Planning for wide-scale emergencies is absolutely critical, but localized, everyday incidents are more frequent. You’ve probably already responded to more than one irate visitor, sprained ankle, or flooded restroom. You know how these everyday situations can quickly escalate without the presence of the appropriate personnel to identify and resolve the issue.
Experts also warn that we may see an increase in violence as schools reopen, as students experiencing long-term emotional, behavioral, and psychological effects from the pandemic may be defiant and aggressive. Schools must be prepared to quickly react and respond to any situation, including those that can be handled by your custodial staff, school resource officer (SRO), or school nurse.
Most Common Incidents
Here are eight incidents most likely to occur in schools:
1. Medical Assistance
An allergic reaction, a playground or PE class injury, complications from a health condition, and a student or staff member showing COVID-19 symptoms are just some of the common medical incidents that require immediate assistance.
2. Fight
Though schools have programs in place to support student socio-emotional well-being, fights can still occur. It is important teachers or staff can quickly summon the right help to stop the fight before anyone is injured.
3. Suspicious Activity
What is often an innocent mistake of a visitor being lost on campus, it is important for staff to be able to identify people who are not in the right location and request assistance if needed. Enforcement of a visitor badging system is crucial in these scenarios.
4. Spills/Localized Flooding
Whether its a water fountain leaking in your main corridor or a toilet overflowing in the bathroom, spills and localized flooding can have negative consequences if not acted upon immediately.
5. Irate Parent or Visitor
The relationship between staff and students, as well as their families, is essential. If an angry parent confronts their child’s teacher, it’s important that schools are equipped to respond before the situation escalates. It’s also important that staff can summon help discreetly if a visitor in the front office is hostile or refuses to leave the building.
6. Suspicious Smell
Any suspicious smell a chemistry experiment gone wrong, a gas leak, a student detonating a stink-bomb warrants quick action.
7. Vandalism
To ensure speedy repair of campus assets, notification of damage is important. This can also help reduce repeat offenses.
8. Administrator to Specific Location
There are many situations that require quick administrator presence, including if a banned visitor or someone with COVID-19 exposure risk attempts to enter your school. Being able to summon help immediately builds trust and promotes safety.
Get Just the Help You Need, Whenever You Need It
Knowing that your campus is more likely to experience a localized incident than a campus-wide disaster, it is important that staff have the proper communication tools to respond and keep the situation from escalating.
With Raptor Alert a mobile panic alert system that expedites response to both localized incidents and school or district-wide emergencies teachers and staff can initiate an incident, instantly alert others, stay updated with real-time group messaging, and connect with 9-1-1 through the app for additional help if needed. For certain states, like New Jersey and Florida, that need to comply with Alyssas Law, Raptor Alert exceeds compliance requirements.
To learn more, request a personalized demo today.
