An important part of maintaining peace in a school environment is strengthening its safety procedure and increasing security protocols. We are all bound to face an emergency anytime, any day. Still, it’s best to be prepared for it, especially where our youth is concerned in the midst of guarding the school with numerous security features like CCTV cameras, loaded guards, drill practices etc. The reunification plan should also be added to the list. However, most people don’t know what an important role reunification plays in the chaos of an emergency at school.

Whether there is a fire on the premises or an active shooter running around the building, an evacuation plan is to be followed so that all the students come out of the property unharmed. But since the majority of the students are all minors, it is the school’s duty to send them to their parents safely. Just like drills and other security measures, the reunification process also needs to be planned appropriately. However, before we dig into the details, you should know what reunification stands for.

What is Reunification?

School reunification plan is an operation that is an essential part of the school crisis response plan. This procedure makes the pathway of children reuniting with their parents or authorized guardians/adults easier and smoother in case of an emergency evacuation.

Things to Consider While Making a Reunification Plan

 

• • • Understand that every school is different and needs a different plan. Some schools have a larger space that creates more room for a smooth evacuation procedure, while others have a small platform and need to adjust there. Hence, plan your reunification process reflecting on your school and the needs of your students.
    • The best way to introduce a reunification plan to students is to demonstrate the procedure in the school handbook that is provided to them on the first day of school. After explaining in detail what reunification is and how it is supposed to be held, there can be multiple drills regarding evacuation done as well to make the actions clear.
    • Reunification plans usually work best when there is someone held in charge solely for the purpose of ensuring that the evacuation takes place efficiently and that all the students are safely sent to their parents. That person can be a part of the school’s administration team or a member of the higher-ups who will be adequately trained and briefed about the scenario so that during an emergency, they are the ones who can calm the students down and show them the right way out.
    • Inform parents about this procedure so that even they are aware of how to go about things and get a hold of their children when the situation gets rough.

 

How to Make a Reunification Plan?

To make a solid reunification plan, here are some tips to include;

• • 1. Allocate Spots

Divide the ground area into two different sections. One area will be where the parents who have not yet been catered to will stand so that they are helped and accounted for uniting with their children and the other section is for parents who have already been catered and accounted to so that they can move from the scene. This process is ideal to avoid mix-ups and confusion in the uproar.

• • 2. Create a Team

A helping hand team is also critical in a matter of emergency. These individuals should be trained to assess the situation and answer questions of both the students and the parents, all the while effectively ensuring transparency. Parents need to know what exactly is happening at the scene to get help or be present at the premises; therefore, social media updates, radio alerts, hotline help or manual announcements, anything would do as long as each parent knows what’s going on.

This team needs to be brave and uptight to evacuate students in a smooth manner. On the other hand, this team will also be responsible for guiding parents regarding the easiest way to track their children to escort each child to their parents safely.  Reference: The Comprehensive School Crisis Team: Roles and Responsibilities Slideshow

• • 3. Accessibility of Behavioral Health and Therapy

The school should introduce behavioral health classes or therapy sessions for each student to keep a check on their mental health. Another factor why this is important is because students themselves can detect unusual behavior in their classmates. Making a safe place at school for expression can also help children report if they see other students behaving weirdly, which could ultimately avoid a massive disaster and save young, precious lives.

The Master Plan

Let’s say there is an uncalled-for emergency at the school. How will the authorities find out? There are a number of other popular security measures like;

• • • CCTV camera footage – for which there needs to be someone who is monitoring each person in the building.
    • Panic buttons would work well if they are more in number and are scattered around the building, and students are briefed on how to use them so that the important is called without delay.
    • A reunification plan – in evacuation cases where children are to be safely handed to their parents.
    • Through broadcasting – with lives, social media, updates, radio alerts, anything that could be used. Whatever the situation needs to be broadcasted on a large scale so that more people know about it and quick action is taken.  Active Defender private mass broadcast is a suggested best practice to broadcast to all staff parents and students without have to always use public broadcasts.
      Reference: Crisis Communications Plan

 

Final Words

The protection and safety of students are the utmost priority of the school, and keeping the kids safe is why it is essential that they go above and beyond in efforts to maintain peace in a school. Even though emergencies can’t be avoided, the school administration should do their best to secure the students’ lives and mental health. It is their job to handle every situation responsibly, and this calls for immense planning and smooth execution at the scene.

All in all, to make the security measures stronger, a reunification plan needs to be in motion in case of an evacuation. Good plans provide peace of mind for teachers and essential protection for our students.