National expert trains district crisis recovery teams

School district officials have learned it’s not a matter of if a call will come in, it’s a matter of when as it relates to tragedies. This week Walla Walla Public Schools and area school districts took another step forward to be better prepared to recover from a traumatic event. Crisis Management Institute Director Cheri Lovre, M.S. spent two days in Walla Walla for comprehensive Crisis Response Team training. She will come back in May to wrap-up this latest round of training. Lovre is a national expert on this topic and has supported school districts following the Columbine, North Thurston High School and Marysville school district tragedies to name a few.

Central Office administrators, principals, counselors, intervention specialists, learning specialists, and psychologists attended the training to help their schools map a course for planning and recovery. College Place Public Schools, Touchet School District and Pomeroy Public Schools sent staff to attend. Participants learned lessons from past events, strategies for meeting students’ needs, and a process for a smooth return to academics. They also discussed safe rooms, life tributes, impact of suicide on school response and how trauma impacts recovery. School teams are now developing a consistent checklist of things to do on crisis day, agendas for staff meetings, parent visitations, next steps and other aspects to address should a crisis occur.