Best Practices for a Healing Post-Crisis Response Protocol

By: Jadyn Lewis

While most schools hope for a smooth-sailing year muddled only by the usual day-to-day occurrences (e.g. student misbehavior, absenteeism, unplanned fire drills, etc.), many encounter crises and other traumatic events that impact teachers and staff, students, and the local community. This is particularly true in the contemporary context of widespread gun violence in schools, but remains relevant for any disruptive event—such as a natural disaster, death of a community member, or anything else that threatens the physical or emotional safety of students and staff. 

I experienced this firsthand in my senior year of high school when our campus was struck by multiple instances of on-campus gun violence. I remember vividly the stress and emotional exhaustion of returning to school each day, unsure of what to expect. My peers, our families, and I found the school’s communication during and after the events to be delayed, unclear, and avoidant of full accountability. That experience has stayed with me, and it underscores how critical post-crisis responses are. They matter not just in how they address the trauma itself, but in how they affect trust, healing, and learning moving forward.

Unfortunately, many schools are under-resourced or unprepared to support students and staff once the immediate crisis has passed. Research and policy often focus more on prevention and emergency response, neglecting the long-term recovery and mental health consequences that follow. But healing from trauma doesn’t end with lockdown drills or emergency alerts—it requires sustained, thoughtful care.

A strong post-crisis recovery plan is essential. It must be flexible enough to support individual needs and be adaptable for all teachers, while grounded in a school or district-wide model. Consistent pillars of these sorts of crisis-response plans typically include but are not limited to taking immediate action, managing memorial activities with care, and providing professional development training and resources for staff (see the Association of California School Administrators resource hub or National Association of School Psychologists online resources for more examples). The Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, for instance, lays out a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework that emphasizes restoring routines, maintaining rehabilitative discipline, and promoting consistent classroom practices to stabilize the learning environment. 

While such protocols can be part of a helpful recovery approach, they must be implemented in ways that are trauma-informed and culturally-responsive to truly meet the needs of all school community members, especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds. Here are three key practices that can help schools strengthen their post-crisis response and center the well-being of students and staff:

1. Invite representative leadership and support team members to provide guidance.

Crisis response must be shaped by those who understand the community it serves. School leadership teams should reflect the racial, cultural, and linguistic identities of the students and families. If the leadership team is not already representative, then advisors or additional resource personnel brought into the recovery process should represent those communities. Research consistently shows that students have better outcomes when they are supported by educators and counselors who share similar racial backgrounds, especially students of color. A 2020 study published in Education Next corroborates this claim and further suggests that “students may be more willing to reach out to counselors if they share a salient characteristic such as race.” Following traumatic events, this kind of representation becomes even more critical. Black and Brown students, in particular, are often denied the space to process trauma safely or are met with suspicion when they express emotional vulnerability. Culturally-aligned counselors and trauma-informed educators can help ensure students feel comfortable seeking support.

2. Focus on a few strategies and do them well.

In the face of trauma, consistency and simplicity are vital. To avoid overwhelming teachers and students with new training or tools, schools should identify a handful of reliable, evidence-based social-emotional learning (SEL) practices. Possible examples include open-ended journal reflections, physically active brain breaks, or practice with emotional identification using a feelings wheel like this one created by Calm. It is necessary that these practices can be implemented on both a school-wide level and adapted for individual classrooms. Teachers know their students best and should be empowered to select and modify practices to meet their classroom’s needs, with leadership providing cohesion and sustained support.

3. Engage in responsive and straightforward communication.

Inefficient and unclear communication leads to the bubbling up of confusion and anxieties during or after instances of emotional turmoil and crisis. Clear, honest communication is essential. Silence or vague, bureaucratic language only deepens distrust. Students, staff, and families need timely updates, direct acknowledgement of what has occurred, and transparency about next steps. This type of communication builds credibility and can provide comfort in the knowledge that the school is taking the trauma seriously.

Distinctly important but often ignored is the importance of accessible and culturally-competent communication. This means using language and phrasing that is professional, but still straightforward, familiar, and cognizant of the way different people and families process trauma. During one incident at my school, a SWAT team evacuation was followed by vague, scripted communication, and a week later, we were given consolatory cookies. While the gesture was well-meaning, it felt disjointed and disconnected from the emotional reality we were experiencing. No cookie could replace what we needed most: clarity, care, and real action.

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As I know all too well, in times of crisis, a school’s response becomes a defining memory for students, staff, and families. By giving particular attention to culturally-responsive, trauma-informed recovery planning, schools have the power not just to cope with the tragedy, but to help students and staff navigate the aftermath and find healing within the school community.