An essential component of school emergency response is the reunification of students with their parents or primary caregiver after an emergency has taken place. A well organized and timely reunification process is critical to reducing emergency-based trauma in children and is often the only mental health crisis intervention needed following an emergency. The sooner children are reunited with caregivers, the less likely they are to exhibit traumatic stress.
As schools across Iowa develop and exercise reunification plans, they have discovered that most lack the resources to effectively and efficiently complete the associated tasks. This is especially true in instances involving significant trauma such as active shooter, weather, chemical and other emergencies. In these types of events, research indicates that children are best left under the supervision of their teacher, who they trust and seek for safety. This leaves very limited school and district staff available for carrying out the reunification plan. This also requires school personnel directly impacted by the emergency to carry out complex reunification tasks that they may not be able to emotionally manage.
Heartland AEA is in a unique position to assist schools in Jasper County (Baxter, Colfax-Mingo, Lynnville-Sully, Newton and PCM) and schools in Polk County (Bondurant-Farrar, Des Moines, Johnston, North Polk, Saydel, Southeast Polk, Urbandale, West Des Moines) by establishing a response team to reunify children with caregivers in an emergency. Should an emergency requiring reunification of children occur, specially-trained Heartland AEA staff would deploy to the identified reunification site and assure the school that families are quickly and accurately reunified.
The Heartland AEA Reunification Response Team would assure three important aspects of response:
- Reunification is done as quickly as possible, limiting the amount of time children and caregivers spend in the process;
- Children are reunited with the appropriate caregiver by confirming the identity and matching children with their legal guardian; and
- Children and families are connected to critical services that may be needed in the days, weeks and months following a traumatic event, such as a school shooting.
A variety of individual skills sets are needed to fill the roles and responsibilities associated with the reunification team:
- Logistics staff is needed to see that the necessary equipment, signage and supplies are delivered and set up at a reunification site should the team be requested for deployment.
- Administrative staff must carry out accurate record collection and verification of identification to assure students are safely reunified with the proper caregiver.
- Mental health services and support staff is needed to assure that both children and adults receive assistance in a supportive and empathetic environment while they await reunification.
- Security staff is needed to assist law enforcement by identifying potential areas of concern and assuring the safety of everyone seeking reunification services.
Are You Interested in Serving on a Reunification Response Team?
At this time, a regional reunification response plan is being organized in the counties of Jasper and Polk. If you have the desire to assist children and families in an emergency, complete this Google form by Dec. 23, 2020, to indicate your interest in serving on a reunification response team(s). It is recommended that reunification response team members be able to respond to the Newton or Johnston areas within one hour should the team need to be activated. Once volunteers are identified, we will be scheduling Reunification exercise(s) to train and practice the Reunification Response process.
**If you previously indicated your interest in serving on a response team, please sign up again.
