District and Building School Safety Teams
SAS District Safety Teams
The District’s Emergency and School Safety Plan include several building and district-level teams. Each team is strategically organized based upon recommended practices from national, state and local school safety authorities. Each group plays a significant role in the district’s approach to safety preparedness including activities associated with: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and Recovery, or simply put, school safety activities before, during, and after an incident. Below is a partial list of School Safety Teams in Sparta Area Schools with a brief description of their roles and memberships.
Core Crisis Response Team
The Core Crisis Team is the primary school safety organizational team in the district. The team develops plans, and establishes protocols and procedures, organizes programs and services, provides information and support, receives ongoing training and updates and generally oversees the school safety activities in the district.
The Core Crisis Team has scheduled monthly meetings, yet may be called upon to meet as necessary.
Membership Include:
- District and Building Administrators
- District Program Coordinators and Directors
- Counselors and Social Workers
- Designated Maintenance Staff
- School Nurse
- Local Police and Fire Personnel
MERT (Medical Emergency Response Team)
The Medical Emergency Response Teams provide support for medically related issues and emergencies which occur in the school community. MERT members are often called upon to assist with medical incidents in the school setting. They act as first responders for medical support until the school nurse, local EMT or licensed medical provider arrive at the scene. The team members are certified in CPR, AED, Basic First Aid (including Asthma Inhaler Administration, EpiPen Administration, Monitoring and Managing Diabetes and Seizure Management), Crisis Prevention Institute (a nationally recognized training in de-escalation, seclusion and restraint practices) and receive training in general school safety practices annually. Each building has a designated Medical Emergency Response Team.
Membership Include:
- Secretarial Staff
- School Nurse
- Designated Teachers
- Administrators
- Designated Support Staff
- Supervisors and Coordinators
- Itinerant Staff
Core Response Team
The membership of the Core Response Team is primarily school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists. The function of the team is to provide social and emotional support during and after the occurrence of a crisis incident in the school community. The Response Team members are trained professionals who help members of the school community with coping, managing and effectively navigating personal or group crisis events. Team members are often made available to students, families, staff and sometimes other schools after a loss or tragedy. They are also called upon to help instruct and guide appropriate interactions among students, teachers and colleagues experiencing a personal loss or a tragic event. Depending upon the magnitude of the event, one or more Core Response Team members may be requested to provide support services.
Members Include:
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- School Psychologists
- Assistant Superintendent
Core Response Leadership Team
The function of Core Response Leadership Team is to provide district-level leadership for all emergency and safety incidents in the Sparta Educational Community. The team provides orchestration, collaboration and communication in and between local, county, and state law enforcement & health officials, the members of our school community and media outlets as warranted by incident.
Membership Includes:
- Chief Administrative Officials in District
- Designated Technology and Operations Personnel
- Local, County and State Law Enforcement and Emergency Management Agencies
- Local, County and State Community Health Agencies Health
