9/15

Our second class began with a Q & A format.   It was interesting to listen to and discuss the questions that we posed in the last section of Journal 1. We then focused in on a crisis management plan.  Based on the handout for developing a crisis management plan, we reviewed our groups crisis plans and evaluated its strengths and weaknesses.  Some of the crisis plans were in-depth while others were non-existent.  We were given a sample rubric delineating what should be in a crisis management plan.  A key fact that was emphasized was that an administrator is liable for not only him/herself but also for his/her staff and students. Covering your bases is important. One practical piece of advice that I walked away with from today's class is you can't prevent accidents from happening, but you can have procedures in place to lower the risk.

The assigned readings varied from emergency plans to a ruling with a Vice Principal in a tenure case. In his article, A "fine" relationship: OSHA and Schools, Steve O'Neill discussed safety and unavoidable fines.  All fines that schools receive are all refundable after 2 years when certain conditions of the penalties are met.  OSHA visits are primarily results of employee complaints.  To avoid these fines,   administrators must comply with the safety regulations.  In the article Emergency 101, Susan Grosse discusses the topic of safety procedures and provides scenarios about implementing safety procedures. As an administrator, it is imperative that your staff knows and can perform each emergency procedure effectively.  Accidents will happen.   Knowing what procedures to follow will help to maintain control in a crisis situation.  It is important to reflect after a crisis situation.  Taking time to write down some thoughts about how a particular situation was handled is a good way to evaluate procedure and practice.  If need be, revision must be made.  Sharing information and asking for staff input is both critical and necessary.  The next two readings dealt with a tenure hearing of two vice-principals, Jackus and Gaines.  Jackus and Gaines were charged with not holding two fire drills per month and not telling anyone that the principal was negligent in this matter.  Vice-principals have a duty to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all staff and students. Does this mean that the vice-principal has the responsibility to schedule mandatory fire drills? The tenure charges were dropped; however, the BOE did not know what an acceptable punishment should be. They sent it to the OAL for further investigation. It was found that tenure charges cannot be sustained against them. All job descriptions must accurately reflect the actual functions of a position.  The last reading was from the legal handbook dealing with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Whistleblowers, and disabled teachers. As I was reading through each of these laws, I was familiar with some of them: you have protection against retaliation, and you are to be provided with a safe and healthful work environment.  If you are aware of a violation of a safety standard, it is your responsibility to report it to the Division of Labor Standards and Safety Enforcement. 

As an administrator, it is important to be familiar with the educational laws.  In these classes and my internship program, it has been stated many times that administrators can and will be sued.  If I am unfamiliar with a particular law, I will make sure that I research it before I make a determination.   With regard to procedures, I will always keep my staff cognizant of policy and procedure.  Based on input and reflection, I will continuously revise procedure so that each of my staff members and students are safe during a crisis situation.  Throughout my administrative career, it is important to keep a paper trail of all memos, letters, and notes that I send out.  You never know when you will need them.

 In an article in the Jacksonville News, concerned citizens debated a school safety plan regarding procedures for dealing with a chemical leak. The article outlines the proposed safety plan in the elementary, extended day program, and high schools. A shelter-in-place at designated areas was the crux of the safety plan.  After much discussion, evaluation of the facilities, and committee review, the BOE accepted the recommendations and will investigate funding for implementing the safety program. 

Education and the law are linked.  If you do not have physical evidence like a paper trail of what went on in a particular situation, what are your chances of winning a court case?    What criteria should you use when forming a crisis management committee?  Does it show weakness as an administrator that you don't know every law?    How should you react in a situation when a law is cited and you are unfamiliar with it?

9/8

Why and how to plan security for students and staff was the focus for the lecture and activity of the first class. As administrators, the problem of school safety must be addressed both in immediate and long term perspectives. Prevention as well as intervention strategies are crucial in establishing a safe yet positive and engaging environment for both staff and students. In addition to raising awareness among the school personnel, parents and community, administrators need the collaboration and support of all to ensure safe schools. The policies, strategies and crisis guidelines must be tailored to the physical layout and needs of the district school. Through the discussions, I have become more aware of the responsibilities and obligations of an administrator regarding school safety and the importance of crisis planning, options, and considerations needed for implementing an effective safety-emergency management plan.

The assigned articles by author Michael Dorn were enlightening, pragmatic, and informative. In his first article, Emergency Evacuation kit Revisited, Dorn encourages the assembly of an emergency evacuation kit. The availability of a kit contained valuable emergency equipment and information will aid an administer and his/her team in responding quickly and efficiently during a crisis. It is amazing how such a simple, practical, and thoughtful assembled container could become the critical communication link in a crisis situation. In his second article, Bomb Threat Basics, Dorn reminds his readers of the growing incidents of bomb threats and explosive devices in the schools. Information about explosives and assembling them is easily accessible and voluminous on the Internet. Dorn proposes a plan that can aid schools in decreasing the threat level. He contends that administrators must acknowledge that a crisis situation can exist, must rely on expert input and intervention, and must devise a comprehensive strategy that when executed will make a disastrous situation seem routine. In the third article, School Safety Planning: How Does Your School Safety Plan Measure up to the New Mode? The author stresses the need for schools to continuously review their crisis intervention plans. He provides extensive criteria for evaluating, maintaining and improving existing models. I now realize that ultimately school safety is one of the most crucial issues that face administrators daily. Knowing that you are providing the safest environment for the students in your school encompasses the preparation, implementation, practice reflection and revision of school safety planes.

It is important, I feel, to digest and review new information before using it haphazardly. I think as an administrator, it is important to set up a team to evaluate the safety plan on file. The team must include an administrator, teacher parent, custodian, police and fire officers. After discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the existing plan, it would be necessary to align a new plan with the current needs of the school. When completed, presenting the plan to the staff for feedback is crucial, for teachers and staff who have some say in the process will be more apt to accept it and implement it as their own.

In and interesting article in School Administrator entitled Sorting Safety Consultants from Pretenders, Kenneth S. Trump cautions administrators to thoroughly investigate outside consultants, "experts," services, and products before relying on them. Trump states that "security and crisis preparedness measures too often are pitted against prevention and intervention programs." Trump believes that the more crucial question should be how to balance more prevention and tighter security. It is important for an administrator to have a thorough knowledge of the existing crisis policies and plans, to provide training for staff members, to be cognizant of other school plans, and to evaluate what equipment meets the needs of the school. Often times, outside individuals do not know the needs of the school and staff and are more concerned with "selling a plan or product" rather than candidly giving you what is needed. I have come to realize that caution, scrutiny, and knowledge are key for an astute administer.

It is vital that a school has a security model, which is examined and revised continuously to meet the changes of the school and its members. How much information about a security plan should staff and public have? In my district, there is a crisis strategy; however, the staff does not have a physical copy of the plan. Teachers are able to view it. How effective is this type of plan awareness? Why would school policy prohibit faculty and staff to possess a copy of a crisis plan.