Empowering Schools: How the Recovery Support Feature Improves Crisis Response

 

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that the Recovery Support feature has now been integrated into the Active Defender’s School Safety Platform, marking a significant enhancement to our platform! Having a reunification plan is crucial for schools in the event of a campus emergency necessitating the evacuation and reunification of students with their parents at an alternate location.

Such a plan ensures the safety and well-being of students by providing a structured and organized process for reunification, minimizing confusion and distress for all during a crisis. An appropriate plan enables schools to efficiently:

• Account for all students and their well-being.
• Establish clear communication channels with parents and relevant authorities to keep stakeholders informed, reducing stress and promoting calm.
• Establish clear communication channels with school staff supporting reunification.
• Verify parent/guardian identities.
• Facilitate smooth and orderly reunions with parents/guardians.
• Document successful student/parent reunifications.

The effects of not having a plan for reunification or an ineffective one, are detrimental to the well-being of students and parents, often resulting in long wait times, confusion, and increased stress. Such instances can imply a lack of preparedness and may quickly cast a negative public image on the school and district.

The addition of the Recovery Support feature provides a comprehensive solution for simplifying the complex procedures associated with overseeing, communicating, reporting, and ensuring accountability during crucial moments of student reunification.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how this innovative feature operates:

Initiating Recovery:

In the unfortunate event of a crisis necessitating the relocation of students, the Recovery Support feature empowers schools to respond promptly and efficiently in reuniting students with their parents or guardians.

Step 1: Initiating Recovery Requests

A designated staff member receives a student’s first and last name from a parent or guardian. This information is input into the Recovery Support feature, initiating the process by tapping the “student lookup” option.

Upon initiating the process, one of four status options will be displayed on the screen, providing crucial insights into the student’s current situation:

• Presumed Waiting: Indicates that the student is presumed to be in a secure location.
• Status Uncertain: Denotes the student’s status is currently uncertain.
• Guardian Identified: Confirms that the parent or guardian has been identified as authorized for student pickup.
• UNIFIED COMPLETE: The student and parent or guardian have been successfully reunited.

Step 2: Verification and Further Instructions

If the status indicates ‘Presumed Waiting,’ the staff member can enter the parent or guardian’s first and last name, along with their relationship to the student, to verify their authorization for pickup.

In cases where the status reflects ‘Status Uncertain,’ the staff member guides the approved parent or guardian to a designated holding area, where they can be provided with support as they await further instructions and updates.

Step 3: Reunification and Confirmation

Once the parent or guardian is confirmed for pickup, they are reunited with the student under the supervision of a staff member. 

A crucial step in this process involves capturing a photograph of the reunification moment, which serves as visual documentation. Subsequently, the staff member confirms the status as ‘UNIFIED COMPLETE,’ marking the successful conclusion of the recovery process.

For those interested in experiencing a firsthand demonstration of the Recovery Support feature, we invite you to contact us at japonte@active-defender.com or call 910-683-0090 to schedule a brief virtual demonstration.

With the Recovery Support feature, Active Defender continues its commitment to providing robust tools and solutions for ensuring the safety and well-being of students during critical incidents.