Crisis Response

For more information contact your school district's coordinator for crisis response or your county office of education. Counseling and student support specialists (school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses) and local mental health specialists can assist you in working with individual students and staff.

Resources for Responding to Crisis

AB 103 Pupil Safety Educational Materials
Requires the California Department of Education to electronically distribute disaster preparedness educational materials and lesson plans that are currently available to local school districts and county offices of education.

American Red Cross
Information on how to prepare your home and family for emergency situations.

Best Practices in School Crisis Prevention and Intervention
This completely revised second edition contains all the information necessary for analyzing all aspects of school crisis. Leading national and international experts contributed to 37 chapters on topics that include crisis, individual and school-wide interventions, and long-term supports to help students and the community heal. The price for non-members is $156.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emergency Preparedness and Response
Information regarding natural disasters, bioterrorism, chemical emergencies, radiation emergencies, and recent incidents.

Crisis Response Box (PDF; 2MB)
"The box" is a unique product of the California Attorney General and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction's Safe Schools Task Force, developed to help schools, local law enforcement, and emergency services personnel prepare for a school emergency.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Learn what protective measures to take before, during and after and emergency.

Preparing Your Institution for a Catastrophic Event
Preparing for a potential terrorism incident is the same as preparing for an earthquake, fire, flood and other major crisis or disasters. This information is intended to provide school districts and site administrators with general guidelines regarding what measures can be taken to prepare for an emergency or disaster, including an incident related to terrorism. Managing your response should be based on the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS).

Responding to Crisis at a School (PDF)
This resource guide comes from the UCLA Mental Health in Schools Training and Technical Assistance Center. Topics covered in the guide include an organizational model for school-based crisis intervention; important considerations in effectively responding to crises in schools, such as having a crisis response checklist, providing psychological first aid, and helping children cope with violence and disasters and their reactions to trauma; instructions for building a school-based crisis team; and ways to address specific areas of concern, such as suicide, family violence, and grief and loss.

School Emergency Planning & Safety including Resources for Administrators & Classrooms
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services provides direct and easy access to pertinent emergency preparedness information and resources as they relate to schools throughout California and the nation.