This bulletin outlines the major components of a crisis-preparedness and response plan for schools. It lists the critical components of a safe-school plan, such as community coordination, curriculum, proactive student discipline policies and procedures, safe physical environment, school security, staff and student training, evaluation and monitoring of school safety, and a crisis-response plan. It describes the goals of a crisis-response team, and examines what needs to be done before a crisis, including the formation of a crisis-response team within the school, the development of a written crisis or emergency response plan, the coordination of the plan with community emergency personnel, and the training of staff on elements of the plan. The document also details responses to crises on or away from the school grounds and discusses the major steps of a crisis-response procedure, such as how to deal with the media. Suggestions for helping students cope with loss, an overview of how to handle special situations, including returning to the scene, and some of the followup procedures for students, staff, and caregivers are provided. Listings of further resources, the manifestations of grief in youth, and other information appear at the end. (Contains 20 references.) (RJM)