After convening experts from across the state who have dealt with unimaginable crises in educational settings, the Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) released new crisis guidelines to help K-12 schools and institutions of higher education prepare for and respond to large-scale emergencies.

The crisis guidelines incorporate recommendations based on lessons learned from school tragedies in Colorado and across the country in an effort to prepare others for the possibility of one of these events. The guidelines also incorporate the input of K-12 and higher education school security experts, mental health providers and crisis responders.

Some recommendations highlighted in the crisis guidelines include:

• Update emergency operations plans (EOPs) on a yearly basis
• Identify and train school security teams and wider staff
• Conduct exercises based on identified security threats
• Develop a communications plan involving internal and external communication strategies

The guidelines outline what school safety leaders can do before, during and after a security incident in order to best protect the safety of their communities. For more in-depth information, review the guidelines here.