Emergency Preparedness

Positive School Climate

Safe schools are fundamental to students' school successes and achievements. Providing a safe and orderly school environment is an ever-present priority of Bend-La Pine Schools. Here, school safety is addressed through a comprehensive approach that focuses on planning, prevention, intervention and response. Systems and programs are in place that create caring school communities where students and staff feel safe and supported. Bend-La Pine Schools is committed to ensuring psychologically safe, healthy learning environments.

We Value Community Partnerships and Empower Students and Staff

Key to the process of building and maintaining safe schools is the development of active partnerships between schools, parents and communities. Bend-La Pine Schools is a founding partner of the Safe Schools Alliance (established in 1998). The goal of the alliance is to provide safe and secure school environments through community and interagency partnerships among students, parents, education, mental health, community justice and law enforcement. This network of regional school districts and partner agencies meet monthly to share information, discuss items of common interest and concern, advise member agencies on the adoption of policy and explore curriculum and programs that increase positive school climates for our 17,500 students and the region’s more than 30,000 students.

Reporting Suspicious/Unsafe Behavior or Activities

We encourage students and parents to report suspicious or dangerous activity that you have heard, read or seen to:

• 9-1-1
• Our staff
• A school resource officer

We remind students that they can help keep their school safe.

Students are encouraged to:

• Report threats and suspicious activity made by students or community members.
• Communicate concerns to school administrators.
• Access help and resources for emotional needs.

Students are required to:

• Stay within established school boundaries during the day.
• Check with the Attendance Office when leaving early or arriving late.

Students are:

• Supported when they report bullying to school employees.

Emergency Drills

Drills can and should be carried out as close as possible to the procedures that would be used in an actual emergency. For example, a fire drill should be carried out with the same alerts and same routes as normal. If appropriate and practicable, COVID-19 physical distancing measures can be implemented, but only if they do not compromise the drill.

Staff should be trained in changes to drills prior to return to school and conducting any drills in the school setting. All standard collaboration (i.e. fire department, alarm company) and documentation remains required.

Links to Resources for Drills/Education:

These are from the Bend Fire Department:

• Video from Fire Department
• Educational curriculum

Bend-La Pine Schools follows protocols from I Love U Guys Foundation. Learn more by checking out videos/training for our Lockdown, Secure, Evacuation, and Shelter drills.

Planning

Bend-La Pine Schools understands the importance of training and practicing emergency protocols with students and staff in order to prepare them to respond safely in a variety of emergency situations. Drills help develop response actions and enhance the district’s and each school’s level of preparedness.

Oregon laws require that all schools conduct a Fire Drill once per month and two Earthquake Drills (with complete evacuation) each school year. Bend-La Pine Schools also requires its schools to conduct at least one Lockdown, Secure and Shelter-in-Place training and/or drill each school year. Schools may choose to complete additional Evacuation, Reverse Evacuation, and/or Room Clear drills annually.

Oregon law requires two Bus Safety Drills for students who regularly ride the bus each school year, one of which must include students who do not regularly ride the bus. These drills/trainings are delivered by Bend-La Pine Schools Transportation Department personnel.

Parents are advised to follow instructions and participate in safety exercises that take place while they are inside the school at the time of a drill.

See the Training section for more information.

Prevention

Staff use Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) model in 21 of our schools. PBIS is an evidence-based approach designed to have a positive impact on school climate and culture, thereby increasing school safety. PBIS is a decision making framework that guides selection, integration and implementation of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral practices for improving important academic and behavior outcomes for all students.

Staff use Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) tools that give students the ability to identify and articulate their concerns, hear the concerns of others, and take each others’ concerns into account in working toward mutually satisfactory solutions.

Currently three staff are certified Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) trainers and more than 300 staff are CPI trained.

Bullying prevention and emotional growth messaging is weaved throughout our instruction. Clubs are active in all of our schools, offering students opportunities for involvement in numerous groups including Where Everyone Belongs (WEB), Robotics and Uni-cycling – to name a few.

Bend-La Pine Schools staffs schools in ways that ensure students have access to mental and behavioral health support at school:

• More than 30 counselors meet with students each day at our middle and high schools.
• School psychologists provide student support and advocacy at all elementary, middle and high schools.
• Two full-time therapists support our highest needs students at schools in the region.
• Students exhibiting risky behavior are screened and provide mental health support as needed.
• When risky behavior escalates, school staff partner with Deschutes County Mental Health professionals to administer a Safe Schools Assessment and offer additional options for community and school based wrap around services.

Bullying Prevention


Bullying prevention and emotional growth messaging is weaved throughout our instruction. Clubs are active in all of our schools, offering students opportunities for involvement in numerous groups including Where Everyone Belongs (WEB), Robotics and Uni-cycling – to name a few.

Positive School Climate


School counselors present lessons in classrooms and groups around such topics as: Social Emotional Learning, anxiety, problem-solving, coping strategies, peer relations, grief/loss, divorce, etc.

Most of our high schools have a LINK CREW program for introducing and supporting freshman during his/her first year of high school.

Schools provide school-wide behavioral expectations, caring school climate programs, positive interventions and supports, psychological and counseling services, and violence prevention programs such as bully-proofing, social skill development, and conflict mediation.

Schools promote compliance with school rules and encourage students to report potential problems to school officials and resist peer pressure to act irresponsibly.

Intervention

Bend-La Pine Schools staffs schools in ways that ensure students have access to mental and behavioral health support at school:

• Students exhibiting risky behavior are screened and provide mental health support as needed
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) implementation: 75 percent of elementary schools have dedicated staff for instruction; Teach social emotional core competencies
• 19 schools have break/calm/sensory rooms (K-12) that: Teach zones of regulation; Scheduled break space; crisis de-escalation space

When students demonstrate risky or threatening behavior, school staff partner with the region's Student Threat Assessment System Coordinator.

Three school-based health clinics offer counseling and therapy to students and families.

School staff partner with behavioral health in supporting wrap around services by participating in, and, hosting wrap meeting at schools.

Deschutes County Behavioral Health therapists partner to provide additional supports to students with high need.

The district offers therapeutic education settings for students with acute emotional needs.

Intervention Strategies

Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) 


PBIS, used in 21 schools, is an evidence-based approach designed to have a positive impact on school climate and culture, thereby increasing school safety. PBIS is a decision-making framework that guides selection, integration and implementation of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral practices for improving important academic and behavior outcomes for all students.

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) 


CPS is a model that focuses on collaboration that helps students with challenging behaviors to solve kids to help them solve the problems that are precipitating their challenging episodes. These tools give students the ability to identify and articulate their concerns, hear the concerns of others, and take each others’ concerns into account in working toward mutually satisfactory solutions.

Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI)


Three staff are certified CPI trainers and more than 300 staff are CPI trained throughout the district. CPI is a training that develops strategies for safely defusing anxious, hostile, or violent behavior at the earliest possible stage.

Student Threat Assessment System


The High Desert Student Threat Assessment System is set of assessment protocols and safety planning procedures overseen and administered by a unique collaborative team comprised of schools, law enforcement, public mental health, the judiciary and juvenile corrections to promote safe school environments. The primary goal of the STAS is to provide an immediate and systematic response to youth who pose a serious threat to commit violence to others. Bend-La Pine Schools is a member of this team.
The objective of the team is to:

• Identify and assess threats of potentially harmful or lethal behavior and determine the level of concern and action required.
• Organize resources and strategies to manage situations involving students that pose threats to other students, staff and the community.
• Maintain a sense of psychological safety among our students, teachers, and parents, thus fostering a learning environment that allows for teaching and learning that is free of the distraction caused by fear.

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Response

During an emergency we will secure your students and our staff using our emergency protocols

In the case of a Lockdown, fire or evacuation a district representative will send you a text alert after staff and students have been secured and if you are subscribed to BLConnect. You can subscribe at https://connect.bend.k12.or.us. (We also use this system to alert you of weather delays and closures)

Your school will email or call you with an update as soon as is reasonable and the situation has been stabilized.

In the event of a crisis response, parents are asked to stay away from campus so that emergency responders access is not impeded and to wait for instructions from school and emergency personnel. These instructions may include information about how/where to reunite with your student(s).

School Based Approaches to Suicide

Partnership with Deschutes County on development of “School Based Approaches to Suicide: A Comprehensive Guide” (Visit the Deschutes County Suicide Prevention page, go to supporting documents at the bottom of the page.)

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Training

All staff receive the following training annually:

• Bullying: Recognition & Response
• Child Abuse: Mandatory Reporting
• Dating Violence: Identification and Prevention
• Homeless Students: Awareness and Understanding
• Sexual Conduct: Staff-to-Student
• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Sexual Harassment: Staff to Staff

Staff who are also OSAA coaches or club or activity advisers receive additional training each year, which may include:

• Concussion Awareness
• CPR and First Aid
• Steroid Awareness
• Heat Exhaustion Awareness

Paid or volunteer coaches who are not regular Bend-La Pine Schools employees are required to receive the following training annually:

• Bullying: Recognition & Response
• Child Abuse: Mandatory Reporting
• Sexual Conduct: Staff-to-Student
• Bloodborne Pathogens

All staff and students practice Lockdown, Secure, Shelter-in-Place,Fire and Earthquake drills each year.

We have trained staff who can identify and respond to medical and mental health emergencies in our schools, which may include nurses, CPR and first aid responders, and staff members who are trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer).

Administrators and supervisors complete ICS 100 Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools and NIMS 700 National Incident Management System.

Bend –La Pine Schools has adopted a common screening and response process for students that demonstrate suicidal ideation or make threats of suicide at school. This was created in partnership with Deschutes County Health.

All secondary school staff are trained in Question, Persuade, Respond (QPR).

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

Each school has at least two staff trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), as part of our overall response to student threat of suicide. ASIST trained staff recognize when someone may be at risk of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety.

• Counselors and School Psychologists at every school are trained in ASIST

Response

Several teams respond to our schools for crisis intervention, mental health support, and response assistance to crisis situations. These team will endeavor to effectively mitigate the impact of traumatic events impacting students in our school community. The goal is to assist students and staff in effectively coping with traumatic events and return to normal functioning.

• Tri County Response Team
• County Mental Health Response Team
• CIT Bend Police Department

Focused Social/Emotional Mental Health Curriculum

Red Flags
 (seventh grade)

This is a universal health promotion program, alerting children and those who regularly interact with them to the warning signs of mental illness, and empowering then to act quickly to restore mental wellness. This information in this program in intended for a general audience. Red Flags not only provide information regarding mental illnesses in children, but also promote the development of appropriate coping mechanisms including accessing help, it assists children in developing emotional intelligence. A key result of Red Flags is that children learn to go to a trusted adult with a problem.

S.O.S: Signs of Suicide 
(Eighth grade)

This program highlights the relationship between depression and suicide, teaching that suicide is, most often, a fatal response to a treatable disorder—depression. Through the SOS program, school staff, students, and their parents will learn about depression, suicide, self-injury and the associated risks of alcohol use. SOS teaches the action steps individuals should take should they encounter the signs of depression of suicide within themselves or on behalf of a friend: ACT: Acknowledge that your friend has a problem, tell the person you Care, and Tell a trusted adult.

S.O.S.: Signs of Suicide 
(High School)

SOS Signs of Suicide is a school-based curriculum and screening program that has demonstrated decreased suicide attempts, among other positive outcomes, in adolescents. SOS can be taught in two one-hour lessons.

RESPONSE 
(High School)

RESPONSE is a comprehensive high school-based program that increases awareness about suicide. All program components are designed to heighten sensitivity to depression and suicidal ideation, increase identification, and facilitate referral. The program also provides procedures to refer a student who may be at-risk for suicide. After implementation, participants should have: 1) Increased knowledge of signs of depression and suicide. 2) Increased understanding of attitudes and behaviors that can hinder help seeking. 3) Increased understanding of steps to seek help for oneself and others. 4) Increased knowledge of “crisis contacts” at the school for immediate help.

Look, Listen, Link
 (SixTH GRADE)

This curriculum is designed to supplement a comprehensive health education curriculum in the middle school years. It consists of four lessons that assists students to define and identify causes and symptoms of stress and anxiety in oneself and in a friend. It also encourages students to demonstrate healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety. The Look, Listen, and Link model is a three-step skill that helps students to help others in need.

Health Smart: 
(Grades 6-12)

Emotional and mental health; violence and injury prevention; alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention. (Supplemental Curriculum)

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Community Partnerships

Positive Community Norms

Beginning in the 2015 school year a Positive Community Norm school and community campaign was implemented in La Pine focused on alcohol. The purpose of the project is to decrease and delay the onset of alcohol use by adolescents by increasing accurate perceptions of use and perception of harm when using alcohol. A similar campaign is being developed to focus on marijuana and the goal is to expand to the entire district in 2016-17, although agreements have not been finalized yet.

Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

A community coalition, sponsored by Deschutes County was developed in 2012 to focus on youth substance abuse prevention. Bend-La Pine Schools has had membership in this coalition since 2013. The coalition (Shared Future Coalition) is focused on alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and prescription drug abuse prevention among 12- to 25-year-olds. The mission is to reduce substance abuse by empowering youth and young adults to make safe, healthy, and legal choices through community education, collaboration and policy. A diverse array of community stakeholders is needed to address community level change.

Oregon Wellness Survey and Oregon Health Teens Survey


Since 2008, Bend-La Pine Schools has worked with Deschutes County to collaborate on two State provided youth surveys: Oregon Student Wellness Survey and Oregon Healthy Teens Survey. The Prevention Program uses the data to develop a picture of current student behaviors and trends, secure resources on behalf of the community and to support programming as identified above and to prioritize programming. The Prevention Program collaborates with the District on the release of data information and reporting information submitted to the media or community.