Schools and the Rapid Response Team For many

For many years, educators believed that when an emergency arose in the schools, a 911 phone call was all that was needed to handle the situation. Beginning with the tragic events in Littleton, Colorado, however, educators are now asking themselves: What is our duty of care until the emergency responders arrive (Hull 2000)? A number of educators and policy makers have come to the inescapable conclusion that when a school crisis emerges, the ôduty of careö entrusted to these public institutions mandates the development of what is known as a ôrapid response teamö that consists of school staff who have been specifically trained to respond to, control, and even ameliorate a crisis (Hull, 2000). This brief review of literature will consider what kinds of plans and actions are needed to ensure that a school can field a rapid response team (RRT) in the event of an emergency û emergencies that can range from gun-related violence to hostage-taking to bomb threats and beyond, each involving a threat to the safety and well-being of students, faculty and other stakeholders.

The problem is of significance. Lenckus (2001) reported that from 1992 through mid-May 2001, 240 students and adults were killed in shootings on or near school grounds in the United States. That number includes 56 suicides. Stabbing deaths ranked second, with 44 students and adults dying of stab wounds received at schools. At least 236 lawsuits were filed against schools in t

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vities in much the same manner that they practice fire drills. Integral to creating and effective RRT and plan is upgrading intercom systems to facilitate communication throughout the entire school plant, and ensuring that all classroom or other doors can be locked from inside during a lockdown situation to help contain violence and reduce the risk to all stakeholders. Lenckus (2001) offers the following additional elements to be included in a rapid response protocol: Evaluate whether windows and classroom doors are small enough to prevent an intruder from entering during a lockdown; Ensure that the RRT has provided local police and fire departments with detailed school maps so emergency personnel can quickly plan on how to enter and exit a facility during an incident; Create a mechanism for accounting for all students and faculty members/staff; Have a way to get information out to parents and media quickly, and sufficient hand-held communication devices available for RRT members and all adults; Arrange for police and fire officials to be present during lockdown and evacuation drills, and ensure that the RRT members are able to execute their roles during both types of crisis response drills; Keep the p
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Mike Kennedy, Schonfield Lichtenstein, Department Education, Littleton Colorado, Santee California, RRT Frequent, Education Association, Staff RRT, School District, School Health, rapid response, crisis management, hull 2000, response team, response plan, lenckus 2001, crisis response, rapid response team, school crisis, effective rrt, school district, kline schonfield lichtenstein, trained response techniques, national education association, response plan team,
Approximate Word count = 2315
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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