PRACTICAL CRISIS PLANNING FOR SAFE & HEALTHY SCHOOLS

INSTRUCTOR(S): Elizabeth Verhoeven, West Allis/West Milwaukee School District
GRADE LEVEL:K-12
CREDIT: 1, 2 or 3

There are 53 million students in America who attend school for 180 days per year.  53 million students x 180 school days = about 9.5 billion individual student school days.  Education professional will face a myriad of challenges during these school days.  Gone are the days when the number one concern of teachers was gum chewing.  On any given day, American educators are forced to manage crises ranging from asthma attacks to playground accidents to physical violence.

Basic needs of safety and security have to be met to insure that learning takes place.  The relationship that a school's staff forms with its students and parents/guardians may be the most valuable security measure a district can possess.

This course will examine the four phases of emergency management: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.  Participants will learn key safety principles that can be applied to emergency situations, whether it is a natural disaster, an accident or a serious mental health crisis.