Crisis Management Plan

When a crisis, such as the death or serious injury of a student or staff member, strikes a school, there is little time to consider the best course of action, or to set up strategies to contact parents. These procedures must be in place and known to all staff well in advance.

The principal, or acting principal, implements the appropriate aspects of the crisis management procedure and forms a crisis management team.

The school has separate planning in place for emergencies and natural disasters, which can also require crisis management.

Make sure that the Crisis Management Plan has been printed, along with the emergency procedures, and is readily available. The plan can be used as a checklist, but is a guide and some flexibility is required.

In the event of sudden death or serious injury to a child or staff member, the school's immediate response should be to dial 111 and involve the appropriate emergency services. Informing the parents or next of kin is usually the responsibility of the NZ Police, who will often involve staff or Victim Support if appropriate. It is possible, however, that the news could reach family members through informal channels, and Crisis Management Planning should be prepared for this.

Resources

• Ministry of Education Guidelines for responding to emergencies or traumatic incidents

Media

The school has appointed the principal or board  presiding member as spokesperson for media contact, although the responsibility may be delegated as appropriate to the circumstances.

In the event of a traumatic incident, effective and appropriate communication with the media and with the school community is crucial, and forms part of the Crisis Management procedure. 

If a member of the media contacts school, they must be referred to the spokesperson. No other person at school is authorised to comment to the media about an incident or issue that affects or involves the school. Explain to the caller that the school's spokesperson will return the call, and record the caller's details, such as their contact details, the organisation they work for, and the general nature of their enquiry. To avoid repeated calls, the initial call could be acknowledged and a time frame given for the response.

The spokesperson should take any necessary time to discuss and/or prepare their response before returning the journalist's call. For a serious issue it may be appropriate to engage a media advisor.

Disaster Management Plan

Immediately following any disaster and evacuation procedure during the school day, the principal, or acting principal, must:

1. Establish a control centre.

2. Appoint a senior staff member to take charge of all activities. Appoint a spokesperson for any media contact.

3. Check the school roll, including all staff and any visitors.

4. Staff the sick bay (or assigned safe area) to handle any injuries.

5. Assess the disaster and decide if school evacuation is required, safe areas are defined and used, or school closure  is deemed necessary.

6. If students are moved to a place of safety offsite, make sure notices are taped in a relevant place advising student location to parents or caregivers who turn up.

7. Make sure that students are only released to parents or caregivers, or an assigned adult, and mark each release on the register.

8. Approve any staff member's departure from the school.

9. Begin planning to support any people unable to leave the school at the end of the day.

After the disaster

If anyone at the school has been seriously injured or killed as a result of the disaster, the principal must employ the crisis management plan.

If a decision was made to close the school, the principal, in conjunction with relevant board members, must assess the circumstances and decide when the school will reopen, and advise the Ministry of Education.

Before the school is reoccupied, the principal must check the condition of the buildings. If there is any structural damage, the principal must arrange for a qualified person to inspect them before reoccupation.

Reviewed 31/10/2022