# Presentation: 151447

## Communicating with Parents/Guardians 

**During a School *****Emergency***
**Virginia Beach City Public Schools**
**Virginia Beach, Virginia**
**Presented by:**
**Richard Ponti, **Director, Safe Schools and Risk Management
**Nancy Soscia, **Public Relations Coordinator, Media and Communications Development

## Background Information 

**Background Information **
**Virginia Beach City Public Schools**

-  **2****ND**** largest**** school  ****    division in Virginia **
**  ****87**** schools/centers**
**  ****75,000**** students**
**  ****11,000 ****employees**
**  ****68,000 ****students  ****    transported daily**
**  ****600 ****school buses**

## __  __ I  T  Happens

**March 25, 2005**	    **Bank Executive Shot to Death. Three Schools in Lockdown as ****	****	****    Police Search for Suspect.**

**May 2, 2005   **         **Shots Near Beach Library Prompts Lockdown in Five Schools.****	****	****   Two Suspects Taken into Custody at Virginia Beach ****	****	****	****   Alternative School.**

**October 20, 2005**   **Three School Buses Struck by Bullets Prompts Lockdown of ****	****	****   Middle School.**

**October 24, 2005**   **Head on Collision With School Bus Leaves One Dead and ****	****	****   One Critically Injured.**

**October 31, 2005**   **Seven Injured in Virginia Beach School Bus Accident- Thirteen ****	****	****   Students Transported to Hospital.**

**November 8, 2005**  **Child Dies After Being Struck By School Bus.**

-  **December 1, 2005**   **Jogger Dies After Being Struck by School Bus.**

##   In order to communicate effectively     during a school emergency you must    have a plan for the three phases.

**  ****In order to communicate effectively   ****  *****during***** a school emergency you must  ****  have a plan for the three phases.**

***  ******Before*** an emergency
***  ******During*** an emergency
***  ******After*** the emergency

## The Best Crisis Communications Plan Starts with Being Prepared.

## Crisis CommunicationsJoint Crisis Communications Plan

- 	In a large-scale crisis, the message communicated to parents requires inter-agency coordination. Due to the complexity of the event, multiple agencies will be involved in crafting the message.
- 		 	 • Police
- 			 • Fire
- 			 • Emergency Medical Services
-  • City Communications
-  • School Communications

## Reviewed and updated during school year.

Tested through an interagency tabletop disaster (Fall 2002).

Field tested on April 11, 2005.

- Tested through an interagency tabletop disaster (Fall 2002).
- Field tested on April 11, 2005.

**Joint City/Schools**
**Crisis Communications Plan**

## Joint Information Center (JIC)During  a School  Emergency/Crisis

- The lead PIO will be from the lead agency, responding to the emergency, or a designee of that agency's choosing.
- The JIC, under the supervision of incident command, will handle all release of information to the media.
- JIC responsibilities will include: staffing of center, identifying a media holding center, identifying appropriate spokespersons, setting up media briefing schedules, writing/approving news releases, and approving message points, release of video footage, and other related material.

## Virginia Beach City Public Schools

***	******EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMMAND STRUCTURE***

## One Critical Target Audience: Parents

**Why did we target parents/guardians?**
**	****Application process for the Emergency ****	****Response and Crisis Management grant ****	****revealed a *****gap***** and *****inconsistencies***** in the ****	*****notification process***** for parents/guardians ****	****during a large-scale school emergency.**
- 	**In other words, we did not have a division-wide plan!**

## What is our message for parents?

-    1.  To **assure** parents that the school division is prepared to           respond to a school emergency.
-    2. To **advise** parents how they can be prepared for a school         emergency.
-    3. To **inform **parents how they can get important information        during a school emergency.
-    4. To **educate** parents about key terms that will be used during          a school emergency (e.g., internal/external lockdowns,
-        shelter-in-place).
-    5. To **provide** parents with guidelines on what will be needed to        pick up their child in the school or at an alternate location        should the school be evacuated.

## Parent School Emergency Guide

**As a ****parent**** how can you **
**be prepared for a **
**school ****emergency****?**

## Parent School Emergency Guide

**Focus is on Educating Parents**
**Internal Lockdown:**** All school interior doors are locked and students are confined to their classrooms and no entry or exit of the school is allowed.  This takes place if there is a threat or possible threat inside the school. **
**	**
**External lockdown****: All school exterior doors are locked. This takes place if the threat is outside of the school. **
**Shelter-in-Place:**** Selecting small, interior rooms in the school, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there until it is safe to release students. **
**Reunification of parents/students:**** Each school has a procedure for helping parents locate their child. Parents will be directed to a specific location where they will be required to show proper identification. **

## How did we distribute the brochure?

- 	• At  the start of the 2005-2006 school year, each 	   school received one brochure per student. 	   		   **83,100 brochures** were printed along with 	  		   10,000 emergency wallet size cards.

## How did we market the brochure?

- 	• **Parent Newsletter- Apple A Day**
**	**• **Employee Newsletter - Kaleidoscope**
**	**• **Municipal cable television station (VBTV)**
**	**•  **Message on Hold (MOH)**
**	**• **Training (School Staff)**
**	****• ** **School division Web site *****www.vbschools.com***
**	**• **Electronic subscription service via e-mail ****	****             (vbschools x-tra)**
-  **	**• **Online Survey**

## Slide 16

## Slide 17

## Online Parent Safe Schools Survey

**October 24 - November 23, 2005**
**Three Questions**
**	**
**	****1.  As a parent, are you aware that should there be an emergency in your ****	****    child's school that you would call 263.1000 to obtain important/updated ****	****    information? **
**	****                              **** ****Yes**  **18.87%****	**** ****No**  **81.13% **
**             ****2.  Do you believe your child's school is prepared to respond appropriately    ****                  should there be an emergency?**
**                                            **** ****Yes** ** **** 73.58%****	****No**  **26.42% **
**             ****3.  Are you a subscriber to vbschools-xtra's School Closings and ****	**** ****                  Cancellations list? **
**  ****	****	****	**** ****Yes** **  64.15% ****	****No** **35.85%**

## Real Life School Emergency

**October 20, 2005**
**Lynnhaven Middle School** - **1400 Students**

## What happened and how we responded.

- 	 • Two bus drivers during their elementary school runs 	    reported that their buses had been hit by an object at 	    2:50 p.m. Middle school dismissal time is 3:40 p.m.
- 	 •**  **A third bus transporting 2 high school students from 	    school reported having a window shot out.
- 	 •  Police immediately respond and placed the school on 	    an external lockdown.
- 	 •  At the same time, the police department receives calls 	    about numerous gun shots that were heard in a 	               neighborhood near the middle school.
- 	 •  Swat Team and K-9 Unit responds.

## What happened and how we responded.

- 	 •  Emergency Hotline (off-site) activated at 4:00 p.m.
- 	 •  Police determine school should remain in an external 	    lockdown until wooded area west of the school grounds 	    is searched.
- 	 •  Department of Media and Communications releases	    message to television stations that building is in a 	  	    lockdown and states that the buses will not be 		    transporting students home. However, students will be
-               released to their parents.
- 	 • Television stations report a "shooter" and encourage 	    parents to pick up students from school.

## What happened and how we responded.

- 	•  Approximately 200 parents report to school to pick up 	   students.
- 	•  Emergency hot line handled approximately 400 incoming 	   phone calls from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
- 	•  At 5:45 p.m. police advise releasing one bus at a time 	   with a police escort for each bus.
- 	•  6:30 p.m. last school bus is released.
- 	•  Last students leave the school at 7:15 p.m.

## Communication After an Emergency

**    **
**   ****Critical information must be delivered to parents.**
- 	 • Determine how best to communicate: letter, Web site, 		meeting
- 	 • Issue facts regarding incident, to include:
- 	 	 • Correct any inaccurate information released by the media
- 	 	 • Share actions taken by school administration
- 	 	 • Provide additional safety precautions in place
- 	 	 • Stress the importance of student safety
- 	•  Ensure that staff members receive the same accurate 	  	information that will be provided to parents.
- 	• Communicate to parents signs of post-traumatic stress, 		services and resources that schools can provide for 		students and parents, and other resources within 		the community.

## Lessons Learned

- As incident unfolds, commander (Police Sergeant-Police Lieutenant-SWAT Lieutenant) can change making it difficult to get a timely message to parents.
- TV reporters can omit important parts of message.
- TV reporters can create unnecessary panic and hysteria.
- Schools need a prearranged staging area for parents and have signage directing parents to area.
- Parents were patient, and appreciative of the efforts of school administration and police.
- Parents used the hotline (263-1000).
- The emergency hotline relieved pressure for school staff.

## Lessons Learned

- 	• Police assistance is needed to keep media away from 	   school grounds during the incident and upon return to 	   school.
- 	**•** Incident at one school can impact multiple schools.
- 	**• **Should have activated the school's answering service 	  with a message directing them to the hotline and 	  	  provided general information about the incident.
- 	**•** Should have used our school division's Web site to 	  	  post the same information we were releasing to the 	   	  media. This would have reduced confusion on the 	 	  particulars of the incident.

## Slide 26

## Questions?

-         *Committed* to providing a *safe **   *
*        **environment* for students, staff, and          visitors.
**Questions?**

## Virginia Beach City Public Schools

**www.vbschools.com**
**Richard Ponti**	richardm.ponti@vbschools.com
**Nancy Soscia**	nancyl.soscia@vbschools.com