Early Warning, Timely Response
A Guide to Safe Schools
Section
5: What To Do
Developing a Prevention and Response Plan
Effective schools create a violence prevention and response plan and form
a team that can ensure it is implemented. They use approaches and strategies based on
research about what works.
Creating the Violence
Prevention and Response Plan
A sound violence prevention and response plan reflects the common and the unique needs of
educators, students, families, and the greater community. The plan outlines how all
individuals in the school community--administrators, teachers, parents, students, bus
drivers, support staff--will be prepared to spot the behavioral and emotional signs that
indicate a child is troubled, and what they will need to do. The plan also details how
school and community resources can be used to create safe environments and to manage
responses to acute threats and incidents of violence.
An effective written plan includes:
- Descriptions of the early warning signs of potentially violent behavior and procedures
for identifying children who exhibit these signs.
- Descriptions of effective prevention practices the school community has undertaken to
build a foundation that is responsive to all children and enhances the effectiveness of
interventions.
- Descriptions of intervention strategies the school community can use to help troubled
children. These include early interventions for students who are at risk of behavioral
problems, and more intensive, individualized interventions and resources for students with
severe behavioral problems or mental health needs.
- A crisis intervention plan that includes immediate responses for imminent warning signs
and violent behavior, as well as a contingency plan to be used in the aftermath of a
tragedy.
The plan must be consistent with federal, state, and local laws. It also should have
the support of families and the local school board.
Recommendations in this guide will prove most meaningful when the entire school community
is involved in developing and implementing the plan. In addition, everyone should be
provided with relevant training and support on a regular basis. Finally, there should be a
clearly delineated mechanism for monitoring and assessing violence prevention efforts.
Forming the Prevention and Response
Team
It can be helpful to establish a school-based team to oversee the preparation and
implementation of the prevention and response plan. This does not need to be a new team;
however, a designated core group should be entrusted with this important responsibility.
The core team should ensure that every member of the greater school community accepts and
adopts the violence prevention and response plan. This buy-in is essential if all members
of the school community are expected to feel comfortable sharing concerns about children
who appear troubled. Too often, caring individuals remain silent because they have no way
to express their concerns.
Typically, the core team includes the building administrator, general and special
education teachers, parent(s), and a pupil support services representative (a school
psychologist, social worker, or counselor), school resource officer, and a safe and
drug-free schools program coordinator. If no school psychologist or mental health
professional is available to the staff, involve someone from an outside mental health
agency. Other individuals may be added to the team depending on the task. For example,
when undertaking schoolwide prevention planning, the team might be expanded to include
students, representatives of community agencies and organizations, the school nurse,
school board members, and support staff (secretaries, bus drivers, and custodians).
Similarly, crisis response planning can be enhanced with the presence of a central office
administrator, security officer, and youth officer or community police team member.
The core team also should coordinate with any school advisory boards already in place. For
example, most effective schools have developed an advisory board of parents and community
leaders that meets regularly with school administrators. While these advisory groups
generally offer advice and support, that role can be expanded to bringing resources
related to violence prevention and intervention into the school.
Consider involving a variety of community leaders and parents when building the violence
prevention and response team:
- Parent group leaders, such as PTA officers.
- Law enforcement personnel.
- Attorneys, judges, and probation officers.
- Clergy and other representatives of the faith community.
- Media representatives.
- Violence prevention group representatives.
- Mental health and child welfare personnel.
- Physicians and nurses.
- Family agency and family resource center staff.
- Business leaders.
- Recreation, cultural, and arts organizations staff.
- Youth workers and volunteers.
- Local officials, including school board members and representatives from special
commissions.
- Interest group representatives and grass roots community organization members.
- College or university faculty.
- Members of local advisory boards.
- Other influential community members.
The school board should authorize and support the formation of and the tasks undertaken
by the violence prevention and response team.
While we cannot prevent all violence from occurring, we can do much to reduce the
likelihood of its occurrence. Through thoughtful planning and the establishment of a
school violence prevention and response team, we can avert many crises and be prepared
when they do happen.
"Our district initiated a safety task force involving parents, students,
teachers, support staff, administrators, and community members to enhance our plan for
safety and crisis management. It works." Richard E. Berry, Superintendent,
Houston, TX
"We need to give attention to the segment of the population that includes bus
drivers, secretaries, and cafeteria workers. They are a very important yet often
overlooked group of people who can provide support to children." Betty
Stockton, School Psychologist, Jonesboro, AR
Action Planning Checklist
Prevention-Intervention-Crisis Response
What To Look For--Key Characteristics of Responsive and Safe Schools
Does my school have characteristics that:
__ Are responsive to all children?
What To Look For--Early Warning Signs of Violence
Has my school taken steps to ensure that all staff, students, and families:
__ Understand the principles underlying the identification of early warning signs?
__ Know how to identify and respond to imminent warning signs?
__ Are able to identify early warning signs?
What To Do--Intervention: Getting Help for Troubled Children
Does my school:
__ Understand the principles underlying intervention?
__ Make early intervention available for students at risk of behavioral problems?
__ Provide individualized, intensive interventions for students with severe behavioral
problems?
__ Have schoolwide preventive strategies in place that support early intervention?
What To Do--Crisis Response
Does my school:
__ Understand the principles underlying crisis response?
__ Have a procedure for intervening during a crisis to ensure safety?
__ Know how to respond in the aftermath of tragedy?
Source: U.S. Department of Education
August 1998
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