From Rookie to Reality
Identify the main decision that must be made
The first decision to be made in this case is to call the police and report the presence of a suspicious item on the school compound, requesting them to come over. After informing them, I would decide to direct the students and parents to safety zone where they await the police to arrive. The evacuation process should be conducted in a timely and orderly fashion to avoid creating any unnecessary panic. Additionally, being a delicate situation, I will contact the central administration of the school informing them of the situation on the ground while keeping constant communication regarding the decisions being made.
Identify additional information needed to inform the decision
Additional information required in this case is to understand district policies as they apply to such a situation. Student safety is ranked among the most important aspect of district policies than any other thing. As such, I will need to make everything possible to ensure the security and safety of all students, staff, and parents are not jeopardized
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Identify legal rulings to consider in making a decision
The numerous reports of school shooting prompted the judge in the case Wynar v. Douglas county School District to rule that parents and students need to take any concerns of a bomb threat seriously. This ruling will guide decision-making in ensuring the safety of all stakeholders is the priority that entails evacuating the school premises if the concern is reported to be a threat ( FindLaw, 2013) .
Identify district policy that might affect a decision
This school is located in a school district that lacks a specific strategy on bomb threats. As such, it will not have a significant impact on decision making, which means the initial plan of calling the police, informing the central administration and deciding whether to evacuate or not will stand.
Identify possible stakeholders involved in decision making or impacted by the recommended decision
Some of the stakeholders involved in making the decisions, in this case, include the interim principal, other administrators within the institution as well as the central administration. On the other hand, the students, school staff and parents within the school premises form possible solutions that will impact the decision.
Identify possible solutions to the case
This case will raise two possible solutions that have to be made immediately. The first solution is to call the police informing them of the situation, ensure students, parents, and staff evaluates school while contacting the central administration to keep them informed of the situation on the ground. The second solution is to call the police telling them of the case, contact the central administration to keep them informed but not to evacuate the school while waiting for the police to arrive.
State what you believe to be the best solution and identify the priority of possible action steps
In my capacity as an interim principal, I would choose not to evacuate the school premises as we wait for the police to arrive. As such, I will select the second solution by immediately calling on the police and inform the central administration, but allow the students to continue with their usual activities away from the object while ensuring they do not exaggerate the situation or make a scene out of it.
Identify a timeline to implement the recommended action steps
The action steps will be executed in the fastest way possible to ensure students return to their normal activities within a short period. However, it will depend on the report from the police. If they decide that the suspicious item is a ticking bomb and raises concerns for the safety of students and school staff, then a decision will be made to evacuate the school premises immediately.
Provide a rationale for your proposed solution and how it might support the success of all students
It is the responsibility of the school principal to keep students and staff safe. A school administrator promotes the success of all students by ensuring they have a safe and efficient learning environment ( Hanson, 2009). In this case, the interim principal has to take all precautionary steps necessary to prevent a crisis in the school premises, developing plans for disasters while acting promptly whenever a threat is identified. In this case, the bomb scare needs to be handled carefully without raising any possible public scare. Police should be informed, but students and parents should continue with their normal activities until the cops present sufficient information regarding the suspicious object. Whenever there is a cause to be alarmed, then an immediate decision will be made to evacuate all students and staff to safety. The interim principal will be on the forefront to ensure the safety of all stakeholders is sustained.
References
Hanson, K. L. (2009). A casebook for school leaders: Linking the ISLLC standards to effective practice . Prentice Hall.
FindLaw. (2013). WYNAR v. DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. Retrieved from https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1642928.html
