The Page County School Board approved the Division Crisis Response Plan after trustees heard a multi-section briefing on the plan, trainings completed over the summer and interagency coordination. Doctor Johnson presented the plan and asked the board for formal approval.
The plan consolidates school-specific crisis teams, communication protocols, drills and training requirements and a confidential crisis manual for staff. Doctor Johnson told the board the manual is “a living, breathing document” that includes named backups and articulated responsibilities for principals, nurses, SROs and central office staff.
Board members were told principals and school leadership teams have been engaged in site-specific walkthroughs and checklists; trainings this summer included ALICE active-shooter training for leadership and follow-on staff sessions. Doctor Johnson said the division had run multiple days of training for new hires and that LifeSpot, the division’s security alert app, was strongly encouraged for staff though not required because it is installed on personal phones.
The presentation said the division also monitors Virginia Department of Education surveys and uses that data to guide counseling, school supports and crisis planning. Doctor Johnson said the division maintains an MOU with the sheriff’s office for incident response and that the division meets monthly with county emergency partners, SROs and fire and rescue leadership.
In a motion to approve the plan, a board member moved and the board recorded affirmative votes; the motion passed and the Division Crisis Response Plan was approved. The board voted on the item after the informational presentation that ran through August preparedness activities and concludes the plan-is-ready action item presented to trustees.
The board directed that a parent-facing summary of the plan be prepared: the confidential manual will be summarized so parents know the high-level procedures in place and can access a parent version of the manual online. The presentation also said the Division would share appropriate non-confidential portions with the Virginia Department of Education as evidence of compliance and readiness.
No new funding or contract awards were requested as part of the approval; the board approved the plan as presented.