Focusing on Adult Sexual Misconduct and Other Forms of Child Exploitation
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Child exploitation includes many human-caused threats — child sex
trafficking and human trafficking,
sextortion
and online enticement,
commercial sexual exploitation of children
and child sexual abuse material, and adult sexual misconduct
(ASM) — and can manifest in schools in various ways.
For example, instances of child exploitation could occur
on or via school grounds, school-issued devices, school buses,
or school networks; during school-sponsored extracurricular
activities; on the way to/from school; and at home. No matter
where ASM takes place, education agencies and key
personnel, including school safety planning teams, school
counselors, school social workers, or school psychologists, should
be prepared to help ensure students get academic and behavioral health support.
Education agencies can take the first step to protect
students from ASM by developing or revising child
exploitation-related annexes, such as an ASM Annex
or a Sextortion Annex. The range of behaviors
that may be considered ASM (from inappropriate to illegal)
underlines the importance of clear policies
and procedures that document the responsibilities
of specific staff members for preventing ASM or
the appearance of ASM. Behaviors considered
ASM are subject to interpretation; therefore,
these “gray areas” should be spelled out in
school and school district policies, including instances
in which it directly ties into child trafficking and
sextortion. Guidance may be found in A Training Guide
for Administrators and Educators on Addressing Adult
Sexual Misconduct in the School Setting. The REMS
TA Center offers the following resources on
addressing and preventing ASM:
We have recently updated our ASM Live Training by
Request topic to include additional information on
mandated reporting, psychological first aid, aiding
and abetting perpetrators of ASM, and virtual
classrooms. Request this training topic for
your education agency by using the link below.
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Emergency Preparedness Inside and Outside Schools and Campuses
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There are many steps that schools, school districts,
and institutions of higher education (IHEs) can
take to improve both the internal emergency
preparedness capacity of the school or IHE, as
well as that of the surrounding community, and
not all have to be complex or time intensive. One
great way to start is to distribute the
REMS TA Center’s NEW
glossary, “Key Terms in School and Higher Ed Emergency Management Planning,” to
members of the core planning team as a
part of Step 1 in the six-step planning process of
EOP development. The Key Terms Glossary is
a useful tool for familiarizing team members,
including staff members and community partners,
with emergency management topics, terms, and
concepts and ensuring they are using the
same language throughout the planning process.
Beyond planning team members, schools and
IHEs can also increase the preparedness of
the greater school or campus community by
joining the Resolve to Be Ready initiative. Led
by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
this initiative encourages individuals and
families to make a resolution to improve
their preparedness for a range of emergencies. Use
the social media toolkit that contains
preparedness tips, graphics, and social
media content that can be customized and improve
individuals’ understanding of basic emergency
preparedness concepts. This month and into the
new year, consider distributing the REMS TA Center’s
Key Terms Glossary to staff members and
engaging in the Resolve to Be Ready
initiative with the broader community
using the hashtag #ResolveToBeReady.
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Resources for Charter Schools on Emergency Management Planning
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Over the last decade, the number of charter
schools in the United States has increased
from 5,000 to 7,500, doubling student enrollment
to more than 3 million students. The REMS TA
Center provides free services and products to all
schools, including charter schools! Likewise,
the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency
Operations Plans (School Guide) is intended for
individuals and planning teams at charter
schools and other K-12 non-public schools. The
School Guide shares planning principles, the
six-step planning process, and the plan
content that charter schools can use to
develop high-quality EOPs to help ensure their
campuses and students are safe. To expand upon
the guidance, the REMS TA Center recently released
a NEW fact sheet, “Charter Schools: Emergency Management
Planning for All Settings,” that tailors the
six-step planning process to the specific needs of
charter schools, many of which may not operate
in traditional school buildings and have
unique considerations.
The fact sheet encourages charter schools to
form strong community partnerships during
their safety planning efforts, engaging students
and families, first responders, and other public
service agencies. These partnerships are
critical not only for emergency management planning,
but also for ensuring there is a collective
process for responding to the social, emotional,
and mental health needs of the students in the
building, before, during, and after an incident
occurs to ensure their overall well-being. The
National Charter School Resource Center recently
released a publication describing how charter
schools can create communities of care,
particularly to support student mental health.
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Creating EOPs That Address All Settings and All Times and That Protect the Whole School Community
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Emergency management planning requires that education
agencies work with their community partners to prepare
not only for emergency incidents that take place
within a school building or during the school day,
but also incidents that may take place in all
settings and during all times. This includes
creating plans to respond to incidents that take
place before and after school hours, on field trips,
in virtual classroom settings, as well as during
large events, which are often planned as the
first semester of the academic year often concludes.
The end of an academic semester and calendar
year provides a great opportunity to review
school and campus EOPs to ensure that they clearly
outline goals, objectives, and courses of
action for emergency incidents that take place
outside of the traditional school and campus
settings and times. Consider the following
activities as you work with partners to
continually enhance EOPs that protect
the whole school community.
- Review your EOPs to determine whether they integrate Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles. CPTED is a great multidisciplinary strategic approach to deter criminal behavior and protect the whole school community. Download the related module in our Specialized Training Package to learn more.
- Conduct a site assessment to check for any safety and security concerns or vulnerabilities using the REMS TA Center’s SITE ASSESS mobile application as members of the community, beyond students and staff, participate in events being hosted within the school building or on school grounds.
- Take our School EOPs In-Depth: Planning for Large Events online course or download the related module in our Specialized Training Package to help you define large events and the special vulnerabilities they pose to schools.
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Looking Back on 2022 With Gratitude
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As we close out 2022, the REMS TA Center thanks
you for subscribing to our LISTSERV and demonstrating
your commitment to school and higher ed safety,
security, emergency management, and preparedness in your
community. It has been a pleasure to offer free products
and services for schools, school districts, IHEs, and
their community partners to use in EOP development; we
hope they were helpful. Below are a summary of
2022 highlights from the REMS TA Center, which
we could not have done without you and your
peers throughout the nation.
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We appreciate your stewardship,
engagement, and safety leadership
all year long. The REMS TA Center
wishes you a safe and happy
holiday season and looks forward
to providing you with training
and technical assistance in 2023.
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