After-Action Review Guidance and Support Cont. During the 2023-2024 school year, eighteen (18) incidents met the definition of CLT and thus required an after-action review by the LEA and subsequent report by MCSS. Individual reports are available on the MCSS web-page. Lessons learned from these after- action reviews yielded the following trends. These trends inform future efforts in training and resources at the local and state level. • School safety plans must incorporate predefined procedures for effective communication and collaboration with law enforcement as soon as a threat is detected, aiming for a coordinated response to emergencies. It is crucial that these procedures are tested, refined and enhanced by conducting training and exercises and by identifying corrective actions to be implemented as part of improving preparedness. • Local school systems should include their respective response agency partners when conducting facility assessments, developing emergency operations plans, and conducting regular exercises that allow the school staff, the system and response partners to test their school emergency operations plans. Attention should be given to the identification of roles and responsibilities as well as communication procedures used, for all responding school staff and agencies. • Training and exercising school emergency operations plans should be conducted in coordination with the school community, including local responding agencies, school staff, and school system-level personnel and at various times throughout the school day, including school opening, class transitions, lunch periods, and specialized activities (e.g., field trips). • Schools should work with responding agencies to test communication capabilities, including equipment (e.g., public safety radios), signals, and protocols, in an effort to strengthen communication among agencies. This testing should include school communication systems, i.e., intercoms, public address systems, and school two- way radios. • Procedures for placing a school on lockdown should include procedures that account for students and staff outside the school facility when a lockdown protocol is initiated. • The importance of the use of common terms across school officials, emergency responders, students and parents is critical to ensure an effective response and appropriately direct individuals. MCSS is advancing use of the “I Love U Guys” standard response protocols as they are evidence based, clear, and free resources available to all.
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Graphic provided by the “I Love You Guys” Foundation.
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