First State Times

“You don’t choose tragedy. You can choose your response.” – I Love U Guys Foundation

WHAT:

Starting August 1 and 2 at Brandywine High School in New Castle County, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency’s (DEMA) Comprehensive School Safety Program will hold three two-day seminars – one in each county – to promote statewide adoption of the “Standard Reunification Method” by the I Love U Guys Foundation, considered the gold standard in reuniting students and their parents or guardians during any type of crisis: fire, flood, tornado, power outage, bomb threat, accident, or act of violence.

The training culminates with a hands-on “Standard Reunification Method Exercise,” which will show staff and response personnel their capabilities for handling, organizing, and reunifying staff and students during any emergency. After the training, attendees will lead creation of a team in their district or school to implement the reunification process during any crisis.

Delaware will be among the first in the nation to adopt this protocol on a statewide basis.

WHERE AND WHEN:

• New Castle County:

  Brandywine High School, 1400 Foulk Road, Wilmington, DE 19803

  August 1 and 2, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

• Kent County:

  Dover High School, 1 Dover High Drive, Dover, DE 19904

  August 23 and 24, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

• Sussex County:

  Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences, 21150 Airport Road, Georgetown DE 19947

  August 25 and 26, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WHO:

• Douglas Scheer and Nicole Shuler-Geer, Comprehensive School Safety Program
• Delaware public and charter school staff and administrators
• First responders, including local and county law enforcement personnel
• Support agencies, including the DHSS Division of Public Health, American Red Cross, and Delaware State Police Victim Services

About the “I Love U Guys Foundation”

The I Love U Guys Foundation  began in 2006 by Ellen and John-Michael Keyes following a school shooting in Bailey, Colorado  that took the life of their daughter, Emily. On that day, Emily sent two text messages… one to her mother, Ellen, “I love u guys. K” and to her father, John-Michael, “I love u guys.”

About the Comprehensive School Safety Program

The Comprehensive School Safety Program (CSSP) was created in 2012 through the Omnibus School Safety Act.  Its purpose was to enhance public safety in all of Delaware’s public schools through the development and maintenance of comprehensive, site-specific, safety and emergency preparedness plans.

The goal of CSSP is to promote a cohesive and coordinated approach between state and local emergency responders, education professionals, and other supporting agencies and disciplines during a critical incident in a school setting. CSSP is part of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency, a division of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The CSSP team consists of two former law enforcement officers with a vast amount of expertise to include mental health components who monitor and provide support to over 230 public and charter schools consisting of more than 140,800 students for Omnibus compliance and best practices for school safety.

Original source can be found here.