Competency 6: Organizational Planning

Related Task: 6.7 Knowledge of safety and security plans and procedures
to protect students and staff.
Narrative Description of Task: Meet with local law enforcement to go
over Crisis Management Procedures and write Emergency Operations Plan.
Narrative Description: Currently, Bishop Kelley Catholic School does not
have an official Crisis Management Plan. The staff meets at the beginning
of the school year and reviews the Emergency Preparedness Flip Chart and
safety procedures sheet that goes in the substitute teacher file. As more
schools have dealt with crisis, the recommendations from the local law
enforcement agencies have changed guidelines. Before working on an
Emergency Operations Plan, I will meet with local law enforcement to go
over the building and the local guidelines for a crisis. Having a welldeveloped plan in which the local law enforcement is involved is essential
for the safety of the students and staff.
Smart Goal: By April 2015, I will have met with the local law enforcement
and started to develop an updated Emergency Operations Plan.

Specific:

Develop Emergency Operations Plan.

Measurable:

Meet with local law enforcement review the building, guidelines and plans.

Attainable:

The policy will be in place by the end of the 2014-15 school year.

Relevant:

Preparedness is essential for the safety of the staff and students.

Timely:

By April 2015, the meeting with local law enforcement will have taken place
and a new Emergency Operations Plan will be in the development stages.

Description and Rationale of Project:

School tragedy is unfortunately becoming all too common in our
world! Part of preventing tragedy is being prepared with a written plan that
is reviewed yearly by the staff and local law enforcement. For years,
Bishop Kelley Catholic School has had an Emergency Flip Chart and has
done the required state mandated drills. The staff participated in
professional development with Thomas Mynsberge, President of Critical
Incident Management, who gave important safety information gained from
the numerous school shootings. A security system was installed last year
to help keep the school secure. As a staff, we felt like we were as prepared
as possible.
In the spring of 2014, Bishop Kelley Catholic School underwent an
audit by Michigan Catholic Conference. In this audit, it was discovered that
Bishop Kelley did not have an EOP (Emergency Operations Plan). The
school had procedures in place to be prepared for a tragedy, but the
procedures were not in written form. Development of a written plan was
important to help with the transition of administration and future
transitions. The auditor also reviewed the Emergency Flip Chart, which was
current with all the new guidelines. It is my goal as the new administrator
of Bishop Kelley School to get our school up to date with an Emergency
Operations Plan that will be reviewed and updated annually.
The first step in developing an Emergency Operations Plan was to
obtain a template. Meghan Evoy, my cooperating administrator, sent me
the template that she used to develop St. Josephs Catholic Schools
Emergency Operations Plan. The next step was to call Todd Alexander, the
Chief of Police for the City of Lapeer. Todd outlined the updated procedures

on red and green cards, numbered doors and a lock box placement with a
school map and a key to aid in quick building access. Todd also offered the
use of videos developed by the city to train staff in case of an intruder.
Upon looking at the template, I needed to get with the maintenance staff
and locate all of the utility shut off valves. Fred Green head of maintenance
took pictures of all the utility shut offs and gave locations and directions for
shut off. Administrative Assistant, Laura Mihm supplied maps of the
building with the emergency routes highlighted, class rosters, and
schedules. The rest of the template was filled out by Penny Clemens the
administrator of Bishop Kelley Catholic School. Once completed the
Emergency Operations Plan was reviewed by the Emergency Operations
Team. A completed copy was sent to Todd Alexander, the chief of police,
and Terry Kluge, the Fire Chief, for their review and approval. Once
approval is gained from the chief of police and fire, final approval will be
given by the priest. The staff will review the plan in a staff meeting in order
to make sure all of the staff knows the proper procedures aligned with each
type of emergency. Each year, the staff will review the EOP and make any
necessary changes. In August during our back to school meetings, I will
take advantage of the videos offered by the Chief of Police, Todd Alexander,
to help prepare the staff for emergency situations.
Reflection:
The original idea of creating an Emergency Operations Plan in my
first year as an administrator was quite daunting. Utilizing a template and
working with other administrators made creating a plan much more
manageable. Ultimately, the biggest reason to have an EOP in place is to
make sure the school is prepared to face any type of emergency. Many of
the plans were in place but not in the written form of an EOP. The EOP will
need to be reviewed yearly as guidelines change. The written form will
make any future transitions more seamless. The next step in the process

will be to create a new Emergency Flip Chart during summer of 2015 to be

implemented in the 2015-2016 school year.