In June, President Biden announced a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence and other violent crime, including preventive measures proven to reduce violent crime and attack its root causes. This strategy encourages using the American Rescue Plan's (ARP's) historic funding levels, including the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis of proportions not seen in generations. In the spring of 2020, all 50 states were simultaneously under a disaster declaration (U.S. News, 2020) and most communities began to require distancing in order to mitigate virus spread. As a result, schools closed and distance learning and telehealth became…

This document presents the transcripts of a Congressional hearing called to bring attention to the growing problem of suicide. The opening statement of Representative Tom Lantos is presented. Prepared statements of 16 witnesses are provided, including psychotherapists from the Houston International Hospital; a mother and a father of teenage…

Cokeville Elementary School in Afton, Wyoming, was taken hostage on May 16, 1986. Two self-styled "revolutionaries" held 135 children, 14 teachers, the principal, and 3 other adults confined in a classroom for just over 2 hours. The siege ended violently when one of the perpetrators accidentally killed herself by unintentionally…

A crisis-intervention plan charts the components of the school district's response to a crisis that includes prevention, intervention, and follow-up. The plan should explain how a school will communicate with other agencies, staff, parents, students, and the news media; describe what long-range training the school will provide for school…

The only way to prepare for a violence-induced crisis in a school system is to develop a crisis-preparedness policy. Offers guidelines to a school board in developing such a plan. (MLF)

This monograph was developed to provide mental health and other service delivery workers with an overview of conceptual, programmatic, and educational developments in mental health services to disaster victims over the past 10 years. It was written primarily for national policymakers, administrators, and service providers of disaster relief…

To handle a death in the school community wisely and sensitively, school boards need to develop a death response policy. A policy developed by a diverse committee will be sensitive to the needs of the entire school community. Offers seven points to consider in drafting a policy. (MLF)

Analyzes school boards' response, in terms of crisis decision making, to a situation in which a superintendent was charged and later convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student. Cites "Crucial Decisions," by Irving Janis, and offers recommendations to help board members be more effective decision makers. Presents an outline of…

These hearings on teenagers in crisis deal with many of the problems faced by adolescents, with a special emphasis on suicide. Other topics which are discussed include child abuse, drug abuse, pregnancy, youth employment, mass media influences, the lack of parental guidance, and after school activities. Testimony is recorded from 11 witnesses…

School boards need to be prepared to deal with potential disasters. Four districts whose school board presidents dealt with serious emergencies are described. The emergencies included the murder of a superintendent, a flood, a statewide teacher walkout, and the threat of financial collapse. (MD)

A chronological report of how the school district responded when two students were identified as having been exposed to the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) virus. A summary of the Center for Disease Control guidelines for handling students with AIDS is included. (MLF)

Interviews with 137 primary caregivers with developmentally disabled family members (ages 2-62) on waiting lists for out-of-home placement found that caregiver stress was a significant predictor of the urgency of placement need. Behavior problems of the disabled person were almost as important. Lack of support services was correlated with…

In a campus crisis, while administrators address immediate needs, trustees must find a balance between involvement and oversight. Trustees should respond by developing a worst-case strategy; establishing early warning systems; defining "due diligence"; emphasizing candor and honesty; picking one spokesperson; protecting institutional privacy;…

This document contains prepared statements, articles, and publications from the Congressional hearing on parental involvement with adolescents in crisis. The prepared statements include those by representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Christian Medical Society, the National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth, the…