Crisis Management in Schools - Essay Example

Crisis Management Plan in Schools By [Student’s Name] [Code + Course Name] [Name of Tutor] [Name of University] [City, State] Crisis Management Plan in Schools Introduction Crises are events that occur once in a while. It is important to mention that every crisis may be dissimilar from each other. Crises may include airplane crash, explosion, and students’ strike. In each of these cases, people are affected differently, and therefore, every crisis may be defined based on its type. It is hard to predict the occurrence of these events in advance. Thus, every time each of them takes place, it is covered differently. Goel (2009) says that there have been continuous challenges on how to deal with either of the crisis because of the complexities involved. For instance, sometimes air crash can happen in the high seas. As a result, a great deal of time is expended attempting to demonstrate the position of the wreckage. Even with the most advanced technology in place, it has become impossible to establish the location of the wreckage. A most recent example of this is the Malaysian Airline that crashed in the Indian Ocean, and is yet to be found. This is a crisis that is so far to be resolved months after it occurred. This report will try to look at crisis management plan in schools across the nation. Aims of Crisis Management Plan in Schools The primary ground of having a crisis management program in the schools is to ensure that the school administration is developed well in shell of any crisis within their schools. Some of the crisis likely to occur in schools include; fights amongst students, strikes, destruction of properties, poor performance in examinations, and absenteeism. Ray (1999) has observed that schools have to devise a way of tackling these crises in a professional way without creating unnecessary tension to the parties involved. Regester (2002) argues that crisis management plan also tries to deliver a smooth operation of the institutions and to address the needs of the teachers, students and their kins. In addition, crisis management plan in school is meant to communicate to parents, students and teachers on some of the most efficacious and practical methods of resolving crisis. This means that when a school is faced with a crisis such as destruction of properties by students, all the parties concerned are able to come together to deliberate on the way forward. Moreover, Thompson (2004) notes that it assists in the formulation of a plan that will be used to prevent the occurrence of such events in future. It also helps create and preserve a dependable environment for both the pupils and instructors. A profile of stakeholders relevant to this crisis In order to address the crisis facing the school, it is important to include all the people involved in the day to day learning of the school. Although some of them are not immediately required in the school management, they play a critical role of ensuring that learning is extended away in a peaceful environment. These people include the superintendent, school principal, counselors, parents, law enforcement officers, teachers, ministerial chairpersons, the legal counsel among others. This is a team that can help students maintain law and to prevent the natural events of crisis, including the destruction of property. Crisis situation media parameters Amongst the identified stakeholders, the Superintendent of the school shall be tasked with making statements to the media. However, in order to realize this, there are certain things that have to be fulfilled; First, all the communication will have to be done through the office of the Superintendent. Secondly, none of the students will be permitted to hold an interview with any of the media houses without the due permission of their guardians. Nevertheless, if the interview has to be executed, it will have to be exercised out of the school compound. In addition, teachers will be required to have a written permission from the school’s Superintendent and the principal to have an interview with a media house. This will be important to make sure that teachers are held accountable in case they give contradicting information from the real situation. In event of an emergency, the school will not allow cameras and other recording devices to be brought to school, unless there is a written commendation from the Superintendent and the school head. This will be done to make sure that the individuals and media houses covering the emergency are regulated. Lastly, the media will be asked to demonstrate consideration for the emotional wellbeing of the affected students by abiding with the above named rules. Main crisis team- members absent In case the school’s superintendent is not within the when a crisis takes place, the school principal and other stakeholders present will be required to have an urgent meeting to strategize on the way forward. However, they will be required to have a person chairing the meeting in order to coordinate the different views to be shared during such a meeting. On the other hand, if other members are not there, the superintendent may designate some other member of the team duties and responsibilities to help them address the crisis at hand. Crisis team meeting All other members of the crisis team will be bidden to an urgent meeting by the superintendent a day after the crisis has taken place, although such meeting can take place later on if the members cannot make it to the meeting on a short notice. During this kind of meeting, the superintendent will be the chairman and coordinator of the meeting, while also reviewing the duties of the individual members. It is after this deliberation by the members that other members including the instructors, school employees, and parents may be bidden. The prior meeting is usually important as it helps determine the meeting schedules and the various ways that can be employed to moderate the crisis at hand. School counselor The school counselor will be mandated with notifying ministerial association chairpersons and other invited school counselors about the crisis facing the school. Secondly, he or she will be required to inform these people that the school superintendent is the mouth piece of the school. Thus, they will not be asked to talk to the media whatsoever. The school counselor will have the autonomy to define how many counselors will be wanted in the school during a crisis period so that prior preparations can be prepared to ease their study. Secondly, they will likewise be asked to identify the counselors who will call the school during that period to make sure that only the qualified counselors are in school. Ministerial association chairperson This individual will be tasked with advising all members of the ministerial association of the crisis that has befallen the school. In summation, just like school counselor, the ministerial association chairperson will have to pass on to his or her members and let them recognize that the superintendent is the only individual permitted to communicate with other parties. In other words, the superintendent is the school’s spokesperson. Moreover, it is expected of this soul to inform other members of the ministerial association that they are asked to attend a convened general meeting that will affect all the instructors and other school employees. This kind of meeting will only be convened when the school is facing a crisis such as property destruction by the students. The Legal counsel The above individual will be asked to provide technical assistance to the school’s spokesperson, especially when he or she is answering questions from the spiritualists and other members of the community. Furthermore, the superintendent may require him or her to make correspondences touching on the crisis. Such correspondences will try to explain the kind of crisis the school is in and the actions to be selected to address such crisis. The individual will likewise stand for the school in a tribunal of law if a legal proceeding is initiated following the crisis. Teachers Teachers interact with students on a day to day basis. This implies that they are capable of analyzing the students and can tell when there is something suspicious from them. As a consequence, pupils can open up to their teachers easily because of their daily interaction. During a crisis period, such as student strike, teachers will be tasked with the duty of asking students the causes of their actions. This entails that the major role of teachers during a crisis period is to gather information around the crisis so that the team responding to a crisis can serve students by way of talking to them, having identified the key events. Notification of crisis In case of a crisis, the superintendent will be needed to come in contact with the law enforcement officers who will assist in setting up the details of the crisis at hand. Secondly, he or she will have to make a determination which will be based on all the facts and figures presented. As a consequence, he will cast the crisis management program into work. In summation, he will be asked to inform all members of the crisis core team by means of invoking the crisis notification chain of command so that he can also inform other employees of the school. He will also be required to let them know that the crisis has been brought under control and that the crisis management plan is being put into action. The superintendent has to inform the crisis core team members to avail themselves to his office at a specified time to help in the review of procedures, and also come up with specific actions. As part of the crisis, the superintendent is required to ask the principal and other school employees to report to school so that more data on the crisis can be made available to them. He will likewise be asked to inform the head teachers and business manager, to advise all teachers and support personnel that the school has organized a meeting intended to talk about the effects of the crisis, prepare an intervention plan and to address any other concerns that they might receive. During the crisis The duties and responsibilities of the school’s principal During a crisis period, everyone tries as much as possible to overcome the challenge within the shortest time period. In a school scenario, the head teacher will be asked to demonstrate leadership by performing the following duties; he will be taken to convene and make certain that teachers and subordinate staff are in attendance so that they can chat the way forward and the actions taken on those found guilty of the crisis. He will also let all members present in the meeting that there is one spokesperson for the school, who is the superintendent. This deters such members from communicating with the media without written permission from the principal and the superintendent. The head may also designate an individual to man all the entry and exit routes within the school, to make sure that all people going into, and leaving the school compound are vetted. During a crisis period, people take advantage of such crisis to cause more harm to others. As a consequence, there is need to thoroughly check all the people coming in or going out from the schoolhouse. In addition, the principal has to make sure that all counselors in the school compound have identification name tags. This helps in identifying the functions being carried out by all the people present during the crisis period in school. The counselors need specific rooms in which they can talk to the affected students in private. It has been observed that during a private session, people tend to unfold up their hearts easily. This is really significant as it will enable the school pinpoint the causes of such a crisis and discover the most effective means of dispensing with it in future. Professional counselors can be really instrumental in helping students recover from such a crisis, especially if the crisis affects them psychologically. The head teacher is asked to inform the teachers and other stakeholders of a meeting to be curbed in order to evaluate the overall potency of the remedies put in office. Holding Statement The superintendent, members of the media present, teachers and students, we are gathered here today as a sign of unity following the students strike that resulted in wanton destruction of property. Permit me to take this chance to thank all those people who remained firm with us following this crisis. We know that without your combined effort, as a school we could not be where we are today. We decry the destruction by strongest terms possible and call upon the government to penalize all those responsible for these heinous deeds. Following the property destruction, we invited law enforcement officers who helped contain the situation. We have practiced our preliminary investigation, which has assisted us identify the culprits who orchestrated the entire operation. We recognize that the long limb of the law will overtake up with them and justice will reign. Allow me to warn all those students who might be planning such things in the future that they are in for a rude shock. We have put in place measures that will help us discover their plans early enough. We will not relent in our pursuit to make certain pupils are safe during and after school. We thank you for coming and helping us talk to our young brothers and sisters and we believe that whatever we communicated to them will go a long way in shaping their lives in the future. Once more thank you very much and God bless you in all your efforts. Message to stakeholders The counselors Permit me to thank you from the deepest portion of my spirit. Equally you can recall that our school was recently confronted with a severe crisis that needed your professional help. I am glad to report to you that we have seen positive transformations from our students after dropping your precious time with them. Those who had been affected psychologically have managed to get over the stress they were in. Without your help we would not have seen this tremendous development. I trust you will accept my sincere gratitude as we look ahead to partner with you in future. Many thanks indeed and kind regards. Teachers Permit me to choose this time to thank you all from the deepest portion of my spirit. Equally you can all recall that we recently ran through one of our darkest moments in our school’s account. However, due to your collective effort, we have managed to get over it in record time. If we all stood and watched, our school could have been wiped away in a day. I am just writing this missive as a sign of appreciation. Therefore, I humbly request you all to accept it the way it is. Many are times that we have confronted challenges, and because of our wholeness, we have managed to overcome them. Allow us all to remain as a family and work hard for the improvement of our scholars and school at large. Many thanks and kind regards. The Legal counsel Allow me to thank you from the deepest part of my heart. As you can recall, our school was recently faced with a serious crisis that required your professional assistance. I am happy to report to you that we have seen positive transformations from our students after spending your precious time with them guiding them on the repercussions of their actions. Those who had been affected psychologically have managed to get over the stress they were in. Without your assistance we would have not realized this tremendous growth. I hope you will accept my sincere gratitude as we look forward to working with you in the future. Thanks and kind regards. Ministerial association chairperson I hope my message finds you well. Allow me to thank you from the deepest part of my heart. As you can recall, our learning institution was recently faced with a serious crisis that required your professional assistance. I am happy to report to you that we have seen positive transformations from our students after spending your precious time with them. Those who had been affected psychologically have managed to get over the stress they were in. Without your assistance we would have not realized this tremendous growth. I hope you will accept my sincere gratitude as we look forward to working with you in the future. Thanks and kind regards. The law enforcement officer I hope my message finds you well. Allow me to thank you from the deepest part of my heart. As you can recall, our learning institution was recently faced with a serious crisis that required your technical and professional assistance. I am happy to report to you that we have seen positive transformations from our students after spending your precious time with them. Those who had been affected psychologically have managed to get over the stress they were in. Without your assistance we would have not realized this tremendous growth. I hope you will accept my sincere gratitude as we look forward to working with you in future. Thanks and kind regards Conclusion Crisis will always be there amongst human being. The most important thing is to make sure that everyone is prepared and has a general knowledge of how to deal with various crises. There are crises that have become common amongst people. Therefore, this requires people continually affected by such challenges to find means through which they can overcome them. For example, in some countries, lack of rain brings about drought. This is a crisis, and therefore, the government ought to train its people in the most effective ways of harvesting rainwater for use during the dry spell. Building of water dams will enable farmers use irrigation during dry periods, and hence, such people become self-reliant. In case of students misbehaving in school, parents are required to make sure that their children are aware of the effects of such activities. Burning of school property, for example, adds misery to school. Those responsible should be punished severely. Reference List Goel, S., 2009, Crisis management: Master the skills to prevent disaster, New Delhi: Global India Publications Pvt Ltd. Ray, J., 1999, Strategic Communication in Crisis Management: Lessons from the Airline industry, Westport: Quorum Books. Regester, M., 2002, Risk Issues and Crisis Management, London: Kogan Page Limited. Thompson, R., 2004, Crisis Intervention and Crisis Management: Strategies that Work in Schools, New York: Psychology Press. Read More