I.    PURPOSE

The purpose of this Crisis and Emergency Management Policy is to serve as a guide for School District administration, building administrators, school employees, students, School Board members, and community members to address a wide range of potential crisis situations in the District. The procedures outlined in this policy will provide guidance to each school building in developing crisis management processes to coordinate protective actions prior to, during, and after any type of emergency or potential crisis situation.

The District will, to the extent possible, engage in ongoing emergency planning with school and building leaders and with first responders and other relevant community organizations. The District will ensure that relevant first responders in the community have access to the District’s crisis management procedures and will provide training to District staff to enable them to act appropriately in the event of a crisis.

II.    GENERAL INFORMATION

1. The Policy and Procedures
   
   The District’s Crisis and Emergency Management Policy has been created in consultation with local community response agencies and other appropriate individuals and groups that would likely be involved in the event of a school emergency. It is designed so that each school and building administrator has comprehensive and consistent Districtwide emergency procedures to address specific emergency situations and needs resulting from those situations.
   
   The District’s Administration shall maintain Districtwide emergency procedures. This shall include general crisis and emergency response procedures and also crisis-specific procedures. This policy and the crisis and emergency procedures will be updated, and staff will be trained on these procedures, on an annual basis by District Administration.
    
2. Elements of the District Crisis and Emergency Management Policy
    
   1. General Crisis Procedures. The Crisis and Emergency Management Policy includes general crisis procedures for securing buildings and for keeping students and staff safe in all situations. The policy designates the individual(s) who will determine when these actions will be taken. These Districtwide procedures may be modified by building administrators, as appropriate for building-specific situations. A communication system will be in place to enable the designated individual to be contacted at all times in the event of a potential crisis, setting forth the method to contact the designated individual, the provision of at least two designees when the contact person is unavailable, and the method to convey contact information to the appropriate staff persons. The alternative designees may include members of the District’s emergency response team. Additional methods of communication shall be included in the procedures for use when the primary methods of communication are inoperable. Each school and building leadership team member in the District will have access to the emergency procedures overview and training to assist in the development of building-specific responses.
      
      Each building’s leadership team, in connection with the special education leadership, will address specific procedures for children with special needs such as physical, sensory, motor, developmental, and mental health challenges. Students with special needs include not only those students who have a disability that is addressed in an IEP or a Section 504 Plan but also students who may have a known physical or mental impairment such as a physical, sensory, motor, developmental, or mental health challenge. These special needs may impact the student’s ability to follow appropriate safety procedures.
      
      Each building’s leadership team will work with special education leaders to ensure that there are specific procedures for the safe evacuation of each student with special needs. If an emergency situation or crisis occurs at any Minnetonka Independent School District 276 function, it is the responsibility of the staff in charge of the activity in which a student with a disability is engaged in at the time of the crisis to implement the procedure established by the crisis team. If this staff person is unable to provide the necessary support, it is the responsibility of this staff person to secure help from other staff.
       
      1. LOCKDOWN, HOLD and SECURE Procedures. LOCKDOWN procedures will be used in situations where harm may result to persons inside the school building, such as a shooting, hostage incident, intruder, trespass, disturbance, or when it is determined to be necessary by the building administrator, or designee. A HOLD will be used when there is a situation that does not rise to the level of a LOCKDOWN but that requires that students be kept out of the hallways or a particular area of the building due to a situation there that requires privacy. A SECURE will be used when there is a threat outside of the building. In a SECURE, exterior doors remain locked, no visitors are admitted to the building, and classes go on within the building, as normal.
          
      2. Fire Procedures. Evacuations of classrooms and buildings shall be implemented at the discretion of the building administrator, or designee. Each building’s crisis management response team will review procedures for transporting students and staff away from harm to a designated safe area until released by the building administrator, or designee. Safe areas may change based upon the specific emergency situation.
          
      3. Natural Disasters Procedures. Sheltering provides refuge for students, staff, and visitors within the school building during an emergency. Shelters are safe areas that maximize the safety of inhabitants. Safe areas may change based upon the specific emergency.
          
   2. School Emergency Response Teams
       
      1. Composition. The building administrator in each school will select a school emergency response team that will be trained to respond to emergency situations. All school emergency response team members will receive on-going training to carry out the building’s crisis management procedures and will have knowledge of procedures, evacuation routes, and safe areas. Each building will maintain a current list of school emergency response team members that will be updated annually and shared with the District’s Security and Emergency Management Coordinator. The building administrator, and designees, will know the location of that list in the event of a school emergency. A copy of the list will be kept on file in the District Service Center.
          
      2. Leaders. The building administrator, or designee, will serve as the leader of the school emergency response team. The Security and Emergency Management Coordinator will be the primary contact for emergency response officials. When emergency response officials are present, they may elect to take command and control of the crisis. It is critical in this situation that District officials assume a resource role and be available, as necessary, to emergency response officials.

III.    PREPARATION BEFORE AN EMERGENCY

1. Communication
    
   1. District Employees. All staff shall be aware of the District’s general emergency procedures and their own school’s building-specific crisis protocols and procedures. Employees will receive training on Districtwide procedures and will be informed by their building leadership on building-specific crisis procedures through annual updates and drills.
       
   2. Students and Parents. Students and parents shall be made aware of the School District’s Crisis and Emergency Management Policy and relevant crisis management procedures for each school and District building. Students shall receive specific instruction on procedures as they participate in a required number of drills and practice sessions throughout the school year.
       
2. Facility Diagrams and Site Procedures
   
   All school buildings will have a site emergency procedures guideline booklet, as well as a facility diagram that includes the location of primary and secondary evacuation routes, exits, designated safe areas inside and outside of the building, and the location of fire alarm control panel, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, hoses, water spigots, and utility shut offs. All facility diagrams and site guideline booklets will be regularly updated whenever a major change is made to a building. Facility diagrams and site guideline booklets will be available in the office of the building administrator and in other appropriate areas and will be easily accessible and on file in the District Service Center. Facility diagrams and site guideline booklets will be provided to first responders, such as fire and law enforcement personnel.
    
3. Emergency Contact Information
   
   The District shall maintain a current list of emergency contact information, including telephone numbers and the names and addresses of local, county, and state personnel who may be involved in a crisis situation. The list shall include telephone numbers for local police, fire, ambulance, hospital, the Poison Control Center, county and state emergency management agencies, local public works departments, local utility companies, the public health nurse, mental health/suicide hotlines, and the county welfare agency. It shall also include a list of reunification sites. A copy of this list shall be provided to all District leaders, shall kept on file in the District Service Center, and shall be updated annually.
    
4. Warning Systems
   
   The District shall maintain a warning system designed to inform students, staff, and visitors of a crisis or emergency. This system shall be maintained on a regular basis under the maintenance plan for all school buildings.
   
   It shall be the responsibility of the District and school or building administrators to inform students and employees of the warning system and the means by which the system is used to identify a specific crisis or emergency situation. Each school’s building-specific crisis management procedures will include the method and frequency of dissemination of the warning system information to students and employees.
    
5. Early School Closure Procedures
   
   The Superintendent or designee will make decisions about closing school or buildings as early in the day as possible. The early school closure procedures will set forth the criteria for early school closure (e.g., weather-related, utility failure, or a crisis situation), will specify how closure decisions will be communicated to staff, students, families, and the school community (designated broadcast media, local authorities, e-mail, texts, phone, and/or District website), and shall discuss the factors to be considered in closing and reopening a school or building.
   
   Early school closure procedures also will include a reminder to parents and guardians to listen to designated local radio and TV stations for school closing announcements, where possible.
    
6. Grief-Counseling Procedures in a District-related Crisis
   
   Grief-counseling will be provided, as needed, in the event of a District or School-related crisis, when determined to be necessary by the Superintendent and building administration.