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The author of this paper s employed by the (Blank) which is located in Texas and teaches at (blank) Elementary school. Upon review of the Policy and Procedures booklet, it appears that has addressed the numerous emergency issues. The question is, DO(BLANK)S schools implement the stated plans Obviously, since there are over 25 (28) schools in the system, the author of this paper can only respond to his immediate school situation ( blank website). As Stephen Covey states, Plan your week, each week, before the week begins (Covey, 2005, p. 162).
It is very important as educators that we are prepared, both mentally and physically. Every aspect of the school day must be organized in such a way that anyone can come into that particular classroom and be able to function without a hitch. In these plans- faculty meetings, lunch schedules, school assemblies, building maintenance, teachers curricula, and so forth- principals must adhere to the organizing of all imminent school emergencies. After the United States was attacked on September 1 1, 2001 , stakeholders attitudes toward their schools intensified.
It is no longer acceptable to have poorly planned or no procedures in place at all. They must be planned, integrated and practiced before any crisis occurs. As Stephen Covey stated above, be prepared. Mrs.. Smith, the school principal, stated, I want everyone in my school to be prepared for any situation. I would hate for something to happen and we not be prepared for it. That would stick with me forever. (S. Smith, personal communication, March 20, 2009). With this type of outlook and concern for the school population, it is apparent that Elementary school has prepared for many unforeseen situations.
Several of Elementary Schools crisis management procedures will be addressed and evaluated. It is apparent that there will be minor altercations that can lead to major skirmishes f left unattended, it is important to have solid discipline policies in place that everyone can read and understand. Through ‘SD, Elementary School has a thorough plan in place to follow. As an employee of ‘SD, it is from the first hand knowledge of the author of this paper to know that the district distributes a Student Code of Conduct Policies manual to all of its faculty, students, and parents.
A letter of acknowledgement is signed and returned by each student and his/her parent to the school, which in turn forwards a copy to the district. This assures and equates to a district-wide agreement of the systems procedures and policies. Policy violations, such as fighting, profanity, harassment, cutting class, or any constant minor problems, can result in In-School Suspension (SIS) from one to three days. This approach to discipline problems has proven effective for many students. However, many times this tactic has not deterred any bad behavior.
When this occurs with a Related Policies, 2008). KIDS has a unique approach to the handling of the ZOOS situation (kids. Org). This district has setup a completely separate campus for those individuals who commit serious or continuous violations of school policies. A detent that is assigned to ZOOS is usually a repeat offender of minor violations. On the other hand, more serious offenses can receive immediate short termed ZOOS assignments. The ZOOS sentence can be from three days up to ten days, depending on the wrongdoing.
The infractions can include and are not limited to such unacceptable behaviors as inappropriate sexual behavior, possession of tobacco or alcohol on campus, any gang clothing or signing and thief. The problem with ZOOS is that it places middle school age children on the streets replacing the structured, safe school environment. (Student Code, 2008) According to the State of Texas Department of Education (2008), there are some offenses that can cause immediate school expulsion.
These major wrongdoings are known as zero-tolerance offenses that carry a mandatory one-year expulsion from all KIDS schools. Parents can petition the school board for an appeal if they are not in agreement with the penalties or feel that the process was not handled fairly. These infractions are, but not limited to, physical or sexual assault, possessing a firearm, drug possession for use or sell, and gang assault. This policy is used as a deterrent for excessively harmful behavior (TEA. Com). School locations occur when there is a threat to the safety and well being of everyone at the school.
Bad choices by students that can result in the harm of anyone in the school Carrying a gun or knife to school, reported drug possessions in the school, dangerous community situations such as, neighborhood robberies, police stand-offs, hazardous chemical exposures, and other unsafe situations result in aforementioned locations. All locations at Elementary School are taken very seriously. About once a month, school administrators implement a Lockwood drill. One of the principals announces over the intercom system that, This is a Lockwood.
Please perform all necessary procedures (Mrs.. Mary Smith, Elementary School assistant principal, personal communication, March 20, 2009). Students in the hall are required to report immediately to the nearest classroom. There is an assigned response team that has been trained and informed of numerous situations. The three principals have assigned positions. The hall supervisors are assigned to monitor their zones and report their location and status every fives minutes via two way radios. Lastly, the teachers have all children quietly seated with lessons still in process.
At the appropriate time, one of the principals will return to the intercom and says, All clear. These practices lead to proficiency. While locations are performed monthly, fire drills are conducted twice a month. The State Department of Texas states, It shall be the duty give at least one fire drill each month during the term and three additional safety drills during the school year (State of Texas Department of Education, 2008, statute 10-5-201). However, THIS requires more than the state minimum. Each principal must send a monthly confirmation form reporting the completion of two drills.
The fire drill procedure is as follows Upon the fire alarm, all teachers cease instruction and have the students quietly form a single file line All classroom doors are to be closed when exiting and teachers are to carry their attendance records Classes should report to assigned areas, remaining in their lines ringing of the school bell, teachers will escort students back to their classrooms. (Mrs.. Shelley Wordbooks, Dixie Elementary School assistant principal, personal communication, March 21, 2006) This procedure has been proven to be very effective.
This is the same procedure that is followed for bomb threats or any immediate evacuation. It is difficult to keep the students quiet and serious while escorting them outside. Any changes from their normal routine causes the children to get excited and talkative. However, this is a necessary event in the schools routine. There is a lot of time and dedication that goes along with the planning of the schools emergency plan. The individuals who volunteer their time seemed to be concerned about the well being of the students that have been entrusted in their care. Mrs..
Word, even spends extra time with the lifestyle class, which includes wheelchair and other handicapped children. The administration staff is very devoted to the faculty ND staff. The time and effort that is put into these drills would prepare any school to be ready for misfortunes. Let it be noted, many areas of concern are addressed by Dixie Elementary School and its administration. However, the author of this paper acknowledges several shortcomings or deficiencies in the schools emergency plan. Upon review of Arizona emergency plan, Texas plan is deficient in a couple of areas.
First, Texas needs better-printed guidelines. In comparison, Arizona does a complete and accurate Job describing procedures and expectations from its administrators and stakeholders. The Arizona Integrated School Plan has three comprehensiveness (violence, substance abuse, and threat assessment), response (site emergency response plan and district operations plan), and recovery (critical incident stress management and physical resources). The author of this paper has no knowledge of any such set-up in Texas.
Secondly, the critical information that was so impressive was the ten precautions to observe under the Terrorism Information section. Nothing of this caliber is listed under the Texas procedures. It is important that crisis management procedures be established and implemented before a crisis occurs and circumstances warrant such a drastic response. When the school administrator combines with the many stakeholders to invent the most practical, efficient plan to concentrate on possible scenarios in a school environment the overall success of the program is high.