Crisis, emerg ency, disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, trauma -- all are words heard too frequently at schools today. Almost every school has had a major crisis; every school is likely to have one. Besides natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires, students experience violence and death related to the suicide of friends, gang activity, snipers, hostage-taking, and rape. Some students react with severe emotional responses -- fear, grief, post traumatic stress syndrome. Moreover, such experiences and other events that threaten their sense of worth and well-being can produce the type of intense personal turmoil that leads students to think about hurting themselves or others.
The following links provide a variety of quick aids, resources and materials for use in crisis prevention and response.
- From our Center's Resource Aid Packet: Responding to
Crises at a School --
( https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/crisis/crisis.pdf )- Crisis Response Checklist (see p. 28 in the packet)
- Major Facets of Crisis Response (see p. 26 in the packet)
- Responding to a Crisis: A Few General Principles (see p. 27 in the packet)
- Psychological First Aid
- The School's Role in Addressing Psychological Reactions to Loss
- Planning and Action for the MH Needs of Students and School Staff after a Major Disaster
- Quick Find for a range of Other Resources and Information
- Hot Lines
- From FEMA:
-
Multihazard Emergency Planning for Schools Site
- Student Evacuation (part of Community Preparedness Webinar Series)
- Sample Forms, Checklists, and Exercises
- From National Child Traumatic Stress Network:
-
Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators
- Help Kids Cope is a mobile app to assist families cope with hurricanes and flooding. Download the free app today for Apple and Android devices. The app has helpful guidance on how to prepare for the storm, how to support your family during the storm, and if your family needs additional support after the storm.
- Simple Activities for Children Without Power or When Playing Outside is Restricted (English)
- Parent Guidelines for Helping Children after Hurricanes (English) or
Guia para los padres para ayudar a los niños despues de un hurricane- After the Hurricane: Helping Young Children Heal (English)
- Helping Young Children and Families Cope with Trauma (English) or
Ayudando a Niños(as) y Familias a Enfrentarse con el Trauma (Spanish)- College Students Coping after the Hurricane
- Teacher Guidelines for Helping Children after Hurricanes (English)
- Trinka and Sam Children's Booklet (English) or Trinka y Juan en un día de mucho viento y lluvia (Spanish)
hurricane. A parent guide is included that suggests ways that parents can use the story with their children.
Trinka and Sam the Rainy Windy Day is a story developed to help young children and their families begin to talk about feelings and worries they may have after they have experienced the- Psychological First Aid Guide (English) or Primeros Auxilios Psicológicos (Spanish);
- Psychological First Aid for Schools
PFA Handouts:- Parent Tips for Helping Infants and Toddlers(English) or
Consejos para que los padres ayuden a bebés y niños pequeños después de un desastre (Spanish)- Parent Tips for Helping Preschoolers (English)
- Consejos para que los padres ayuden a los niños de edad preescolar después de un desastre (Spanish)
- Parent Tips for Helping School-age Children
(English) or
Consejos para que los padres ayuden a los niños de edad escolar después de un desastre (Spanish)- Parent Tips For Helping Adolescents (English) or
Consejos para que los padres ayuden a los adolescentes después de un desastre (Spanish)
E-Learning Courses:
- For disaster responders, see http://learn.nctsn.org (English)
- For community and mental health providers who plan to continue working with affected communities long-term, review Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) and take the SPR Online course.
- Other Mobile Apps:
- PFA Mobile and SAMSHA Behavioral Health Disaster Response
- Help Kids Cope is a mobile app to assist families cope with hurricanes and flooding. Download the free app today for Apple and Android devices. The app has helpful guidance on how to prepare for the storm, how to support your family during the storm, and if your family needs additional support after the storm.
- From REMS (Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools) TA Center
- Managing Immediate, Short-term, and Long-term Recovery from an Emergency Incident
- see range of planning resources
- From SAMHSA
- Hurricanes and Tropical Storms
- Disaster Distress Helpline: Call –800-895-5990 or text TalkWithUs or 66746. English speakers in US Territories text TalkWithUs to 1-212-461-4635
- Trauma, Violence, and School Shooting
- National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care
-
Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators
- From National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
- NEA = Talking to Students About School Shootings
- Lessons Learned from School Crises and Emergencies
-
Connecting Schools and Displaced Students series (briefs)
https://nche.ed.gov/
>Meeting the Educational Needs of Students Displaced by Disasters: Youth on Their Own
>What Relief Agencies Should Know About the Educational Rights of Children Displaced by Disasters
>What School District Administrators Should Know About the Educational Rights of Children Displaced by Disasters
- Connecting Schools and Displaced Students Handbook Series
https://nche.ed.gov/
This handbook series explains how the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act applies to students displaced by disaster and how the Act can assist these students and their families. Each handbook in the series targets information to either parents of displaced children, relief agencies, or educators.
> After the Storm: Information for Parents on How Schools Can Help After Disasters (A Handbook for Parents)
>Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment and Success* (A Handbook for Local Liaisons and State Coordinators)
>From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness (A Handbook for Local Liaisons, Enrollment Staff, and District Administrators)
>School as a Safety Net: Connecting Displaced Children With Educational and Support Services (A Handbook for Relief Agency Staff and Volunteers)
- Children, Stress, and Natural Disasters: A Guide for Teachers
- Children, Stress, and Natural Disasters: School Activities for Children
- Making things better for kids
- Making things better for teens
- Guidelines for teachers
- For teens right after a tornado
- For kids right after a tornado
- Young children after a tornado
- Parent guide after a tornado
- Making things better for teens
- Resources for Responding to and Coping with Hurricane Related Events
A list of resources for students, mental health practitioners and school staff dealing with the hurricane's aftermath - Hurricane Resources from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- The Ultimate Guide To Hurricane Preparedness, Recovery & Relief
- What Our Center Learned from Hurricane Katrina
- Coping with the Impact of Wildfires
- Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires
- The Emotional Effects of Wildfires and Natural Disasters
- flood response: links to tips/resources
- eschool today: facts and tips on flooding
- Floods and Your Safety CDC
- Cleaning up after a flood
- See the resources related to crisis response previosuly listed
- The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools administers the REMS TA Center to serve two critical functions aimed at helping education agencies, with their community partners, manage safety, security, and emergency management programs.
- Planning for Demonstrations, Protests and Civil Unrest
- How To Protect Yourself During Protests
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