How to Prepare for and Respond to a Crisis

This booklet presents information on school-crisis management, based on the work of a New Haven, Connecticut, regional crisis team that was initially created to address the mental-health needs of school children during the Persian Gulf War. The goals of the regional crisis committee were to develop a school-crisis intervention model, train school-district personnel, and promote and coordinate emergency mental-health services and resources. The book presents assumptions and logic necessary for dealing with a crisis; a general model and practical guidelines to prepare schools for crisis situations; and information on implementing a crisis plan in the face of an actual crisis. Suggestions for providing clinical support for students and developing an integrated mental-health delivery system are also offered. Five figures are included. Appendices contain a list of committee members; guidelines for developing a school-crisis plan; and sample plans, forms, checklists, and resources for use in crisis training, preparation, and response, including vignettes for crisis-team planning. (Contains 23 references.) (LMI)