring daily in Americanschools, the necessity of a school-specific crisis management and rapidresponse plan or team seems readily apparent. (2 ). (1995). J., & Lichtenstein, R. One case in which a school had an RRT in place can illustrate thedifficulty of fielding such a team successfully. Journal of School Health,65(7), 245-25 . Mike Kennedy (1999), in describing the components of a crisisintervention/rapid response plan and the team as well as activities neededto implement such a plan, stated that the plan is a framework which must beflexible for adapting to disparate crises. (1999). In theformer, both prevention and intervention must be considered; in the latter,intervention activities take on primary significance. Department of Education ("Early warning," 1998) recentlypublished an extensive listing of the critical elements needed to deploy asuccessful rapid response team to manage or contain a school-centeredcrisis. Beginning with the tragic events in Littleton, Colorado,however, educators are now asking themselves: What is our duty of careuntil the emergency responders arrive (Hull 2 )? Without a clear plan andpredetermined roles, staff, are likely to respond to a crisis reactively.Thus, the development of a school crisis response and intervention plan isparticularly crucial. The tragedy, of course, is that suchteams and strategies are needed to ensure the safety of children in whatought to be the nation's safest institutional environment. An exception is the Eugene,Oregon, School District, which has made extensive use of security cameras,communication system wiring, and team member training. Lenckus, D. One school district crisismanagement team described by Hull (2 ) consists of about 3 people fromall levels of the school organization, as well as representatives fromlocal fire, police, and emergency medical services units and countyemergency-management officials. (1998). (2 1). One of the most important RRT actions as acrisis is unfolding is to assess the situation and to take immediate stepsto reduce the potential for violence. Central to an effective RRT policy and program is the construction ofa comprehensive multi-hazard emergency response plan. School crisisresponse: Expecting the unexpected. It also requires cooperation and a calmattitude on the part of teachers, including those who are not members ofthe RRT. Teams should betrained in response techniques and provided with readily availableresources specified in the plan (e.g., hand-held communication devices,locks and keys for shutting down a sector, emergency exist plans anddevices, bull-horns, etc.). While various organizations and school districts have emphasized theimportance of a RRT, Lenckus (22 1) notes that few schools have adequatetraining, policies and guidelines in place. The district response team meets monthly to coordinate training andother activities, but each school within the district described by Hull(2 ) has its own crisis/RRT, usually consisting of 5 to 9 members.Typical team members include a building administrator, nurse, counselor,custodian and others who have a particular interest in helping or adesignated role to play. Reason, 33(2), 19. Nevertheless, an armedintruder (a student) managed to kills more than one student before beingapprehended (Rimensnyder, 2 1). Kline, et al (1995), argue that schools should createa crisis team (or a RRT) that: develops a rapid response plan, designatesroles for key faculty and staff members, appoints a media contact orcoordinator, interfaces with local law enforcement officials to obtaintraining and crisis assistance, and creates a systems for rapidcommunications and crowd management in the event of a crisis. Department of Education. Kline, M., Schonfield, D. Categories of eventsshould be clearly delineated, with responses to each potential crisisoutlines along with lines of authority and communication. All of the critical elements of an RRT andcrisis management plan - prevention guidelines, early intervention, crisisintervention plans, designated roles for key actors - were in place.However, this case demonstrates that even the best plans are just that -plans developed to cover hypothetical situations that hopefully will notoccur. Available at www.nea.org/crisis/b2home.html. BusinessInsurance, 35, 18-21. Early warning, timely response.Available at http://cecp.air.org.guide/textonly.htm. Staff orRRT members should be immediately deployed to cover critical areas, and thebuilding should undergo an automatic lockdown and/or planned evacuation ofsections where an intruder is not present. U.S. The RRT concept, based on the SWAT protocol, is becoming more and morewidespread in American schools. Ensure that the RRT has provided local police and fire departments with detailed school maps so emergency personnel can quickly plan on how to enter and exit a facility during an incident; . A written manual or pamphlet or flip chart(or the aforementioned laminated card) should be produced to remind allstaff of their specific duties - with a clear delineation of those duties.Practice in responding to the imminent warning signs of violence, as wellas violence itself, is needed. To further ensure the safety of all concerned, staff must practiceresponding to the presence of firearms and other weapons, severe threats ofviolence, hostage situations, and other acts of terror ("Early warning,"1998). That number includes 56suicides. Lenckus (2 1) reported that from1992 through mid-May 2 1, 24 students and adults were killed in shootingson or near school grounds in the United States. Available atwww.iacd.oas.org/La%2 Educa%2 115/Kuban.htm. Benefits andchallenges of school-based crisis response teams. Communication is critical to contain andcontrol such events, which necessitates a designated "communicationsofficer" or officers. This can mean contacting localpolice, alerting administrators, and contacting other RRT members. Preparing schools for disaster. Frequent practice of evacuationand lockdown strategies, drills for crisis intervention in a variety ofsituations, and joint drills with local police and fire departments areincluded in the plan, in which designated (and highly trained) school staffmembers participate. (2 1). Lessons unlearned. Lenckus (2 1) offers the following additional elements to beincluded in a rapid response protocol: . Also included inthis RRT are additional private security officers (employees of the schooldistrict) who are key actors in the RRT. Crisis Communications: Guideand Toolkit. At least 236 lawsuits were filedagainst schools in the past two years over violent incidents, most of themin state courts. Stabbing deaths ranked second, with 44 students and adults dyingof stab wounds received at schools.
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