Read-Me First s7

Instructions from OCE Use of Jane’s/Safe Havens International® All-Hazards School Safety Planning Templates in Catholic Schools

Introduction If you are reading this, it is assumed that you or someone in your school has completed the training session required by the Office of Catholic Education on use of the Janes’/Safe Havens Tem- plates for School Safety Planning. If you have not taken the training; please do that first!

This is a summary of some of the major training points and tips for completing the plans and printing the materials. Reading this summary first should make your task easier. Complete instructions are found in Section 1 of the Templates on the CD and were covered in the training.

The planning outline is a customized four phase all-hazards approach to school safety planning per the US Department of Education and Janes’/Safe Havens.® Updated in 2007, it includes: 1. Prevention and Mitigation Planning (including the Tactical Site Survey®) 2. Emergency Preparedness Planning (including the Emergency Operations Plan using the Templates) 3. Response Planning (including Event Tracking and NIMS Compliance) 4. Recovery Planning (including Mental Health Crisis Response)

Order of Tasks 1. Form your planning team or teams. The group(s) should have administrators, teachers, custodians, staff, and possibly board/commission members and a parent or two – a cross section of those who will have to implement and live with the plans. This is not a task for an administrator to do alone as there must be collaboration to build understanding of and own- ership for the plan. If this is not done, the plan becomes just another shelf item. It is also a very time-consuming task, so work must be delegated. A crucial member of the planning group is a local public safety officer or two (i.e., fire fighter; EMT; police officer; public health, FEMA or other official). Such experts can provide invaluable insight to your planning. Some staff members on this original planning team can evolve onto the school’s Crisis Response Team (CRT) and help provide leadership implementation of the plans.

2. The Tactical Site Survey (TSS)® is a process whereby a multidisciplinary team (see above) conducts a thorough assessment of the school and surrounding grounds (out to 1000 feet) using a comprehensive TSS checklist (provided) and considers all important features that might have a bearing on the safety of the school and the handling of a crisis. Follow the directions in Section 10 as well as the separate directions on the CD. Show the Tactical Site Survey Trainer PowerPoint show included on the CD to the team to set up the task. Allow at least a full work day (Saturday or school holiday) for this survey and also have some of the team members look at the grounds after dark and while school is in session. Use the TSS checklist template in Section 10 and complete a final typed checklist (report) using the form with comments to become Section 10 in your Planning Binder. This report will help drive all other phases of planning. It is very important to have at least one pair of “outside eyes” with

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you on the TSS Team. A person who is not familiar with the building will see it differently than your regular occupants. A list of possible facilitators from other Catholic schools is available on the CD. Please contact at least one outside person familiar with the TSS process to work with your team on the survey.

3. Prevention and Mitigation Planning goes hand-in-hand with the Tactical Site Survey and uses the findings from it. It is a written compilation of prevention and mitigation measures already in place – what you are already doing in the name of safety and security in the school. This is usually the easiest part of the planning process. The template for this report is found in Section 2 and when finalized, the report becomes Section 2 of the Planning Binder.

4. Emergency Operations Planning using the Janes’/Safe Havens®.Planning Templates found in Sections 3 through 8 and Section 0 (added) is the next step. This is the heart of the planning and the most difficult part. This will take the most time and effort in the process.

a) Begin by discussing the Master Protocols in Order for Binders Section 3 and making changes to customize the School Safety Planning Binder* Protocols for your situation. By using the Sec. 1 Users’ Guide (including this doc.) “Track Changes” feature in MSWord, you can Sec. 2 Prevention-Mitigation Plan easily mark the changes you have made and lat- (completed report) Sec. 9 Response Plan/Event Tracking Forms er transfer these more easily to the Flipchart Sec. 10 Tactical Site Survey templates. You can finalize the Protocols when (completed report) finished in Word with “Accept Changes.” Ex- Sec. 11 Crisis Recovery Plan (completed) Sec. 12 Exercise Plan (forms and exercises) cept for the Emergency Contact Lists at the be- Sec. 13 Survey and Feedback Forms (optional) ginning of each section, please refer to posi- Additional Planning Tools on CD (optional) tions and not names. You should find that you  School Safety Plan Evaluation Tool will not need to make many changes to the  Sample Letters  Business Continuity Planning Tools text that is already there, but you may need to EOP Master Protocols Red Binder add some details in places to better suit your  Color Index page (template on CD) local situation. In most cases, you should avoid  Contact Lists/Instructions (Secs.3-8+0) changing the expert advice provided for han-  Begin color index dividers (1-31) dling crisis situations. Pay special attention to  Print and divide completed Master Proto- cols (Sec. 3) and Flipchart Protocols from the Functional Protocols (1-10) that are used main templates file (Secs. 4-8+0) together in combination with nearly every other Inciden- into piles by Protocol (1-30). t-Specific Protocol (11-29). These must all  Place these in Section order behind each divider (1-30) in the Binder for easy refer- work together. All Ready-Reference Flipchart ence by Protocol number. Protocols are developed from the Master Proto- *Any large loose leaf binder may be used for cols. During a drill or exercise; or actual crisis, the School Safety Planning Binder ~ not used administrators/CRT members can use the Mas- during drills or a crisis ter Protocols to have an overview of what vari- Please plan to purchase Master Protocol Binders with color-coded dividers from OCE ous staff members should be doing. for use in drills and crises. Colors match Flipchart colors (see order form). b) Carry over the changes made in the Master Protocols to the Individual Ready-Reference Flipcharts for various staff member types (in Sections 4-8 and 0) directly in the main templates file from the CD.

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Computer AND Binders, too! Keep in mind that while the Administrator Following Steps 4a and b above allows you to have Flipcharts Protocol and Faculty/Staff Flipchart all of the completed plans: Master Protocols and In- Protocols closely follow the Master Protocol, dividual Flipchart information in digital format, the other staff protocols are more unique for electronically indexed to links in the Table of specific positions including: custodians, bus Contents. If the digital Master Emergency Opera- drivers/bus supervisors, after-hours events and tions Plan is kept on a laptop computer, an administrator or person tracking events can jump quickly food service staff. By using the Track Changes from section-to-section as needed using the interac- feature in MSWord in the main templates, you tive table of contents during a drill or crisis. Howev- can easily mark the changes you have made and er, hard copies of the Master and Flipchart Pro- later more easily spot these and make those tocols is a must for a crisis when conditions may changes to the color flipchart templates. When not allow for use of a computer. By following steps 4a and b, all Emergency Operations Plan mate- you are finished, you can “Accept Changes” to rials can always be found together either on the com- finalize the documents. puter or in the Master Protocol Binders. Printing Instructions Color-Coded Individual Flipchart c) Carry over the changes made in part 1. 20 shrink-wrapped pre-drilled cardstock pages are 4b above to the Individual Ready-Ref- included with each Flipchart binder. erence Flipchart files that are color- 2. Print a Contact List and 15 Protocol pages on the coded and formatted with cut-lines for front sides of these pages. Print the Flipchart Instruc- printing for the Individual Flipchart tions, 14 more protocol pages, and first Appendix page on the back sides of the pages. Do not attempt Binders that will be distri-buted to to adjust headers/footers as this may affect cut your staff.* The wording should be ex- lines. If you have problems with overlays, consult actly the same in these templates as in the Flipchart Order/Increments/Colors file on the the computer versions in (b) above, CD. Do not cut pages before printing both sides! 3. All printers are different. Please test print pages on however, the formatting is quite different plain paper, one-at-a-time. Open a color Flipchart to accommodate the sizes of the actual file (Sections 4-8+0). Go to (Page 1),* then to File flipchart pages which are graduated in Menu; Print, Print Range, Current Page, OK; to print length and overlaid in the binders. Take the page you are on with holes on top. Go to (page 17)* to print back of page 1, as above – Current care in re-formatting or adding word- Page, OK, to determine how to feed pages. Back ing so that the protocol instructions pages must print with text upside-down exactly be- can fit fully on the pages and still be hind front page print with holes on bottom in order legible. These should be printed on a col- to “flip” in the binders. If your printer prints last or printer (see printing instructions in page first; feed order will need to be changed. 4. Once you determine direction/order, open each sidebar). Flipchart file (Secs. 4-8+0). Load 16 blank pages into color printer. Go to File Menu, Print, Page * Please plan to purchase the Individual Flipchart Range, type in Pages: (1-16);* click OK. Then, turn Protocol binders from OCE. These are custom top- printed pages over and upside-down from the front ring flip-up binders designed for this purpose with side (as determined in Step 3); type in Pages (17- blank pre-punched cardstock pages included (See or- 32);* click OK, to print the back sides through first der form). Appendix page. Print the remaining Appendix pages on only the front side of the pages (Type in Pages Please be aware of the Functional Protocol for Media (33-38);* click OK. These pages need not be on Crisis. Because of its size in some of the Flipcharts, it cardstock. is included in the Appendix (30) as (A1) instead of 5. Once printed, cut lines should line up on both sides with the other Functional Protocols. The Archdioce- of pages. Cut each card using a paper cutter or photo san Media Protocol is included in the Master and Ad- cutter for best results and install in binders. ministrator Protocols. *Page numbers in parentheses (1-17)* refer to computer page numbers at the bottom left of screen in MSWord.

5. The Response Plan, Section 9 involves discussions of how the school will fit into the Na- tional Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command Structure (ICS) that is covered in the Appendix of the Master Protocols (Section 3, A2), and all Individual Ready-Ref- erence Flipcharts (Sections 4-8 +0, A2). In order to be “NIMS-Compliant,” the plans must make all faculty and staff aware of the NIMS structures used by emergency responders.

The Response Plan also addresses how the school’s Crisis Response Team (CRT) will track drills, exercises and crisis events (see Section 9 for Response Plan Templates [checklists] for various types of incidents). This system forms the formal response plan as designated under the United States Department of Education and Jane’s Safe School Planning Models. A staff member should be designated in advance to serve as a recorder during emergency situations. This person (or backup) begins filling in the appropriate checklists as quickly as possible during a drill, exercise or an actual crisis event. The tracking program can be used in hand-written form, or it can be developed into a digital form. An, alternative to the checklists is to have a staff member keep a running narrative of actions as they occur.

6. Discuss the Crisis Recovery Plan (Section 11) to ensure the continuation of vital emotional and cognitive processes in the event that a major crisis event affects the psyche of students, faculty and staff. This planning should include the selection of a mental health crisis team that can be called in following a crisis either from the Archdiocese (Catholic Charities) or a local mental health provider. If the archdiocesan team is chosen, the Protocol for Utilizing the Catholic Charities Crisis Response Team from Section 11 of the templates should be included in the Master Protocol Plan (2) as well as the Planning Binder, Section 11. If another provider is used, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the provider should be included in the plan (sample provided) before a crisis occurs so that terms and services to be provided are clear. The template describes a three-phase process of recovery. Please use this planning template to determine in advance as closely as possible, the steps the school will take toward recovery following a crisis that affects mental health.

7. Please be aware of the Exercise Templates available in Section 12, Exercise Plan. An Emergency Operations Plan is not fully implemented until it has been tested. You may want to work with local emergency responders to utilize appropriate exercises to test your plan. Schedule drills and exercises each year and place dates on the school’s internal calendar. This section recognizes four (4) types of exercises and provides several examples of and tips for conducting each type: a. Drill. A drill is used to test a specific function such as a fire, lockdown, tornado or earthquake. Drills are most often a single agency exercise and are required by law in Indiana. Drills remain the most common and most important type of exercise to test the plans and ensure safety. b. Tabletop exercise. A tabletop exercise is a low-cost, low-stress, interactive group activity done in a meeting room and utilizing a written scenario to simulate a critical incident. The group uses the Emer- gency Operations Plan to deal with the simulated crisis. Tabletops may be multi-agency exercises. c. Functional exercise. A functional exercise is an enhanced tabletop exercise that involves the use of messaging slips to add difficulty to and simulate stress in an exercise using the EOP. Functional exercises are conducted in a “real time” fashion which adds realism and increases difficulty. d. Full scale exercise. This is normally the most complex type of exercise to develop and should never be attempted without conducting drills and at least one tabletop or functional exercise prior to the full- scale exercise. Full-scale exercises pose certain risks, and many safety precautions need to be in

place. It is especially critical to work with your local emergency management agency to have a safe and effective full-scale exercise. Elementary students should not be involved in full-scale exercises.

The Janes/Safe Havens® Templates include a School Emergency Operations Exercise Guide. The guide includes information, tips and cautions on the types of exercises listed above along with critical incident scenarios and other tools that you can use to test your completed plans. This guide should be maintained as part of the Planning Binder in Sec- tion 12.

8. Survey and Feedback Forms are provided in Section 13 as developed by Jane’s Informa- tion Group and may be used: . Before plan development, as a benchmark of safety and an indicator of possible problems to be ad- dressed. . Once the plan is initially deployed to measure any change in perceptions of safety the plan may cause. . Yearly or every few years, to monitor the progress of the plan in improving the perception of safety and to identify any additional problem areas.

OCE recommends periodic surveying of students, parents, faculty and staff using archdiocesan developed and scored satisfaction surveys that cover a range of issues including school safety. Administrators may feel a need to go more deeply into safety issues with the surveys in Section 13. Caution is required, however, in that many of the behaviors/situations de- scribed in these safety surveys are very uncommon in our schools and may lead survey par- ticipants to believe that such problems are part of everyday life in the school. Please com- pare these surveys to the OCE satisfaction surveys before using, to determine if ade- quate information can be gained from the OCE surveys. Alternative safety surveys are available from OCE as well upon request.

7. Please be aware of Additional Planning Tools that may be appropriate to include in your Planning Binder. These are not in the main Indiana School Safety Templates, but are included as separate files on the CD. These include: a. Sample School Safety Plan Evaluation Tool b. Sample Letters for various situations (to be customized for local use) c. Business Continuity Planning Tools

Final Reminders Keep in mind that the Planning Binder, Master Protocol Binders and Individual Flipchart Binders are not public documents. These should be stored in secure, but convenient places for ready-reference and protected with passwords on computers. However, the fact that the safety plan exists, that it addresses multiple hazards, and that it is a more sophisticated way to protect children in a crisis than we had available in the past, should be widely publicized and a source of pride in the school/parish community. The Prevention-Mitigation Plan, Section 2 is also appropriate for sharing with constituents.

NOTE: Next Spring, 2010 you will need to file a copy of your completed Administrator Flipchart with OCE with your school opening forms. This, along with your annual safety plan revision letter will be used by OCE to certify your new emergency preparedness plan to the state as required by law.

A finalized EOP Master Protocol Binder for each school needs to be on file at the Office of Catholic Education and an annual letter certifying that the plan has been reviewed and/or revised is to be filed each year with OCE with the school opening forms. This is a legal requirement for accreditation.

Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Master Protocol binders with color-coded dividers as well as the EOP Individual Ready-Reference Flipchart binders with top-punched blank cardstock pages ready for printing the Individual Flipchart Templates in color customized for the school, are available to make planning easier and more consistent. These have been purchased at a volume discount by OCE for resale to schools that have completed the training (see the order form on the CD).

Joe Peters at the Office of Catholic Education is an Indiana School Safety Specialist has worked with these planning materials and may be able to help you with your questions or get answers from the Indiana Department of Education or other sources.

You can reach him at [email protected], 236-1430, or toll-free at (800)382-9836.

Files on the revised CD-Rom, November 2008 (This CD supersedes all previous versions)

 School Safety Plan Templates Final 2008*  1 Letter to Principals-Safety Templates 1108  2 READ ME FIRST OCE Instructions Rev 1108.DOC 3 School Safety Binders OCE Order Form.XLS 4 School Safety Wkshp Attendance Matrix.XLS  5 School Safety TSS Survey Facilitators 1108.DOC  6 School Safety Master Protocol Color Divider Index.DOC  School Safety IN PLAN DEV TEMPLATES 07 OCE rev 08F.DOC  Section 4 Administrator Color Flipchart 08F.DOC  Section 5 Faculty & Staff Color Flipchart 08F.DOC  Section 6 Custodians Color Flipchart 08F.DOC  Section 7 Bus Driver-Sprvsr Color Flipchart O8F.DOC  Section 8 After Hours Events Color Flipchart 08F.DOC  Section 0 Food Service Staff Color Flipchart 08F.DOC  Section X Blank Color Flipchart Template.DOC  Section XX Color Flipchart Sections-Increments-colors 08F.DOC

 School Safety Template Training Materials  School Safety Basic Overview 0507.PPT  School Safety Plan #1 Prevention-Mitigation Plan 07.PPT  School Safety Plan #2 EOP Plan Dev Templates 07.PPT  School Safety Plan #3 Response Plan 07.PPT  School Safety Plan #4 Recovery Plan 07.PPT  School Safety WS Handouts Rev 1008.PDF  Tactical Site Survey Instructions Rev 08.DOC  Tactical Site Survey Trainer Slideshow SH04.PPT

*Jane’s/Safe Havens International School Safety Plan Development Templates® Incorporating Version 2.0 Revised August 1, 2007 by Safe Havens International ®

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