The Sconi

This summer, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety (OSS) is offering regional trainings to Wisconsin schools on the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and Standard Reunification Method (SRM) to improve crisis response readiness. The procedures taught in this training support standardized, practical, action-based responses to school incidents.

“This training helps schools be prepared for crisis response,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “This is another example of the important work the Office of School Safety is doing to help keep kids in Wisconsin safe.”

SRP provides standard vocabulary for all stakeholders to understand the response and status of an event. The vocabulary includes hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter.

Hold is followed by a directive of where to hold, such as in your room or area, and is meant to keep hallways clear.

Secure is followed by a directive such as get inside and lock outside doors and is meant to safeguard people inside the building.

Lockdown is followed by the directive locks, lights, out of sight, and is meant to secure individual rooms and keep everyone quiet and out of sight.

Evacuate may be followed by a location and is used to move individuals to a new location or out of the building.

Shelter is followed by stating the hazard and safety strategy to keep everyone protected.

Having SRM in place helps alleviate stress during a crisis response and ensures that schools maintain proper chain of custody for every student. SRM can be used during various crisis responses including fires, floods, tornados, threats, and acts of violence to ensure students are reunified with their parents or guardians. Successful planning and implementation of SRM require partnerships with all involved stakeholders that participate in crisis response.

The SRP and SRM training provided by OSS is open to school safety partners. The training lasts one day and consists of both lectures and hands-on scenario practice. Wisconsin schools or districts interested in hosting an SRP or SRM regional training in their area can contact OSS to request the free training. Training is modeled after the I Love U Guys Foundation curriculum. View upcoming trainings around the state on the OSS website.