Free Essay About Crisis In Schools

My experience during times of crisis has informed me that having knowledge of what to do during a crisis in school can keep the staff and students out of harm and save lives. As explained by the National Education Association and the Health Information Network (NEAHIN 1), the best way to prepare for a crisis is by preventing it, and school safety should be of the highest priority. While developing emergency management and preparation plans, it is important and essential to identify prevention programs and incorporate them into the plans, as well as in the daily school operations. Ideally, all staff should have relevant training on how to identify destructive behaviours that can cause a crisis and how to respond. There should be clear reporting policies in a crisis. Clear reporting procedures and safe school hotlines help protect the confidentiality (NEAHIN 1).
During crisis, it is important to assess the crisis in terms of its scale and immediate actions to be undertaken such as lockdown and evacuation, among others. Secondly, if the situation demands, one should call for assistance such as the police or fire rescue agencies, depending on the crisis. Communicating to key internal audiences is important for people to know what happened. Inform families of the school too after which media PR can follow and finally bringing situation to a stop and return of normality (NEAHIN 15). The daily lessons instilled in students in classrooms are necessary when crisis occurs. In addition to class work, school staffs have the obligation to teach students how to prepare and conduct themselves during a crisis (Virginia Department of Education 41).
Suicide is a behaviour that results from a complicated interaction of psychological, biological, and environmental factors (EDIP 3). Death typically happens with warning signals. To prevent it, early detection and intervention is critical for timely identification of risk factors at a family, individual, or environmental level. Research indicates that biological risk factors may include mental illness, genetic factors, anxiety among other factors (EDIP 10). There also psychological risk factors such as low self-esteem that could help detect likely candidates for suicide. Drop in grades, chronic failure to complete assignments and inability to concentrate in schoolwork are crucial warning signs of contemplating suicide. Teachers should talk to affected students to identify and solve the issues before death (EDIP 14).

Works cited

EDIP. Student Suicide for schools: Early Detection, Intervention, and Post Intervention. December 22, 2011, Web. 27 March 2015
NEAHIN . School Crisis Guide: Help and Healing in a Time of Crisis. December 15, 2007
Web. 27 March 2015
Virginia Department of Education. Model School Crisis Management Plan. 2002. Richmond, VA: Virginia Department of Education.