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District unveils behavioral-health crisis manual with training plan for staff
Summary
District leaders presented a behavioral-health crisis manual that standardizes responses to suicidality, fatalities, trauma and other mental-health emergencies, provides communication templates and assigns crisis-team roles; administrators plan training and staff sign-off via the Vector system and convocation sessions.
District leaders told the Gary Community School Corporation board they have developed a districtwide behavioral-health crisis management manual to provide consistent, step-by-step guidance for schools responding to mental-health emergencies and traumatic events.
Dr. Jason Street and Janelle Adams outlined the manual's purpose: to distinguish behavioral-health crisis response (suicidal or homicidal ideation, grief, trauma) from physical-security protocols and to provide prewritten communications, activation protocols, defined crisis-team roles and post-crisis recovery templates. Street said the manual was created after the district experienced an incident this school year in which administrators needed immediate, consistent guidance following a student fatality.
Adams said the manual contains activation steps for crisis teams, templates for staff and family communications, guidance for funerals or memorials on school property and employee-assistance program information for staff support. The team has already trained administrators and a PLC of discipline leads and intends to fold the manual into mandatory annual training (Vector) with employee sign-off and to include sessions during convocation so all staff receive training before school resumes.
Board members praised the work and asked about ongoing training and verification of staff comprehension. Administrators confirmed plans for recurring training, inclusion in mandatory systems and sign-off processes so staff acknowledge understanding.
