How FHSD Schools Respond to Traumatic Events
With October being School Safety Month in Ohio, Forest Hills School District is highlighting some of the district’s numerous safety efforts as a way to raise awareness in the community. This article describes the district’s approach to traumatic events or crises that may occur. FHSD hopes this information allows students, staff, families and the wider community to better understand how the district works to create a safe and supportive learning environment.
While the district never hopes to see traumatic events impact our students or our schools, this is an unavoidable reality and one that requires careful planning and preparation. Previous articles have described some of the proactive efforts the district makes to try and prevent certain scenarios from happening, including a general overview of safety procedures, a breakdown of various emergency drills, details on the role of School Resource Officers and information about the programs and resources available to support the mental and emotional wellness of students.
FHSD utilizes an approach known as a Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan or TECIP. This is something that is implemented immediately after a significant event has occurred. Anything from natural disasters, intruders, accidents, death and more may be a traumatic experience for students or staff. The decision to utilize the TECIP approach is determined based on the specific nature of the event and its potential impact on the school community.
Each school has its own TECIP team that is specifically trained to respond to a wide variety of situations. FHSD also has a district TECIP Flight Team that acts in support of a particular school or schools during any crisis that dictates a TECIP-level response. This approach is beneficial because it allows the building leaders, who better understand the needs of their students or staff members, to determine what the best course of action is in response to a particular event.
TECIP Teams at FHSD are made up of counselors, psychologists, teachers, administrators and various community partners who work collaboratively to ensure the physical and mental well-being of students and employees in the event of a district crisis. These individuals work together to provide our students and staff with all of the supports necessary in a time of need.
The TECIP framework was developed by COPES Consulting, LLC. All FHSD staff members who are part of the district or a school TECIP team participate in annual training, with some FHSD staff members certified as in-district trainers. This program has formally been in place at FHSD since 2015.
