The Educational Services Unit
of the Burlington County Special Services School District
Dr. Donald P. LucasSuperintendent
/ 20 Pioneer BoulevardWestampton, NJ 08060-3824
Phone: 609-702-0500
Fax: 609-702-9033
www.bcsssd.k12.nj.us / Josephine Mercantini-Bocci
Director
BURLINGTON COUNTY
SCHOOL CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
www.bcscrt.org
2012-2013
The Burlington County School Crisis Response Team (BCSCRT) is a collaborative initiative by districts in Burlington County and the Executive Superintendent’s Office to assist a participating district during critical situations, such as a natural catastrophe, terrorist event, school shooting, death of a student or staff member, etc. Staff members from other districts, who are trained as part of the team, assist local district administrators and staff in dealing with all aspects of crisis management, including student safety, crisis counseling, coordinating with police and emergency personnel, communication with parents, providing information to the media, and other important tasks.
The BCSCRT consists of the following elements:
· Participating districts provide one or more staff members to serve as members of the BCSCRT. Participating districts agree to release these staff members from their duties to assist another district when needed. The BCSCRT currently has approximately 70 team members who are available to assist participating districts.
· The BCSCRT will be activated only on the request of the district superintendent or his/her designee. The team is to assist the district under the direction of the superintendent or building principal. The role of the team in any situation is to offer support to the district and offer supplemental services in a variety of functions, including, but not limited to: establishing and operating “Safe Room/s” for students and staff, providing teacher coverage on an as needed basis, assisting in security functions, assisting nurses, communicating with parents, assisting office staff, preparing press releases and managing media contact, planning memorial events, and other important tasks. The role and function of the BCSCRT is to support the efforts of the district. The role of the BCSCRT is explicitly NOT to take over in a crisis and manage or determine the course of action that the superintendent and other administrators must follow. Local district procedures and district administrators will direct the activities of the team and determine what the needs of the district are in any situation.
· Staff members on the crisis team include professionals in the following positions: guidance counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, principal or assistant principal, teacher, security personnel, nurse, SAC, superintendent, director of communications and director of special services.
· All Team Leaders and designated team members (such as Safe Room Coordinator and Public Relations liaison) have received appropriate materials and documents to assist in their various roles. All other team members have access to these materials. Additional materials, such as administrator’s “grab and go” bags and Crisis Resource Manuals, are available for purchase, if requested.
· Information about the BCSCRT has been sent to social service agencies dealing with students throughout the Burlington County area. These agencies are invited to send representatives to participate in training sessions responding to crisis situations, when appropriate. They can also be contacted to provide after care support.
· The Superintendent and/or their Designee have the option to request services from social services agencies as they deem necessary.
· Staff who are trained as part of the team are a resource for local districts to assist with their own procedures and responses to lesser crises in a school.
· Materials are available to participating districts to inform their staff, parents, Board of Education and community about the BCSCRT and district participation in the team. These materials include a brochure, press release and Power Point presentation.
· BCSCRT website is available to download crisis response materials
www.bcscrt.org
· Training will be provided to BCSCRT members during the 2012-2013 school year. Additional training for administrators (superintendents, principals and assistant principals) will be considered. All training is required of team members. Team members will have release time from their respective districts to attend.
· Training schedule will be sent to district Superintendents for their reference annually.
· The cost of this program is shared among participating districts. Based on the continued participation of existing members, the fee for participation for the 2012-2013 school year will again be based on the resident enrollment of the district - $285 for districts with enrollment under 1000 students and $560 for districts with enrollment over 1000 students. The fee will be used to cover the cost of training, materials, and supplies for the team for the school year, as well as, other expenses incurred by ESU to administer this initiative.
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