Description

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is offering an opportunity to attend a one day training titled Managing School-Based Bomb Threat Incidents. School leaders must consider what action to take in the event a bomb threat is made or how to respond if a possible explosive device is discovered on school grounds. Should you evacuate or shelter in place? What should be done if a suspicious package is found? This training attempts to provide school personnel and law enforcement an understanding of the components of a school response plan, prevention strategies to mitigate possible bomb threats, the recognition of components of an improvised explosive device, and ways to respond to a bomb threat through various practical scenarios and actions.

This workshop offered by DCJS will provide school leaders with important foundational information about bomb threat management and give them the critical skills necessary to prepare, prevent, and respond to bomb incidents.

Topics to Be Addressed

• Understanding the Threat discusses components of a school response plan including a bomb incident response plan. The section on threat and threat assessment includes warning signs of aggressive student behavior.
• Responding to the Threat describes the types of threats and defines critical actions for documenting and responding. In addition, types of incident scenarios, critical response actions for each type of scenario, and the factors to consider in determining the most appropriate evacuation action are defined and described. The concepts of time, distance, and shielding discussed in the module are applicable to a wide variety of school incidents.
• Recognizing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) explains the major components of an IED and safety measures to consider with a suspicious device.
• Developing Preventive Measures discusses the importance of prevention and mitigation. Prevention includes school security assessments and security measures that serve to increase security and safety. Mitigation is what schools do to reduce or eliminate risk and includes implementing critical components of a bomb response plan such as training and exercising the plan.

Who should attend?

This training is being offered at no cost to K-12 division administrators, principals, assistant principals, emergency managers, crisis team members, school security officers, and law enforcement serving in schools. While the focus is K-12, college campus law enforcement and campus security are welcome to attend since some of the procedures are transferrable.

Partial In-service Credit

Law enforcement officers, campus security officers, and school security officers will receive partial in-service credit hours.

Cost

There is no fee to attend this workshop. All training materials will be provided.

Travel, Lodging, and Meals

Participants are responsible for their transportation, meals, and lodging arrangements and expenses.

Training Time & Details

• Check in will begin at 7:30 a.m. and course will be held from 8:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m.

Registration

Pre-registration is required.

• Please note that the DCJS registration system does not have the capacity to sort eligible from ineligible registrants. Therefore, anyone who registers will receive a confirmation. It is the responsibility of the DCJS assigned course director to review the roster and make a final determination on acceptance into the course. Registrants not accepted will be notified via the email address provided during registration.