OCDE’s Crisis Response Network supports schools during their most difficult days

When the Altadena fire forced the closure of schools in the Pasadena Unified School District earlier this year, the Orange County Department of Education’s Crisis Response Network stepped in to help. 

For nine consecutive days, CRN team members — along with staff from OCDE’s Mental Health and Wellness team and colleagues from other departments — provided on-site support to students and staff as they returned to class. Working alongside social workers from the Los Angeles County Office of Education and other agencies, they helped ease the transition back to campus.

It wasn’t the first time the team extended its reach beyond Orange County — and it likely won’t be the last.

Composed of professionals trained in trauma-informed care, the Crisis Response Network operates seven days a week, offering school communities guidance and support before, during and after emergencies. Whether it’s a natural disaster, a student death or a community trauma, CRN members are ready to assist districts in real time.

Through a partnership with the Orange County Sheriff’s Coroner Division and surrounding counties, the team is notified whenever a student or a student’s legal guardian passes away — regardless of cause. Once alerted, CRN initiates communication with the affected school district to offer crisis response planning, consultation and resources tailored to that community’s needs.

So far this school year, the team has provided direct support to 673 students, 477 school staff members, 108 parents and 238 additional individuals through therapy dog services.

“Our mission is to help districts build the capacity to respond to a crisis in a healthy and appropriate manner,” said Jason Claros, who coordinates the Crisis Response Network. “We do that through direct support and pre-incident training that empowers schools before a crisis even occurs.”

Real-time support

This school year, the team also worked closely with the Fullerton Joint Union High School District following two separate incidents that occurred within a short span of time. Allen Whitten, the district’s director of student support services, said OCDE staff reached out to offer assistance almost immediately.

“The OCDE Crisis Response lead reached out to us at about the same time we learned of the crisis,” Whitten said. “It was over the weekend and they helped us formulate our response plan so we were ready on Monday morning when our students and staff returned to school.”

Whitten said the CRN team helped with planning and communication, and sent mental health specialists to meet with students and staff directly.

“They met with students and staff and provided that extra help we needed to ensure our whole community got the support they needed,” he said.

Building capacity

In addition to direct support, the CRN team offers training through the nationally recognized PREPaRE curriculum developed by the National Association of School Psychologists. PREPaRE Workshop 1, offered in partnership with Christine Laehle, OCDE’s coordinator of school safety, focuses on comprehensive emergency preparedness and planning and is designed primarily for administrators, while Workshop 2 offers hands-on strategies for mental health crisis intervention.

FJUHSD sent six mental health specialists to attend both sessions.

“They loved the real-world examples and role-playing exercises,” Whitten said. “The training proved highly relevant and applicable to the challenges commonly faced on school campuses.”

This model of proactive planning and responsive support earned OCDE’s Crisis Response Network a Golden Bell Award in 2023 from the California School Boards Association, which honors excellence in education programs and school governance throughout the state.

Although Claros was not yet a member of the CRN team at the time of the award, he said he feels fortunate to work alongside a group with such a strong foundation and reputation for service.

“Often we’re walking into a school on one of the worst days they’ve ever had,” he said. “Just being there to help them begin to process what happened and provide tools to move forward is one of the most rewarding parts of this job.”

To learn more about OCDE’s Crisis Response Network or inquire about upcoming PREPaRE workshops, contact crn@ocde.us.