Crisis Management Stages
Crisis management is the series of steps organizations take to prepare for, address, and recover from catastrophic events.
Preparation
Preparation begins with forming crisis management teams that include educators, teachers, staff members, public safety experts such as fire and police personnel, first responders, and the school board's attorney.
The next step in preparation is a facility safety audit of buildings' physical structures and layout and surrounding traffic patterns (Kowalski 2011). Audits should be based on relevant policies and information related to crises and physical infrastructure issues. This phase should also consider flaws in processes or facilities that could be vulnerable to or contribute to crises.
The results of the safety audits guide the development of the crisis preparation plans. Sickler (2020) suggests that plans include input from internal and external stakeholders and identify a primary spokesperson, communication media, decision-making protocols, and contingency plans. Kowalski (2011) adds that teams should share site plans, including such information as floor plans, entrances, windows, utilities, and alarm systems, with first responders and officials of appropriate agencies. Moreover, plans should identify potential areas of crisis, establishing the roles and responsibilities of personnel, and how the staff is to become acquainted with and trained in the implementation of the plans.
Preparing teachers, staff, and students to implement steps of the crises plan is an essential responsibility of SBOs and other education leaders. This phase should cover initial orientation, training, and practice to ensure that all personnel are aware of and can implement plans successfully once plans are developed.
As part of crisis plans, communication strategies and protocols should be in place to identify the designated primary communicator and who is the backup.
Once plans are developed, the staff is prepared, appropriate resources are identified, and training has occurred. Because crises responses are often deemed successful or unsuccessful based on how much preparation was initially in place. This emphasizes the need for a quality plan and ongoing training for teachers, staff, and students.
Crisis Response
The next phase of crisis management, often called crisis response, occurs as a crisis unfolds, and plans are implemented. District leaders must behave calmly and effectively during an actual crisis; leaders must remain calm, communicate with confidence, and acquire as many facts about the situations as quickly as possible. Because initial reports can be misleading, on-site leaders need to gather as much information as possible, asking open-ended questions to determine whether the situation actually identifies as a crisis. Then, leaders should act quickly, but not hastily or in a panic mode, as they direct the crisis response.
One of the key parts of crisis responses is communication to internal and external stakeholders. As part of crisis plans, communication strategies and protocols should be in place to identify who is designated as the primary communicator and who is a backup. Leaders must gather facts and send accurate messages to stakeholders, the media, and the community at large, if so warranted. Names of those who may have been injured or killed should not be released until families are first notified per advice from the board attorney and, if need be, public officials.
Types of Crises
The types of potential school crises are extensive, ranging from incidents of violence, including gunshots, student and faculty deaths, acts of civil disobedience, natural disasters such as flooding, tornados, fires, and suicides, to name a few. Crises that can befall schools are impossible to predict.
A case in point is the most recent crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the potential of a pandemic was always present, COVID-19 was neither anticipated nor expected. The extent of the pandemic has put all organizations and people into crisis response modes that have proven to be traumatic and costly in both life and property.
To say that all organizations were prepared for COVID-19 is unrealistic; however, thanks to the wise leadership of SBOs, their boards, and other educational leaders, many school systems were able to mitigate the situation to the extent that schooling could continue for many students nationwide.
Of course, the pandemic has yet to end, but it appears that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As a result, SBOs and other education leaders must begin thinking about post-crisis responses.
The main purpose of the recovery phase of crisis plans is to restore school operations to normal as rapidly and safely as possible. This phase should evaluate what occurred and review the deployed crisis plan to assess its relative success. Every effort should be made to modify facilities such as improving security infrastructure, policies, procedures, and other operational aspects that can return school operations to normal and provide students with instructional opportunities.
Consideration must be given to the well-being of teachers, staff, and students as they return to school environments. Support and assistance are likely to be needed because of the significant disruption that occurred. Individuals may be suffering from stress and anxiety in the wake of this crisis, thus impeding personal and organizational recovery. Consequently, SBOs and other educational leaders must pay attention not only to their plans and facilities but, more importantly, to their people.
Recommendations
Post-crisis activities and leadership are influenced by the policies and procedures put in place before a crisis. If the staff planned well and was adequately prepared, crisis mitigation activities are enhanced. To better deal with crises, education leaders may want to consider the following recommendations:
Before Crises
- Form broad-based crisis policy-writing teams to develop and update quality plans.
- Conduct regular safety and security audits of school facilities.
- Inform school personnel about board and building-level crisis plans by including plans in faculty and staff handbooks.
- Provide professional development sessions to prepare staff for crises.
- Conduct drills regularly to ensure that staff and students know what to do during crises.
During Crises
- During crises, leaders should implement their plans while communicating as much as reasonably possible throughout all stages of crises.
Post-Crises
- Ensure the well-being of students, staff, and communities by offering counseling and other restorative practices while repairing physical damage to facilities and infrastructure.
- Evaluate and, if necessary, update policies after crises pass.
Conclusion
Regardless of how well-prepared school communities are for crises, they could not have anticipated the extent of the current pandemic. Response by school leaders varied in terms of providing instruction to students, prompt implementation, and the relative success of plans. SBOs, their boards, and other educational leaders, along with students, and parents did the best they could to ensure ongoing educational opportunities for students.
A primary aspect of post-crisis behavior is the support of and consideration for what might happen next. While the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its conclusion, wise education leaders will remember the lessons they learned by revising their plans to ensure success when the inevitable future crises arise.
References
Kowalski, T. Public Relations in Schools. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2011.
Sicker, J. Crisis Management and Communication—7 Steps to Control a Crisis. ReputationManagement.com. blog. August 17, 2021. www.reputationmanagement.com/blog/crisis-management.