ABSTRACT
Crises can arise anyplace and at any time. A crisis at a school, even more so than a crisis at home, requires special attention and specialized communication efforts. A crisis may include criminal acts or serious threats of criminal acts such as shootings, knifings, bombings, bomb threats, arson, kidnapping, or rape. Crises also occur because of public health concerns, such as Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A crisis situation may instead involve natural disasters such as blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, or floods. Every school district and every school within every school district must have a plan for responding to crisis situations. An essential consideration in designing a crisis management plan is that it be highly structured. Lack of structure could lead an otherwise manageable crisis situation to become chaotic. A Code Red/Lockdown Alert is sounded if there is a suspected armed intruder or active shooter on campus or in the neighborhood.
