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Critical Incident and Crisis Management Training and Resources

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School Crisis, Emergency Management, 
and Medical Emergency Response Plan
Template - Division-Level Plan
School Crisis, Emergency Management, 
and Medical Emergency Response Plan
Template - School-Level Plan
School Crisis, Emergency Management, 
and Medical Emergency Response Plan
Template - Resource Templates

           

 

 

Critical Incident and Crisis Management Training and Resources
BEFORE (Prevention and Mitigation)

To assist schools in preparing for emergencies, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS) provides training and resources to prevent, mitigate, and prepare for all types of emergencies, including an active attack and critical incident response and recovery. The available resources range from drill planning and guidance to a model crisis plan, which ensures that division and school plans contain all necessary elements and model policies for behavioral threat assessment. Several of these resources are available in Spanish on the DCJS website.

Behavioral Threat Assessment Resource Toolkit for K-12 Virginia Schools

Behavioral Threat Assessment Resource Toolkit for K-12 Virginia Parents

Drill Guidance

Virginia Educator’s Guide for Conducting Emergency Drills

Before, During, and After Curriculum and Templates

Model School Crisis, Emergency Management, and Medical Emergency Response Plan (Division)

Model School Crisis, Emergency Management, and Medical Emergency Response Plan (School)

Training specific to active attacks has been in place since 2019. The DCJS Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety has an age- and audience-appropriate curriculum specifically for our students and staff. This curriculum is currently being developed into eLearning modules.  

Programs for School Personnel and Other Adults: 
The DCJS Critical Incident Preparedness and Response Program’s “whole community approach” requires training for Virginia’s citizens and first responders to enable them to work together when an active attack occurs to stop the killing and the dying. Courses are offered upon request to community organizations, school divisions, institutions of higher education, law enforcement agencies, and fire/EMS.  

Civilian Response and Critical Care – Course descriptions

To Schedule a Training

Age- and Audience-Specific eLearning: 
Age-Appropriate Critical Incident eLearning Curriculum (Under development) 

DURING (Response)

Through a partnership with the I Love You Guys® Foundation, DCJS has “Virginia-ized” the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and the Standard Reunification Method (SRM) for voluntary statewide adoption. Sixty (60%) of Virginia’s public schools now use SRP and SRM. The SRP enhances existing plans to provide plain language, a unified response to emergencies, and an absence of codes. The Standard Reunification Method provides a process for reuniting students and parents/guardians should reunification become necessary due to an active attack or another emergency.  

In response to the Code of Virginia § 22.1-279.8 requiring school boards to create a detailed and accurate floor plan for each public school building in the local school division, VCSCS provided an opportunity for public school divisions to acquire digital mapping of their schools and grounds using Collaborative Response Graphics (CRG). This standardized method of mapping allows all responding law enforcement agencies access to a digital map of the school in crisis to assist in the response and entry to the school. To date, 128 of Virginia’s 131 public school divisions have participated in the program, which aids first responders in the case of a multi-agency response. 

AFTER (Recovery)

Victims Crisis Assistance and Response Team (VCART)

The legally required crisis and emergency response plans of Virginia public schools must include a provision that the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund shall be contacted immediately to deploy assistance in the event of an emergency, as defined in the emergency response plan when there are victims as defined in the Code of Virginia § 19.2-11.01. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund are the lead coordinating agencies for those individuals determined to be victims. Plans must also contain current contact information for both agencies.  

The link to report a critical incident/emergency and the guidance document are provided on the DCJS website: