• Planning and preparing to respond to a crisis situation is a critical part of our district’s emergency preparedness efforts. The district has a comprehensive emergency response plan and each building has a site plan. Although the specifics of the district and building plans cannot be public for security reasons, some general characteristics are shared here.

    EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS
    The safety of our Coeur d'Alene Public Schools students and staff is our first concern. Emergency response plans are developed by teams composed of administrators and staff. The plan contains an emergency directory, action plan, responsibilities and duties, and procedures for all kinds of emergencies.

    PLANNING: The district maintains an emergency response guide that is a comprehensive plan for responding to a variety of natural disasters and hazardous situations including earthquake, fire, bomb threat, and hazardous materials incidents. This plan includes training resources, procedures and guidance relating to lockdown procedures, intruder response and natural disasters. 

    PREPARING: Our schools have emergency plans in place, which include procedures for responding to incidents like fires, earthquakes, or intruders. Drills are held at all schools throughout the year so that students and staff can practice appropriate responses to hazards. We work in partnership with city and county law enforcement to prepare for emergency conditions and hazards in our schools.

    RESPONDING: The district plan has as its foundation three categories of response. Threat assessment (our STAT Team) is used to assess the type or degree of threat. Trauma Response (our CAT TEAM) is assistance to help staff and students deal with emotional situations such as the death of a student or staff member. Incident Response is procedures to be used during a natural or human emergency.

    In the event of a district-wide emergency, district leadership, along with the Communications Department, will establish an Emergency Operations Center to provide support for students and staff at each school and communicate instructions to families. Local law enforcement and emergency management officials will communicate directly with the district to coordinate response plans and maximize resources, ensuring that assistance is available where it is most needed.
     

    STAT TEAM
    The Student Threat Assessment Team (STAT) is a multi-disciplinary team to address interventions on and around school campuses. This multidisciplinary team provides input regarding inhibitors and potential community resources for wrap-around services specific to students at risk. This team does not provide input regarding disciplinary action, and should not be viewed as punitive. The Student Threat Assessment Team is co-facilitated by the district's Special Programs Coordinator and a School Psychologist with participation by the district's Safety and Security Coordinator, a Secondary School Counselor, and a Secondary Education Administrator. The Coeur d’Alene Public Schools Student Threat Assessment Team was established in 2012 and is based on best practice following the Salem-Kaiser model.

    More about the STAT Team

     

    SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS (SROs)
    The Coeur d'Alene Public Schools School Resource Officer (SRO) program is a continuing effort between the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and Kootenai County Sheriff's Office to provide for the safety and well-being of the students and staff on school campuses. The presence of uniformed police officers on school campuses, in addition to basic law enforcement services, allows for an array of police services to be provided to both students and staff, such as the dissemination of information from the police department regarding the criminal justice system, gang intervention and prevention, and alcohol and drug abuse prevention. They often supervise after-school activities, athletic events, and dances in our secondary schools. 

    More about our SROs

     

    CAT TEAM
    The Crisis Assistance Team is a supportive service which can help schools assess, plan, and intervene in a crisis affecting staff and students.  A planned, organized approach has been shown to be effective in reducing the emotional and social impact of a crisis. The CAT has specialized training to assist building Administrators In directing crisis resolution activities.

    More about the CAT Team