Resources for Schools to Prepare for and Recover From Crisis

Many of us who work with or have children may be searching for ways to help them understand Friday’s tragedy in Connecticut. Sadly, we all know events like these are difficult to prevent. Even when it happens in a different part of the country or world, it can have a significant impact on children in Michigan and in OUR schools.  We thought the following resources might be useful in discussions with your children, your students, and your staffs in the short term.

Detroit Public Television and other local PBS stations are working together to bring trusted, helpful information today and in the days to come at http://www.dptv.org/kids/handling-scary-news.shtml.   Initial resources include:

• The PBS Parents website has detailed information about how children of different ages perceive and respond to upsetting events.  You’ll find suggestions for helping your child talk about their feelings, as well as strategies to address their fears. 

• Mr. Rogers discussion with parents on scary news.  You can view a short video featuring him in either English or Spanish. 

• For information on measures the Detroit Public Schools have taken to improve safety around schools, we suggest this video, from the fall of 2011.

• Keeping kids safe going to and from school is the topic of this interview, which aired on DPTV in August, featuring DPS Police Chief Roderic Grimes. 

• And for a deeper look into teen violence and suicide, a documentary PBS aired called a Cry for Help,  has a website with links to a number of resources.

Major State and Federal Resources

• Michigan Department of Education’s Safe School web site.
• U.S. Department of Education bulletin from Secretary Duncan sent at 12/17/2012 12:53 PM EST.
• Helping Youth and Children Recover from Traumatic Events from the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center.
• National Institute of Mental Health - Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters.
  
• Striving To Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere (STRYVE) is a national initiative, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which takes a public health approach to preventing youth violence before it starts.
• American Association of Pediatrics - Children, Terrorism & Disasters
  Includes information about biological, chemical, and nuclear agents, as well as information about the psychological aspects of disasters.
• Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
  The US Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools is the federal government's primary vehicle for reducing drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and violence, through education and prevention activities in our nation's schools. Includes current news, publications, and information about funding opportunities.