Teachers' Safety Guide

Guide to recognition of and response to dangerous situations in the school

Jane’s Teachers’ Safety Guide is a useful practical tool designed to help teachers to prevent, plan for, respond to and recover from various types of large and smaller scale emergencies, natural disasters and acts of violence that are possible within or near school grounds.

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Topics covered include: teachers as first responders, the all hazards approach to school safety, cooperation with emergency and first responder professionals, student violence, terrorism, natural disasters, human-caused disasters and accidents, community spillover, health emergencies, drilling, training and readiness, a teacher’s roles and responsibilities in a crisis, school crisis response teams, crimes against teachers, robbery and other types of school violence, research on violent youth, the trends in and common elements of shooting incidents, discussion of specific behaviors that can lead to violence, responding to and reporting an incident during the event, various communication tools such as signal cards, evacuation procedures, how to shelter-in-place and the distinction between shelter-in-place versus lockdowns as well as response procedures for specific crisis events, parent/student reunification after an emergency, different types of child abuse and proper actions to be taken by teachers and administrators, domestic violence and its effects at school, hazardous material disasters, bomb threats and chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological incidents.

In addition, Jane’s Teachers’ Safety Guide also provides advice on how to help children and teens cope with and recover from a traumatic event. Symptoms of child trauma and post-traumatic stress are discussed, and the stages of recovery for adults and children are detailed. Guidance on how teachers can work with parents, mental health professionals and school councilors as well as how to avoid teacher burnout are subjects also discussed. Lastly, the ways teachers can encourage students to assist in school safety through trust-building, raising safety awareness, safety lessons, classroom aids and recovery curriculum development. Specific real-life examples are provided. Ideally, this guide should be supplemented with advice from emergency services as well as other appropriate literature.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: What do teachers need to know?

1.1 Introduction -- teachers are often the first to deal with potential hazards such as school shootings, natural disasters, accidents and terrorism.
1.1.1 Teachers as first responders – teachers may need to serve as first responders.
1.1.2 All hazards approach to school safety -- is based on the emergency management model and involves prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
1.2 Threat awareness – the school should conduct a risk and vulnerability assessment.
1.2.1 Student violence -- pre-crisis indicators can aid in identifying potential problems.
1.2.2 Terrorism – schools are not as attractive as targets for terrorists as national landmarks, government buildings and other places of cultural and economic value.
1.2.3 Natural disasters -- schools prepare teachers, staff and students to respond quickly and appropriately because such crisis often occur with little or no warning.
1.2.4 Human-caused disasters/accidents -- like natural disasters, can occur without warning.
1.2.5 Community spillover -- schools reflect the community of which they are a part.
1.2.6 Health emergencies -- teachers can save lives with first-aid procedures in the event of a medical emergency.
1.3 Emergency preparedness – it is possible to minimize potential threats and create safe campuses.
1.3.1 How teachers fit into a safe schools plan -- is a plan developed by school and district officials using an all hazards approach.
1.3.2 Drilling, training and maintaining readiness -- conduct drills and exercises to ensure that school staff understand their roles and that emergency procedures are realistic and consistent.
1.3.3 Knowing the classroom -- understand the physical layout of your environment as well as understand your students.
1.4 Roles and responsibilities -- follow-up with your counterparts to make sure your reports or concerns are resolved.
1.4.1 Teacher -- is responsible for classroom and student safety.
1.4.2 Principal/administrator/designee -- coordinates broad areas of school safety.
1.4.3 School crisis response team (CRT) – teachers trained to respond to a variety of crisis and emergency situations.
1.4.4 Planning committee -- comprised of school administrators, teachers and parents, should meet on a regular basis to develop and revise the EOP.
1.4.5 Incident command system -- response to an emergency will require an incident command system (ICS).
1.4.6 Incident command post -- ensures that the appropriate emergency response plan is enacted.
1.4.7 School administrators and staff -- are not expected to face down a gunman, handle a bomb or disarm anyone.
1.4.8 School resource officer or first officer on the scene -- in a criminal situation the first officer on the scene will be in charge until a higher ranking law enforcement officer assumes control.
1.4.9 Police -- are in charge when a crime is involved.
1.4.10 Fire department -- is in charge when a fire or other noncriminal emergency occurs.
1.4.11 Emergency management personnel – should assist with emergency operations planning, design, coordination and evaluation of drills and exercises.
1.4.12 Emergency medical personnel – should assist with emergency operations planning, design, coordination and evaluation of drills and exercises.
1.4.13 Public health officials -- deal with situations including mass contamination incidents from tainted food, natural or human-caused outbreaks of disease such as a bio-terrorism incident.
1.5 Conclusion – school staff who know their classrooms and their crisis response roles and responsibilities can be prepared to help keep the students and themselves safe.

Chapter 2: Teacher safety – how do teachers minimize risk and prepare for incidents?

2.1 Introduction – teachers should consider how to limit potential disturbances in the classroom before they occur.
2.2 Threats to teachers -- how to deal with the wide variety of threats in the classroom.
2.2.1 Crimes against teachers -- teachers are also common victims of nonfatal crimes.
2.2.2 School violence: what teachers need to know -- shootings are less common than other threats to the school, the prospect of a student using a weapon in the classroom can be terrifying.
2.2.3 Terrorism -- domestic incidents of terrorism are rare.
2.2.4 Natural disasters -- teachers have been preparing classrooms for natural disasters, such as tornadoes, for decades.
2.2.5 Human-caused disasters/accidents -- be alert for unsafe placement of potentially hazardous items or needed maintenance on school grounds that could cause accidents.
2.2.6 Community spillover -- be aware that problems in the communities in which students live.
2.3 Physical safety -- no matter the situation, teachers should maintain their personal safety at all times.
2.4 Conclusion -- continue to seek training and education concerning all aspects of safety issues.

Chapter 3: Recognizing warning signs – how can teachers spot a potentially violent student?

3.1 Introduction -- make a difference in preventing and reducing school violence by remaining aware of key signs.
3.2 Types of school violence -- the risk for students suffering a violent death in school is low.
3.2.1 Student rationale for physical violence -- many young people believe play fighting, pushing, shoving or pretending to face off with another student at or near the school is almost required in order to seem “cool.”
3.3 Research on violent youth -- various studies have been conducted in order to identify predictive factors of school violence.
3.3.1 Trends in shooting incidents -- 95 percent were male, 47 percent of attackers had been criminally charged for other offenses, 40 percent were members of a gang, 37 percent had been reported for fighting peers, 20 percent were bullied by peers and 4 percent were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident.
3.3.2 Common elements of school shootings – key elements of non-gang related shootings included that the shooters made plans ahead of time, others were aware of the shooter’s plan, the shooter had experience with weapons, there is no uniform profile, bystanders resolved the incident before authorities arrived and other students were involved.
3.4 Behaviors that can lead to violence -- violent students almost always exhibit some form of communicative or unusual behavior before an incident.
3.4.1 “Red Flags” -- there is no foolproof way to identify the next perpetrator of school violence; however, individuals that express certain characteristics, and their families, need to be given special attention and support.
3.4.2 Bullying -- is a major factor in school violence.
3.5 Incidents preceding major acts of violence -- smaller incidents, such as weapons possession and fights, can build into a crescendo of violence.
3.5.1 Triggering behaviors -- most school weapons assaults involve the availability of a weapon and one or more triggering behaviors.
3.5.2 Fights and “negligent privacy” -- prevent violent behavior through the appropriate supervision of students.
3.6 Teacher action points to prevent violence -- be aware of trends in student violence, pre-incident behavioral issues as well as the propensity for lower-level violence to escalate
3.6.1 Teacher awareness -- be aware of common warning signs.
3.6.2 Teacher action points -- take swift action to resolve violent incidents and show students that harmful behavior is unacceptable.
3.6.3 Reporting procedures -- report concerns about potentially violent students at once to the appropriate school official.

Chapter 4: Emergency response procedures – what do teachers do?

4.1 Introduction -- know how to detect a broad range of potentially harmful incidents and how to initiate a response under tense situations.
4.2 Role during an incident -- be well versed in the school and district procedures.
4.2.1 Pre-incident preparation -- limit the effects of an incident by preparing with simple steps.
4.2.2 Responding during an incident -- most damage occurs within the first 15 minutes of a crisis.
4.3 Communications during an incident -- know the procedures and tools for effective Communication.
4.3.1 Reporting an incident – make your report as soon and as accurately as possible while remaining calm.
4.3.2 Tools for communicating to administrators and first responders – using multiple forms of communication is helpful.
4.3.3 Signal cards – use signal cards in a classroom window or hold them up during evacuation to let emergency response personnel know student status.
4.3.4 Ready reference flip chart -- clear, easy-to-use, step-by-step instructions for all likely emergency situations.
4.4 General emergency response procedures – also known as functional protocols are written action steps implemented during an emergency or crisis.
4.4.1 Evacuation -- leaving the school building in a calm and orderly fashion to a predetermined safe site.
4.4.2 Shelter-in-place – measures used when the dangers of evacuating the school outweigh those of taking cover in a school building.
4.4.3 Lockdown -- used to prevent dangerous people from gaining access to children and staff in the school.
4.4.4 Parent/student reunification – steps used to ensure that the reunification process goes as smoothly as possible.
4.5 Response procedures for specific incidents -- recommended response procedures for teachers during specific types of emergencies.
4.6 Medical emergencies – if possible, contact the school nurse immediately.
4.6.1 Basic first aid – basic tips on first aid are provided.
4.6.2 Food poisoning -- be aware of procedures to deal with incidents of food poisoning.
4.7 Natural disasters -- guidelines are provided based upon recommendations published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
4.7.1 Severe weather -- locations prone to severe weather should have procedures in place to assess the risks.
4.7.2 Tornado -- be aware of tornado response plans.
4.7.3 Hurricane – recommendations are provided in case it is too late to evacuate.
4.7.4 Earthquake -- be aware of the simple procedures listed in the event of an earthquake.
4.8 Fire -- general information provided to consider when responding to a fire.
4.9 Child abuse -- must be reported to police even though it did not occur on school grounds.
4.9.1 Physical abuse -- when a school employee hits a student or other aggressive physical contact with a student, a potential for a child abuse case arises.
4.9.2 Sexual abuse -- be aware of how one-on-one or off-campus meetings with students appear.
4.9.3 Response procedures -- recommendations to help teachers deal with allegations of abuse.
4.10 Domestic violence -- domestic problems can extend to school property.
4.10.1 Response procedures – restrict and document visitors to the school to prevent violence.
4.11 Armed attackers and hostage situations – teachers should not to resist an attacker and prevent students from doing the same.
4.11.1 Armed individual in the school – recommended steps for dealing with an armed attacker within the school.
4.11.2 Hostage situation -- the primary goal is to keep students calm and orderly.
4.11.3 Armed robbery – robbers seldom harm those who cooperate.
4.11.4 Self-inflicted violence -- guidelines for teachers on how to deal with a suicide attempt.
4.12 Hazardous materials and human-caused disasters and accidents -- know established school procedures in the event of such an incident.
4.12.1 Hazardous materials -- schools are not immune to hazardous materials leaks, especially if deliberate.
4.12.2 Human-caused disasters/accidents -- types of potential emergencies are reviewed.
4.13 Bomb threats -- administrators will use a threat assessment process.
4.13.1 Bomb threat response -- teachers should be familiar with a variety of common response procedures.
4.13.2 Information to record -- be prepared for receiving a bomb threat and follow simple steps provided.
4.13.3 Questions -- a list of questions to be asked in case of a phoned in bomb threat.
4.14 Bombs/explosive devices -- the vast majority of bomb threats are hoaxes, however, real explosive devices have been placed in schools on more than 60 occasions in recent years.
4.14.1 Postal explosive devices -- victim-operated weapons designed to kill an individual for political, personal or ideological reasons.
4.14.2 Firebombs/incendiary devices -- used to create an intense fire and are most often used against a building or a vehicle.
4.14.3 Package bombs -- are often placed near doors and windows or large crowds to cause immediate damage to the facility and the people using that facility.
4.14.4 Vehicle bombs – look for suspiciously parked or moving vehicles.
4.15 Chemical and biological incidents – be prepared for such a low probability but high consequence event.
4.15.1 What to look for -- a chemical attack is typically observed close to the site and time of the attack.
4.15.2 Response procedures -- be aware of procedures that can limit exposure to harmful substances.
4.15.3 Personal decontamination procedures -- evacuate students from the area, preferably into the wind, and wait for additional medical support if instructed to do so.
4.16 Nuclear and radiological incidents -- expect fear and panic in reaction to an incident even when the school is not in immediate danger.
4.16.1 Radiation weapons -- without radiological detection equipment, recognizing a radiological attack is difficult.
4.16.2 Nuclear weapons – are the least likely, potentially most devastating, type of terrorist attack.

Chapter 5: After a traumatic event – how do teachers help students recover?

5.1 Introduction – recognize the symptoms of trauma and find ways to re-engage with students.
5.2 Student reactions to a traumatic event – students are more likely to be traumatized by child abuse, domestic violence, community violence, as well as natural disasters.
5.2.1 Symptoms of child trauma – after a traumatic event watch for listed behaviors.
5.2.2 Three main components of post-traumatic stress – such as re- experiencing the event, avoiding people or places that remind them of the traumatic event, and continuing to experience physical symptoms connected with the trauma.
5.3 Recovery procedures – basic strategies to assist students coping with powerful and uncontrollable emotions.
5.3.1 Helping students cope – use listed strategies to help students cope.
5.3.2 Stages of recovery for adults – are the initial phase, heroic phase, honeymoon phase, disillusionment phase, and the rebuilding phase.
5.3.3 Stages of recovery for children – are more complex due to the child’s age, developmental maturity and life experience.
5.3.4 Working with mental health professionals/school counselors – school or community mental health professional that can best provide intervention services.
5.3.5 Working with parents and the community – help parents learn about child traumatic stress.
5.4 Teacher recovery/burnout – teachers as well as students must recover from difficult situations.
5.4.1 Steps to prevent burnout – some ways to help prevent burnout are protecting your physical security, engaging with colleagues and avoiding negative colleagues.
5.5 Recovery resources – know where to direct requests for further assistance.

Chapter 6: How can teachers encourage students to help with school safety?

6.1 Introduction – strive for a delicate balance between informing and alarming students.
6.2 Building trust -- establish trust with students so that they may feel comfortable in confiding problems.
6.2.1 Listening and talking to students – through listening teachers can understand student perspectives and the challenges that affect their personal lives.
6.2.2 Personal, family and community issues -- listen without passing judgment and be prepared for the eventuality that the student may need to seek other help.
6.3 Raising safety awareness – promote an awareness of the importance of classroom safety.
6.4 School safety lessons -- use school lessons to teach general safety concepts such as emergency plans.
6.4.1 Questionnaires -- a good starting point to assess what students know about school safety.
6.4.2 Sample activities -- sample activities teachers can use to involve students in maintaining a safe classroom are detailed.
6.4.3 Sample school safety awareness lesson plan -- a sample school safety lesson plan for teachers.
6.5 Classroom aids -- classroom aids and emergency checklists should be displayed in the classroom.
6.5.1 Putting together an emergency response kit -- keep an emergency response kit that is specific to your classroom needs.
6.5.2 Ready reference flip-chart -- details emergency response procedures for students.
6.5.3 Posters – posters detailing actions to take during specific emergencies have been proven to help prepare the public and are an excellent guide for students.
6.5.4 Classroom safety checklists -- safety checklists are also helpful for quick reference in emergencies.
6.6 Recovery curriculum development – lessons on the causes and lessons learned from crisis incidents can also provide a means of helping students know what to do.
6.6.1 Los Angeles riots – lessons were based on civil rights legislation and the federal case against the LAPD officers involved.
6.6.2 Oklahoma City bombing -- lessons were organized around law-related Readings and followed by classroom discussion.
6.6.3 Northridge earthquake -- the Los Angeles Unified School District used lessons developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), entitled “Disaster Dudes,” to help students recover.
6.6.4 World Trade Center/Pentagon terrorist attacks -- the United Federation of Teachers in New York City created a resource guide for teachers after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.