Professional Documents
Culture Documents
October 3, 2016
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 3
Notifying Publics 7
Crisis Team 7
Website 13-14
List of Prodromes 18
The purpose of the Hardin Park Elementary School Emergency Operations Plan is to
identify and respond to incidents by outlining the roles and responsibilities of Hardin Park
Elementary School itself, its employees and its stakeholders. The development, maintenance, and
practice of the plan enables employees in an incident to respond quickly and accurately. Faculty,
staff, students and other stakeholders will be educated on their roles and responsibilities before,
during, and after an incident has occurred. This plan provides a reassurance to parents and
members of the community that Hardin Park Elementary School has established guidelines and
If the Crisis Communication Plan is not followed in the event of an emergency the results
could be disastrous or cause further damage to individuals, including faculty, staff, students, and
stakeholders. Hardin Park Elementary School strives for a safe environment in which they send
Acknowledgements
3
This school emergency plan has been completed and approved through a collaboration of efforts,
including:
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Rehearsal Dates
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following dates are in place to ensure that the exercise take place.The activated plan will be
discussed after the exercise has taken place to improve upon the methods and strategies that are
in place.
Purpose
In the event of a crisis, the implementation of this plan should be conducted in an effective and
timely manner. Information should be disclosed accurately through the proper media channels
with collaboration from the Hardin Park Elementary School’s Crisis Communication Team.
Objective
4. To respond to all concerns and media requests promptly and in a professional manner.
Enabling Publics
Lauren Dotson, Mary Smalling, & Jim Godwin, administration at Hardin Park Elementary
School
Functional Publics
Hardin Park Elementary School Office Personnel- Amy Abernathy, Sandra Winebarger, Mary
Rich
Hardin Park Elementary Student Services- Theresea Gibbs, Claire Jensen, Denise Presnell,
Parent Volunteers
Normative Publics
Surrounding Watauga County Elementary Schools- Parkway Elementary School & Cove Creek
Elementary School
Diffused Publics
Local Media- The Watauga Democrat, High Country Press, Mountain Times Publications
Notifying Publics
In case of a crisis, the administrative team will be notified first, followed by the employees.
speak on behalf of Hardin Park Elementary School to the press and/or to external publics in the
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form of a press release, as well as on social media. Faculty, volunteers, or members of student
services outside of the administrative team should not release information on behalf of the
Crisis Team
Administrative (Principal/Assistant Principals)- Will gather details of the crisis and condense
them into a concise presentation of facts to be released to the public. Principal will act as
spokesperson. However, if Principal is unable to do so, the Vice Principal will communicate with
the public. The administrative team will delegate responsibilities to faculty members with
Faculty (Educators, Teaching Assistants, and Parent Volunteers on site)- Faculty members
involved in the crisis (or those who were at the scene of the crisis as it first arose), will
immediately report details to the administrative team and follow administrative instructions for
828-268-6180 828-264-2426
8
828-264-3761 828-268-6900
336 Deerfield Rd
Boone, NC 28607
828-262-4100
Hcpress - Online
Human Resources : The responsibility of establishing good public relations lies with the
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HRM to a great extent. They organise business meetings, seminars and various official
relationships with other business sectors. Sometimes, the HR department plays an active
role in preparing the business and marketing plans for the organization too.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction administers the policies adopted by
the State Board of Education and offers instructional, financial, technological, and
Parkway Elementary School - This will serve as our primary location if a significant
number of classrooms are made unavailable by a fire. This will not only provide a facility
to retreat to the day of the emergency but also as the classrooms are being rebuilt.
Locations inside school: Cafeteria, Teachers Lounge, gymnasium & any open
multipurpose rooms
Principal Doug Faulkner has given full access to the cafeteria(when not in use) and the
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other multipurpose rooms that are available in case of an emergency. If their were to be
any major concerns or questions teachers would be asked to consult with Hardin Park’s
If Mary Smalling is not present, then the receptionist, Amy Abernathy, will be the lead
one person to another. You should have these just in case their is not service throughout
an emergency.
Cell Phones: It's uncommon for people to not have any type celluar device., it is
important that at least one leader of the team has a phone to use in emergencies.
copy of the crisis plan in the main headquarters where a crisis communication plan is
displayed, there should be at least one copy of the updated crisis communication plan for
First Aid Kit: This is must have for Hardin Park Elementary. If a fire breakout there is a
chance of people running to exist, which means someone can fall and hurt them self,
having a First-Aid kit near an exit can be very smart, because you can treat them
individuals.
List of Emergency Contacts: It is necessary that the adults of the school has a copy of
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each child’s emergency contact in case of an emergency and a parent or guardian needs
to be contacted if necessary.
Emergency Food and Water: Water is the most important thing to have during a crisis. If
there is a fire there is a high chance of people getting smoke into their lungs, water would
help you receive good oxygen and also a good way to clean your face and hands with.
Pre-gathered Information
BOONE, NC., It has been confirmed that ____________________ has been affected by a
fire on school property. Parents have been notified of the incident and early dismissal of
Once further details emerge about the fire, an announcement will be made by Watauga
County Schools board chair, Ron Henries regarding the causes of the fire.
Food Poisoning
BOONE, NC., Reports of food poisoning by food prepared in our cafeteria have been
confirmed. Students have been reported with foodborne illness and are encouraged to stay home.
Once more details of the cause of the contamination, an announcement will be made by
Monica Bolick, head of School Nutrition. Bag breakfast and lunches will provided to those who
Key Messages
Student and faculty have been killed and injured by the disaster.
2. We are currently working with the fire department to find the cause for the fire and
paramedics to help victims. Our main concern is the safety of faculty and staff.
3. At this time, we ask that only parents of students or relatives of faculty be present on
4. We are sorry to those who have loss a loved in this tragedy and we stand with you in
5. Questions about the incident shall be direct to the superintendent and local authorites via
email or phone. We are working on ensuring that these incidents never occur again.
students have developed foodborne illness and have contacted the school.
2. Administrators are working hard to find what compromised the safety of student meals. If
your student has eaten school meals in the past week, please contact School Nutrition
immediately.
3. We apologize to those affected by the contamination. This situation has very been
4. School Nutrition will only be serving bag lunches to those who qualify for free meals.
Others are encouraged to bring lunches from home. Watauga County is committed to the
5. Any questions or concerns should be directed to School Nutrition via email or phone.
Again, we sorry for this incident and we are working to ensure the safety and health of
our students.
Website
Hardin Park Elementary is currently facing a crisis of a fire on school property that has
affected students and faculty. As a school, we strive to provide the safest environment for
optimal learning but as a result of the damages. We urge all press to be considerate of the school
At this moment, we have no information in regard to the cause or the amount of damage
of the school. We are working diligently with authorities to find information and will notify
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about any developments. Any comments, questions, or concerns should be directed to Ron
Henries.
Hardin Park Elementary has been informed of contamination of school meals resulting in
the illness of several students. As a school, we strive for the safety and health of all students. We
take full responsibility of the incident and currently investigating the cause of the contamination.
At this time, only bag breakfast and lunches will be served to those who qualify for free
meals. As we continue to investigate, will announce any further developments. Any questions or
https://twitter.com/hardinpark_wcs
https://www.instagram.com/hardinpark_wcs/
The biggest reason why we should be monitoring social media is to control what information is
There may be some miscommunication due to the fact they are a bigger outlet
Food Poisoning-
Leading questions:
In the case of a leading question, such as, “You do believe that the school could have taken more
precaution when preparing meals for the students,” respond honestly. Assure them that it is a
common mistake when preparing food for masses and the school is going to do everything
Silence:
If reporters remain silent, do not ramble to fill the silence. Either continue to be silent or use that
time for positive reinforcement in regards to the crisis. Positive reinforcement can include
assurance that food poisoning has never been an issue for the school cafeteria and the kitchen
staff will be going through health training to be certain that this will not be a problem in the
future.
Accusatory Questions:
It is possible that reporters may try to catch you blaming the kitchen staff for the food poisoning
crisis. In that case, do not cast blame on anyone. Kindly respond by stating that it is a common
Jargon Questions:
In the case of health critics, do not be frightened by professional and technical jargon. Always
respond with language that is understandable to common publics to ensure you maintain their
Speculative Questions:
Reporters may ask speculative questions, such as, “ If there were more kitchen staff monitoring
the meat, do you think the school could have avoided so many food poisoning cases?” Kindly
respond by stating that the cafeteria staff is well trained and this does not happen often. Reassure
the public that the cafeteria will take extra precaution in monitoring the cafeteria in the future.
Fire-
Speculative Questions:
Be prepared for speculative questions, such as, “If _____________(i.e. heating systems, cooking
equipment, electrical equipment, etc.) had been monitored more closely, would this fire still have
occurred?” Assure the reporters and the publics that all potentially hazardous equipment is
monitored very closely and maintained frequently, and this is just an uncommon mistake that
will not be made in the future. If necessary, apologize and reassure the public that the mistake
was an accident and the school will do everything in their power to be certain that it will not
happen again.
Leading Questions:
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In the case of a leading question, be sure to state all the facts. Reporters may ask, “You agree that
the fire could have been prevented with proper precaution?” Kindly respond, stating that these
types of crises can be avoided, however accidents do happen. Again, reassure them that the
school is going to take extra precaution in the future to prevent this from happening again.
Silence:
If reporters remain silent, be sure you do not fill in the silence by rambling. The reporters want
you to spill all the details. Use the time that reporters remain silent to reinforce the positive sides
of the situation, such as reassuring that few to none were injured in the accident.
Accusatory Questions:
It is possible that reporters could try to force you to cast blame on maintenance, electric
companies, the kitchen staff, or anyone else who may have been involved with the source of the
fire. Instead of casting blame, use “the school” as a universal term when discussing who is at
fault. A response such as, “The school apologizes for the mistake and will take extra
precautionary action to ensure that this does not happen again in the future,” would suffice.
Jargon Questions:
In the case of a reporter using professional jargon and language that is difficult to understand,
respond in common, everyday language. If necessary, ask the reporter to restate his or her
question.
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Prodromes
Food Poisoning:
3. Dirty Kitchens
4. Water contamination
5. Dirty bathrooms
Fire-
· Symptoms
· Prevention
· Causes
· Treatment
· E. Coli outbreaks
· Salmonella outbreaks
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· Reporting salmonella
· Statistics
· Surveillance
· People at Risk
· Diagnosis
· Key facts
· Geographical distribution
· Transmission
· Who is at risk?
· Immunization efforts
Evaluation
Media Relations:
How did Hardin Park Elementary School successfully communicate with the local media?
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Would the coverage have been better if the school had taken the time to build stronger
Was the spokesperson for the school sincere and honest enough?
Community Relations:
How did the school work well with the community during the crisis?
How can the school make it up to stakeholders such as parents, students, faculty, and staff?
Did the team perform well under the pressure of the media and worried parents?
Is there any member of the team who was better at communicating with parents or the
community?
Was there anything the crisis management team could have done to better their communication