WHEREAS, It is an extreme priority to keep our children safe, and in doing such, we recognize that our schools must always be prepared for a crisis; and
WHEREAS, Any action taken now by the school district can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage in the moments of a crisis; and
WHEREAS, Good planning will facilitate a rapid, coordinated, effective response when a crisis occurs; and
WHEREAS, This Council would like to examine what crisis plans exist in the school district and how it relates to the city’s crisis plan, as well as identify all stakeholders involved in the crisis planning; develop procedures for communicating with staff, students, families, and the media; establish procedures to account for students during a crisis; gather information about the school facility, such as maps and the location of utility shutoffs; identify the necessary equipment that needs to be assembled to assist staff in a crisis; and
WHEREAS, Any response to a crisis should include methods in determining if a crisis is occurring, and if so, identify the type of crisis that is occurring and determine the appropriate response which can include activating an incident management system; and
WHEREAS, Recovery to any crisis should be part of every crisis plan and should include methods to have our children return to learning and restore any infrastructure as quickly as possible. If necessary, identify what follow up interventions are needed which include assessing students for emotional impact of the crisis and conducting debriefings with staff and first responders; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Education is authorized to conduct hearings on the Emergency Response & Crisis Management Team’s findings within the Philadelphia School District.
End