# Presentation: 724362

## UPPER DARBYSAFE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP

## PROJECT CO-DIRECTORS

- Annette Brandolini
- Director of Pupil Services
-  Upper Darby School District
- Timothy Boyce
- Captain
- Upper Darby Fire Department
- January 10, 2006

## UPPER DARBY COMMUNITY

- 24 schools  (13 public & 11 non-public):
- 10 are part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Located on the border of West Philadelphia.
- 8 square miles with a population of 90,000.
- 18,000 students:
- 3 high schools totaling 6,000 students  - 4,000 students in Upper Darby High School
- Delaware County Memorial Hospital is adjacent to the high schools

## SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY

- STUDENTS
- TEACHERS
- AIDES
- VISITORS
- COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
- SCHOOL AS A SHELTER
- ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

## UPPER DARBY SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION

- 1,736 special education students. This total represents:
- 5 Emotional support programs
- 4 Autistic support programs
- 1 Multiple handicapped classroom
- 7 Life skills classrooms
- 200+ Students with refugee status.
- 434   English language learners.
- 40     Languages represented.

## SAFE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP

- Public and private schools
- Local governmental agencies
- Office of behavioral health
- County government
- District attorney's office
- United States attorney's office
- Joint Terrorism Task Force

## PLANNING FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS - LESSONS LEARNED

- Communication is essential to understanding the problem and finding solutions.
- Involve administrators, teachers, and parents in the planning process.
- Practice your plan frequently and everywhere.
- Learn from the mistakes.
- Never forget that it is our responsibility to have a recovery plan in place.

## CONDUCT A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

- THREATS:
- Protecting students for an extended time
- OPPORTUNITIES:
- Conducting multi-hazard drills
- WEAKNESSES:
- Understanding the capabilities of responders
- STRENGTHS:
- Implementing new training techniques and management tools

## CRISIS MANAGEMENT PHASES

- PREVENTION
- PLANNING
- RESPONSE
- RECOVERY

- Consequence
- Vulnerability
- Threat

## PREVENTION

- A working partnership is critical:
- Know your risks
- Physical Tools:
- Deter
- Delay
- Deny
- What affect do these tools have on students with special needs?

## PREVENTION

- Conduct focus groups with parents of students with special needs.
- Cross train shelter schools to deal with students with special needs.
- Consult with teachers and other experts in the field.
- Train emergency responders on the best practices for managing individuals with special needs.

##  PLANNING

- Planning is a proactive process.
- Involves effort:
- Money
- Talent
- Time
- All must be respected
- Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) grant has allowed us to expand our Safe Schools Plan to better meet the needs of special groups.

## RESPONSE

- Based on the "Plan."
- Keep the choices simple and clear:
- Evacuate
- Shelter
- Lockdown
- Special needs response requires more training. Don't count on heroics.

## RESPONSE

- Events that occur during the response will exacerbate the problem for students with special needs.
- Realistic, controlled training is the only way you will discover some challenges.

## SHELTER 

- Most serious events will require leaving school grounds for shelter.
- Responders will focus on the emergency first.
- Sheltering will fall largely on school staff:
- Shelter schools may not deal regularly with your special needs population.
- Students will be out of their familiar environment.
- Regular faculty may be unable to continue care.
- Emotional students can greatly disrupt shelters.
- Expect medical emergencies to occur in shelters.

## SHELTER IN PLACE ISSUES

- Special needs populations may not be able to endure extended stress situations**. **
- Shelters may require special foods, water, & medicine.
- Plan special areas  for:
- Counseling
- Medical treatment
- Personal care issues
- Anticipate the needs that will develop as the event continues**:**
- Transportation-Relief-Staff** **

## ERCM GRANT - SELECTED ACTIVITIES

- Hold focus groups with parents of students with special needs.
- Hold a series of meetings with teachers/staff of students with special needs, as well as expert consultants to better understand their needs in an emergency and related issues.
- Research, develop, pilot test, and refine and train personnel to use protocols that address special populations in Upper Darby public and non-public schools.
- Coordinate a plan to deliver medicines to disabled students during lockdowns.
- Work with mental health system to develop approaches for working with special populations during the recovery phase.