K-12 Schools

Administrators, Support Personnel, and Teacher Roles in Disaster Response and Recovery

Elsewhere we have prepared detailed information on children’s disaster response and recovery and discussed the ways in which schools can play a central role in facilitating the recovery journeys of students and their families, with specific recommendations for teachers and administrators. Following are some additional recommendations for various school-based groups in their disaster-related roles.

Administrators:

Get input from a crisis team before making decisions
Conduct faculty meetings
Verify facts and tell the truth
Be visible, available, and approachable
Don’t be afraid to show emotion
Empower staff and students
Accept outside help when needed
Keep everyone updated
Help the staff understand that the crisis becomes the curriculum, and relax school expectations about such things as homework and dress codes.

Support Personnel:

Give permission for a range of emotions
Help faculty first
Recognize the individual crisis history of each person and the role it may play in each individual’s reaction to the disaster
Inform and educate parents
Locate additional help, and keep record of who was seen and any concerns
Resist testing/placement immediately after a disaster or relocation, because academic regression is expected.

Teachers:

Emphasize coping strategies
Be patient regarding academic performance, as trauma affects learning ability
Help students remember positives about deceased friends and loved ones
Help students communicate with victims’ families or with their
Prepare students for funerals and what is to come regarding the rebuilding of their communities.

This material is excerpted and modified from the following sources:

»Brock, S., Lazarus, P., & Jimerson, S. (2002). “Best practices in school crisis prevention and intervention.” »Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

»La Greca, A. (2005). “After the storm: Hurricane season 2005,” available on line at www.7-Dippity.com.

»Poland, S. (1999). Coping with Crisis: Lessons for Schools and Communities. Sopris West. (pdf)

Kansas State University provides this 3 page article titled Children May Experience Long Term Effects of Disaster which explores general events that may bring about fear for children, tips for parents, tips for teachers and defines types of violence in the household.