School Crisis: Under Control :: Videos :: National School Safety Center

Winner of the Gold Award from the 1991 Houston International Film Festival, this 25-minute documentary video focuses on school crisis prevention, preparation, management and resolution. It is designed to help schools and communities prepare for the unexpected by designing crisis prevention and response plans. Such plans improve the ability of schools and communities to deal effectively with and overcome disasters.

Acclaimed actor Edward James Olmos narrates. News footage of actual school crisis events in Stockton, California, Largo, Florida, Cokeville, Wyoming and Greenwood, South Carolina provide an eye-opening introduction to the video. The video is appropriate for use with school administrators, teachers and staff.

Featured in the video is a panel composed of school officials who have dealt firsthand with violent tragedies on their campuses. These veterans provide security tips and recommendations that schools can use to guard against and resolve crises, including:

Lock school doors to potential intruders.

Hire security officers to serve on-site at schools.

Secure parent volunteers to assist with school security.

Make use of patrolling police and security officers.

Develop school safety plans at the district as well as at the school level.

Provide staff and security officers with a 2-way intercom system & walkie talkies.

Develop a coded emergency signal for school staff.

Develop a blueprint of the school, complete with updated contact numbers for police, fire, paramedics, school officials, student rosters and parental contact numbers.

Assign staff to pre-assigned roles and responsibilities for crisis management.

Provide students with practice crisis drills.

Develop procedures to quickly assess extent of injury and damage during a crisis, such as identification of students and staff injured or killed during a crisis.

Establish clear procedures to use when dealing with the media during a crisis.

Plan for crowd control and emergency transportation.

Set up a chain of command and a network of communication to be used with students, parents and school personnel.

Plan for follow ups to crises, such as visiting the injured in hospitals and providing counseling to students and school staff.

Prepare contingency plans covering re-opening of the school following a crisis.

Plan to invoke and use school rituals, symbols and pride to assist all associated with the school to recover quickly from the crisis.

Plan for an open house or celebratory event to welcome students back to classes.
ï¿½1991