Thorner - BCSD Static Server - Bakersfield City School District

Safe School Plan ContinuedCrisis and Disaster: Recovery“Recovery” can be defined as the development, coordination, and execution of service- and siterestorationplans; the reconstitution of operations and services; individual, private-sector,nongovernmental, and public-assistance programs to promote restoration; longer-term care andtreatment of affected persons; additional measures for social, political, environmental, andeconomic restoration; evaluation of the incident to identify lessons learned; post incidentreporting; and development of initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents (Author, March1, 2004, National Incident Management System, U.S. Department of Homeland Security).RecoveryThis School has planned to recover from a disaster or crisis by considering or developing plans toreturn to learning and restore the infrastructure as quickly as possible including the followingsteps.Restore the physical plant, as well as the school community.Monitor how staff is assessing students for the emotional impact of the crisis.Identify what follow up interventions are available to students, staff, and first responders.Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders.Assess curricular activities that address the crisis.Allocate appropriate time for recovery.Plan how anniversaries of events will be commemorated.Capture “lessons learned” and incorporate them into revisions and trainings.Crisis Intervention and Disaster Planning. Our School recognizes that we all are safer if there iseasy access to a team of specialists trained in evaluating and addressing serious behavioral andacademic concerns. Weapons used in or around schools, bomb threats or explosions, and fights,as well as natural disasters, accidents, and suicides call for immediate, planned action, and longterm,post-crisis intervention. Planning for such contingencies reduces chaos and trauma.Our School benefits from the District’s Crisis Intervention policy. At least one specially trainedprofessional joins our School in responding to a crisis situation. Our School also has access to theCrisis Intervention Manual and Disaster Plan for information on how to respond and recover froma disaster to a crisis. Our School addresses risk factors, response and contingency plans, quickresponse designs, parent contacts, debriefing, expert training, suicide risk assessment, andviolence/aggression risk assessment training.46