Crime persists throughout communities and takes place in various forms. Victims of crime may be members of your whole school/campus community (faculty, staff, administrators, students, families) and need support to recover. To recognize the importance of the impacts of crime on community members, you are invited to participate in National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), observed April 24-30, 2022. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), this week-long stakeholder event raises awareness of victims’ rights and services; honors victims and victim services partners; and shares resources, trainings, and outreach materials. The 2022 NCVRW theme is Rights, access, equity, for all victims. Consider how your agency can show its support during this time, such as raising awareness for crime victims’ rights, partnering with victim services, and developing or refreshing your education agency’s Crime Annex.

OVC and its Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVCTTAC) offer resources for supporting crime victims that may be used to update your education agency’s Crime Annex:

• a Webinar recording featuring OVC materials for trafficked youth;
• support materials focused on young trafficking survivors’ experiences;
• 2022 NCVRW Theme Artwork for your education agency to use to share information;
• a Human Trafficking Web page for evidence-based training and resources; and
• the Specific Considerations for Providing Victim Services Web page for guidance on meeting the needs of specific populations.

Additionally, the REMS TA Center offers a fact sheet, Webinar, and tip sheet on protecting youth from sextortion; a Webinar on human trafficking; an online course, training module, in-person training, Webinar, and guidance on addressing adult sexual misconduct; and a Webinar on bullying prevention efforts. Find more resources, tools, and trainings from the REMS TA Center and partner agencies on the Addressing Adversarial and Human-Caused Threats That May Impact Students, Staff, and Visitors Web page.

The REMS TA Center remains committed to supporting schools and school districts with their efforts to develop, enhance, and maintain high-quality school emergency operations plans (EOPs). We also remain committed to showcasing the various partners within and outside of the school building who play a key role in helping schools manage the before, during, and after aspects of potential emergencies that they may face. Our Role-Based Webinar Series, which we initiated in 2021, showcases how having a multi-disciplinary approach to school EOP development and maintenance can help increase the emergency preparedness capacity of schools and school districts in all five National Preparedness System mission areas. Key roles that we have highlighted via our Role-Based Webinar Series include

• School Nurses
• School Psychologists
• School Community Engagement Specialists
• Families, Parents, and Caregivers

Future Webinars in this series will feature the role of Educators, Facility Managers, Information Technology Specialists, Transportation Directors, School Administrators, School Mental Health Professionals, and more.

Are you interested in sharing details about your role in supporting school safety and EOP development and maintenance? Start a forum in our Community of Practice (CoP) Not a member? Joining is easy! Our CoP forum is a virtual network for anyone who plays a role in the fields of school and higher ed safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness. Use it to connect with other practitioners in the field, ask questions about topics in the field, and share lessons learned and stories from your local, state, territory, or Federal perspective.

Did you know that the REMS TA Center now hosts a podcast? Listening to our NEW #REMSontheAir podcast is a convenient way to engage in asynchronous learning opportunities, hear from experts in the field, and engage in important and timely conversations. The #REMSontheAir podcast can be a valuable resource for anyone with a role or interest in school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness. For a great introduction to the #REMSontheAir podcast, listen to our first episode, titled Meet the REMS TA Center. In this opening episode, REMS TA Center staff welcome listeners by explaining the purpose and work of the REMS TA Center and sharing how we aim to serve
K-12 and higher ed partners, as well as their community partners, with prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. Listen to episodes directly from the REMS TA Center Website on the #REMSontheAir Podcast Library Web page.

We are seeking your input and invite you to join the conversation by using the #REMSontheAir hashtag to engage in post-episode discussions on Twitter, or by emailing us at info@remstacenter.org. Please submit questions or topic ideas to be featured in future episodes. We look forward to hearing from you!

As a part of the Grants to States for School Emergency Management (GSEM) program, South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) provides technical assistance and training to local education agencies on high-quality EOP development and implementation. As one technical assistance activity, SCDE meets monthly with school safety and security directors across the state via a videoconferencing platform. Initiated in 2020 and structured to include presentations from subject matter experts as well as open discussions amongst participants, this “safety director roundtable” provides opportunities for peer-to-peer information sharing, professional development and training, informal needs-sensing, and relationship-building. In previous virtual meetings, local education agencies have spotlighted their EOP development activities, discussed state requirements and resources, and provided feedback on an online portal that SCDE has developed using GSEM funds to collect EOPs and assessments.

Understanding the value of real-world emergencies to providing lessons learned, the REMS TA Center released an updated case study on the response and recovery efforts of a school community dealing with a serious car accident involving students. The publication summarizes EOP lessons learned and highlights how the school district managed the immediate actions, which included:

• Dispatching an incident response team;
• Establishing a short-term counseling center for students;
• Sharing resources with students and staff;
• Developing and implementing a media-relations plan; and
• Planning appropriate anniversary activities.

While any emergency event is unpredictable and uncontrollable, schools and school districts can take advantage of the strengths of school-based professionals and volunteers by developing a plan that outlines what to do before, during, and after an emergency. Using this local case study, you can learn specific strategies and resources to create or strengthen your EOP in order to better prepare for and respond to emergencies by addressing the immediate, intermediate, and long-term needs of the entire school community.