Crisis Response PIN

What is a Crisis?

A crisis is a traumatic event that is typically unpredicted and overwhelming to those who experience it.  This situation may be volatile in nature and, at times, may involve threat to the survival of an individual or groups of individuals.  Moreover, a crisis state may result upon exposure to drastic and tragic change in an individual's environment which has become common and familiar to them.  This alteration in the status quo is unwanted, frightening, and often renders a person with a sense of vulnerability and helplessness.

Examples of crisis that can potentially have a large scale effect on the students, faculty and administrators in a school building or district include: an accident involving a student or faculty member, a suicide or death of a student or faculty member, severe violence, hostage taking, fire at school or a natural disaster.

Why a Crisis Response Plan?

Research has revealed that schools are increasingly more prone to crisis situations that adversely affect large numbers of students and faculty. The rise in adolescent suicide, increased assaults on teachers, high levels of substance abuse among students and increased violence in schools are some of the reasons cited.  Research has also indicated that today's school districts need to contend with new types of traumas/disasters.

Research has emerged over the past ten years supporting a proactive approach to a crisis, as opposed to on that is reactive in nature.  Such an approach is much better in dealing effectively with a large scale crisis situation.  A reactive approach is spontaneous, and not fully thought out, planned, or practiced, and can result in the response that is less effective in meeting the immediate, and possibly the long-term needs of the students, faculty and administrators. 

In summary, a proactive approach to a crisis is one that is organized, planned and more likely results in a response that can have  a dramatic effect on reducing the short and long-term consequences of the crisis on the individuals in a school district

Quoted from: A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools