So the Coconino County Educational Services Authority (CCESA) and Superintendent Sheryl Mungo Padgett are taking steps to prepare for the devastating curveball the universe might throw at them.

CCESA, the Yavapai Education Service Agency, the Arizona Department of Education, and school leaders from five counties met earlier this month to conduct emergency crisis response training and form the Coconino County School Incident Response Team.

“This evidence-based training provided comprehensive training to school personnel on how to establish and participate in school safety and crisis response teams,” Mango-Padgett said. “The training provided to schools enhances improved school climate, student behavior, academic functioning, student resilience and the crisis response capacity of school staff.

Partially funded by a $4.8 million grant to support schools in promoting overall health, this training will prepare districts and schools for crisis prevention, intervention, and recovery through these steps. It was intended to help build a team to support the .

“We plan to have two to three teams,” said Mango-Paget. After training, I analyze my strengths and weaknesses. “

Some teams may have more experience with a particular region or culture, while others may be better equipped to help with grief management and response to natural disasters, says Mango. – explained Padgett. Her hope is that teams will present their unique strengths and supports based on their specific needs.

The Crisis Response Team is designed to provide the school district with an outside perspective and renewed support during emergencies and times of grief and loss.

“If you look at one of our schools that are very far apart geographically…the school four hours from here is a very small community and that whole community could be at risk. They are at stake as well, so it may not be appropriate to lead them,” said Mango-Padgett.

That does not mean that the training developed by the National Association of School Psychologists is relegated to individuals who may be on designated response teams.

“What we have learned—strategies we have learned, prevention plans we have learned—we are confident that the model we have prepared represents state-of-the-art best practice. It will be an important component of the school’s approach to emergency response and crisis management,” said Mango-Paget. “Personally, after training and staff training, I hope we can offer this to every school in the county.”

The superintendent said the training focused on three stages of the crisis: mitigation or prevention, response and recovery.

“It is very important to have your EOP (Emergency Operations Plan) updated before a problem occurs, so we can get back to normal as soon as possible and reduce the damage,” she said. . Educational opportunities for students and staff are important. It’s helpful to have a clear indication of how to respond or not respond. Not everything is true. Recovery is more likely if you are prepared. “

Mango-Paget added that recovery is often an overlooked component of training that she finds particularly helpful.

After the crisis, she said, training focused on helping administrators and educators “reaffirm their awareness of physical health and safety” among students.

“Because it’s a big deal,” said Mango Padgett. “Do you think I could even go back there if something happened on your campus?”

She said she was grateful not only for the initial response to the crisis, but also for planning for the recovery phase. She described it as a kind of big-picture approach.

“We are ready to serve the physical and psychological needs of our children and are reviewing the effectiveness of our prevention plans. What needs to be fine-tuned going forward?” she said. rice field.

Follow-up of the training itself is also part of the plan.

“So let’s see who attended. What else do they want? How do they want to work with us? What do you expect from the future?” Mango Padgett said. “Thanks to this trained school and our team, we speak the same language as the school and the community. “