Classroom Crisis Prevention and Intervention Plan

A crisis in school can result in serious physical and psychological consequences when
not properly managed. Although all school management teams strive for a learning
environment where students are well-behaved, incidences occur unexpectedly, warranting a
comprehensive plan for crisis prevention. According to Martella (2011), proactive measures
for behavior management should be holistic and take into account multiple aspects of the
learning environment, student-student relationships, and student-teacher relationships. For
instance, adjusting activities and complex structured periods ensures less fatigue. In addition,
it is important for teachers and paraprofessionals to understand that individual needs affect
group dynamics in varying ways, hence the need for students to assume their group roles
early to establish positive social interaction. Establishing procedures to incidents for
behaviors that result in serious injuries involves having all staff understand how they are
expected to handle the problem behavior, with clearly defined responsibilities.
Although crises incidents may vary, some examples such as classroom level situations
such as physical aggression need a clear response plan to reduce the occurrence of crisis. One
of the key attributes to implementing a successful crisis management plan is communicating
it to students, while also teaching them their responsibilities towards establishing a safe
learning environment. I would communicate the crisis prevention and intervention plan to the
students during the first week of school. I would also communicate the plan with
paraprofessionals involved in my class by holding a meeting where we go through the
strategies and procedures to follow during crises. Basham, Appleton and Dykeman (2018)
note that both classified and certified staff need training to improve the capability to engage
students when they are displaying problem behaviors. While most problem behaviors in the
classroom can be handled by the teacher, having a behavior support team in place that is easy
to access helps solve complex student behavioral problems to improve student outcomes.

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Classroom crisis and intervention plan is part of a schoolwide positive behavior
intervention that aims to implement positive behavior interventions to facilitate positive
social behavior outcomes. In this case, the crisis intervention plan uses evidence-based
interventions and practices. Establishment of an effective crisis management plan involves
the integration of evidence-based behavioral and academic practices for improving behavioral
outcomes. According to Martella et al, (2011), a crisis management plan includes provisions,
for pre-planning, response and post-emergency activities. In some cases, individualized crisis
intervention plans are necessary, and may involve explicit procedures that facilitate excellent
communication. In this context, I will develop a crisis management and intervention plan that
facilitates appropriate behavior by establishing simple and attainable rules that can be applied
to the whole class.
While incidents can be disruptive, some proactive strategies such as focusing on the
student instead of the behavior could help reinforce positive efforts on the student’s part
regarding change in behavior. Moreover, de-escalation strategies such as acknowledging a
student when back on track also help prevent the reoccurrence of the particular incident. The
crisis prevention and intervention plan below presents several strategies and procedures
educators can implement to foster positive student behavior and manage crisis in a manner
that maintains a safe learning environment for all students.

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Objectives:
 Implement effective strategies that
help prevent behavioral crises in
learning environments.
 Apply comprehensive strategies that
de-escalate behaviors that are harmful
or inappropriate.
 Explore factors that lead to successful
behavioral interventions
Problematic Behavior and Strategies
In the course of learning, students may
display behavior that is harmful to others
or themselves, and also disruptive to the
learning environment. This could warrant
referrals to the principal or the relevant
authority for handling discipline cases. To
help respond or prevent behavioral crisis,
it is important to apply relevant proactive
strategies. The most common proactive
strategies target appropriate behavior, are
applicable to the whole classroom, include
positive feedback, and may also be
reward- based.
 
 
 

 
Target Appropriate Behavior
Help cultivate a culture of appropriate behavior
by establishing few attainable and simple rules
that can be applied to the whole class. Strategies
include:
 Reward achievements
 Token economy
 Praise
 Preferred activities
Feedback
 Be consistent when giving feedback
 Offer corrective and positive feedback as
opposed to deconstructive and negative
feedback
 Brief reminders
 Offer space
 Empathy and active listening
 Provide simple and concise instructions
If the problem behavior persists, it is worth
requesting a functional behavior assessment to
help inform the development of an individualized
plan for the student. Some useful methods to
help establish this would be scheduling
interviews, behavioral tests and observations to
aid in functional analysis.
 

De-escalation Strategies
 Guide the student to the right direction
and acknowledge their effort when
back on track
 Implement the concept of planned
ignoring by acknowledging the student
instead of the behavior

What to remember in a Crisis
 Speed of response during incidents is
important. Call to summon help.
 Follow the plan.
· Documentation can be made later
Post-Crisis Follow-Up
 Faculty and the planning committee
should meet for “debriefing” after
crisis occurs
 Any weakness in the plan should be
noted and the necessary changes made.
 Proposed alterations should be
presented to the administrators and the
school board for approval.

Classroom Crisis Prevention and Intervention Plan

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References

Basham, A., Appleton, V. E., & Dykeman, C. (2018). School Crisis Intervention: Building
Effective Crisis Management Teams.
Martella, R. C., Nelson, J. R., Marchand-Martella, N. E., & O’Reilly, M.
(2011). Comprehensive behavior management: Individualized, classroom, and
schoolwide approaches. Sage.