Protecting our Children

1. Protecting our Children The Vermont Youth Officers Network The Vermont School Crisis Planning Team Windsor High School March 26, 2008

2. Vermont Youth Officers Network 2008 Lt. Mark Moody Montpelier Police Department

3. What is VYON? An organization of Vermont Police Officers, schools, agencies and community members who work with Vermont youth.

4. Mission Statement The mission of VYON is to support and train all officers in the State of Vermont who work with youths, communities and schools in the areas of: • prevention • intervention • education • law enforcement

5. VYON’s Purpose • Support the Mission Statement • Provide safety training • Network with other youth agencies • Inform the public of resources • Promote care for children • Maintain healthy families

6. Are Vermont Schools Prepared to Face a Crisis? Vermont School Crisis Planning Team March 2008 Prepared by: Leo Nadeau, Essex Chief of Police James Massingham, Chittenden East Supt. Winton Goodrich, VSBA Stephen Earley, VSCPT

7. The Vermont School Crisis Planning Team • VT Emergency Management • VT Dept. of Education • VT School Boards Association • VT Dept of Health • VT State Police • VT Local Law Enforcement • VT Fire Marshall • Retired School Principals - Facilitators

8. VSCPT Mission • To support school administrators and emergency service providers to create, implement and practice school emergency and crisis response plans in all Vermont schools.

9. Schools and Emergency Responders Working Together • The Vermont School Crisis Team (VSCT) is a group of volunteers and representatives of state agencies with an interest in protecting our schools • VSCT meets routinely to discuss emergency response • VSCT has created a manual to assist schools in their crisis planning

10. VermontSchoolCrisis Guide2008 Prepared by:Vermont School Crisis Team

11. Message From Margaret Spellings U. S. Secretary of Education After the White House Conference on School Violence in 2006, she wrote a letter to all school districts indicating the following: • Unless our students feel safe, they can not learn. • Parents, educators, community members, law enforcement officials, researchers and policy makers all share the responsibility of protecting our children by working together.

12. U.S. DOE Recommendations Panelists and participants discussed: • Ways law enforcement, schools and responders can partner to establish safe environments and prevent school violence. • Emergency management planning activities that help schools prepare to respond to violent acts and other crises. • Focus on ways to help school communities heal and recover if and when a violent incident occurs.

13. U.S. DOE Recommendations • While schools are safe and shootings are rare, we can work to make them even safer by having a comprehensive emergency management plan that addresses a wide range of possible crises. • Knowledge of the ICS (Incident Command System) and the four phases of emergency management are important to all schools.

14. What Type of Emergencies Should Our Schools Plan For? Essex Town

15. Could a School shooting take place in Vermont? • In the 2005-06 school year Vermont had at least five incidents that involved guns at school • In 2006 the year began with a tragedy in Essex. • In 2007 several potential incidents were averted by the intervention of students and School Resource Officers.

16. Can it happen here?Vermont Disasters • Since 1992 Vermont has declared over 14 disasters • Eleven were due to severe storms, which included flooding and one hurricane • Three were severe ice storms • 2005 - Southern VT and NH experienced severe flooding and several people died • Power outages are common throughout the state

17. Disasters can have a direct impact on schools • In October, a train derailment in Middlebury created an emergency evacuation of over 1500 elementary and high school students. • Preplanning minimized confusion and possible injuries.

18. Emergencies • One word – BUSING Slippery roads, delays, frozen fuel, accidents, mechanical failures… • How have you planned for emergencies like these? • Who within your school and community should work together to prepare for such emergencies?

19. Workplace Incidents Medical emergencies • Physical injuries to staff and students • Extensive flu or virus infections, Pandemic Flu, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) --Seizures • HAZMAT exposure

20. Emergencies Domestic Situations • Violence • Divorce • Kidnapping Building Emergencies • Breakdowns in Heating, Plumbing

21. Fire and Response During the 2006 School Year • 36 Fires • 402 False alarms • 128 EMS responses (25% reporting) • 265 Other (36 HAZMAT) In the last ten years, 253 fires and 3,527 false alarms. Statistics released by the Vermont Fire Marshall’s Office

22. Safe School Indicators • A Safe, Orderly and Trusting school environment • A Comprehensive school safety response plan • Use of the Vermont School Crisis Guide procedures • A school safety audit: The Vermont School Safety Checklist

23. Why isn’t more being done? False security • “It Can’t Happen Here..” Administrators and staff resist spending time on non-academic activities. Parents often resist drills for fear of scaring their children. Expertise • School leaders have little or no training in crisis management Communication • In an emergency, phone lines become clogged with calls, radio and cell phone coverage is spotty at best. Communication with First Responders is difficult or non-existent.

24. Why isn’t more being done? Priorities • Schools deal with Urgent matters. Issues deemed less important often don’t get much attention • Fire and rescue services are often manned by volunteers who find it difficult to take time away from work for planning. • State Police often provide the only coverage. It is difficult to make planning with multiple schools and volunteer First Responders a top priority. The Sparkplug • Who will keep our efforts going? No one is in charge.

25. HOMELAND SECURITY SCHOOL CRISIS PLANNING TEAM WORKING TOGETHER • Today, more than ever, our communities need to plan for a variety of emergencies • Our public schools educate nearly 100,000 students in Vermont and need to be prepared to deal with various types of crises • It’s critical that school representatives and emergency responders work as a team

26. HS/VSCPT Working Together • In 2006,VSCT was awarded a Homeland Security Grant of $75,000 to assist schools in their crisis planning. VSBA administered and coordinated the grant. • The beginning of the infrastructure was created. Facilitators visited schools and encouraged the creation of school/public safety committees.

27. Based on 334 Vermont Schools, this was the state of school safety preparedness using the Vermont School Crisis Guidelines • 63% of all Vermont School Principals were visited. • 30% of all schools were evaluated with a “walk through”. • 60% of all schools use the VSCG ’04 model. • 56% of all schools have a school crisis team • 47% have a school safety team. • 37% have school/public safety committees • 31% Interior lock adequacy • 40% Exterior lock adequacy

28. VSCT Support • Following the grant, VSCT has added five response plans to the Crisis Guide but, without funding, no additional VSCT work has continued in schools. • Thankfully, Vermont Homeland Security and Vermont Emergency Management will provide six months of funding beginning in August 2008.

29. What is needed for a state commitment to school safety? • Build on the current model to get facilitators back into the field to assist schools to prepare for all hazards. • Build stronger connections between Homeland Security Advisory Council and the VSCT.

30. What is needed for a state commitment to school safety? • Create a sustainable effort that is not dependent on volunteerism (a 2009-10 commitment to sustaining the VSCT effort is essential to secure US DOE Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant funding).

31. VermontSchoolCrisis Guide2004 Prepared by:Vermont School Crisis Team

32. What’s changed?VSA. 16 Sec 1481 • The principal or person in charge of a public or independent school or educational institution, other than a university or college, shall drill the pupils so that they may be able to leave the school building or perform other procedures described in the school’s emergency preparedness plan, or both in the shortest possible time and without panic or confusion.

33. School Public Safety Committee School Public Safety Committee School Crisis Team Emergency Management Rescue Squad Fire Police Principal/Superintendent CERT/LEPC/RPC Principal/Asst. Principal Nurse Guidance/SAP Staff SRO Custodian

34. Periodically Host School Public Safety Committee Meetings

35. Set Committee Goals and Objectives Create “Incident Command” structure Principal “Incident Commander” • Directs command to Fire Chief if hazmat or fire • Directs command to police if law violation • Establish “Unified Command” system for “Mutual Aid”

36. Incident Command System • ICS is a structured procedure for responders to use during a crises. An ICS course for school administrators can be taken online. • ICS is divided into: Planning, Operations, Logistics, Finance and Administration • Knowing how responders operate helps school personnel in creating effective safety plans (i.e., numbered doors, Knox box, crowd control)

37. Four Phases of Emergency Management Prevention-Mitigation Preparedness Response Recovery

38. Prevention-Mitigation Prevention is the action schools and districts take to decrease the likelihood that an event will occur. Examples: Wellness activities, Bullying prevention programs. Mitigation is the action taken to reduce the impact of an event on people and structures. Examples: Securing bookshelves, safety fencing, environmental design.

39. Preparedness Preparing the school community for potential emergencies by working with community partners to establish policies and protocols. Planning safety guidelines and response procedures in schools. Developing communication plans for staff, students, families and the media.

40. Response The phase where action is taken to assess, identify and take appropriate measures. Use of the Classroom Crisis Commands: Clear, Secure, Evacuate, Relocate. Activation the ICS and Mutual Aid systems. Work with responders. Account for Students and Staff.

41. Recovery Returning to learning as quickly as possible Restoring damage to physical plant as well as the community Monitoring emotional impact and intervention Debriefing - Lessons learned

42. Team Work • School Public Safety Committees can help plan for various emergencies • Can organize drills and Table Top Exercises (TTX) • They cannot make it work without you being part of the team!

43. Steps you can take now Form a School Public Safety Committee to work with your school safety teams. • Invite Police, Fire, Rescue and Transportation to the table. • Review your Emergency Procedures and policies • Practice, practice, practice. • Stage simulation exercises to guide you in establishing procedures.

44. Steps • Use universal commands. Clear the Halls, Secure the Building, Evacuate the Building, Relocate. • Delineate specific emergency responsibilities. Each adult should know exactly what to do in an emergency.

45. “CLEAR THE HALLS” Office Staff report immediately to the nearest secure room or area protected from direct line of sight. Lock interior doors when possible Stay away from doors and windows Remain quiet

46. “SECURE THE BUILDING” • Same as “Clear the Halls” but includes designated staff securing external doors and allowing only emergency responders to enter • Caught outside? Move away from the building to safe area.

47. “EVACUATE THE BUILDING” • Everyone evacuate the building and move to designated area • Take attendance and report missing students and staff • Maintain order and wait for direction

48. “RELOCATE” • Have a plan in place to set up a “mobile office” and communications center for the district. • The ICS will set up a Command Post which should have Central Office personnel present. • Select several unrevealed sights

49. Steps • Be Proactive, not reactive, plan ahead Understand the gridlock on telephones, traffic and communications. No Phones Parents are coming! Source and procedure to release public Information Do you have a (PIO) Public Information Officer? Where is the Supt./Principal right now?

50. Steps Create efficient emergency folders. (Not the school handbook) Place the most important articles for emergencies in a folder/carry bag in your work area. (Ask your colleague, What should go in there?)