The Orange County Department of Education’s (OCDE) Crisis Response Network (CSN) has proven critical in recent months in providing students with real-time support during some of the most challenging moments in their lives.
A winner of CSBA’s 2023 Golden Bell Award honoring excellence in education programs and school governance throughout the state, the network played a crucial role in providing on-site support to Pasadena Unified School District students and staff as they returned to class once schools reopened following the Eaton Fire earlier this year.
Working alongside staff from OCDE’s Mental Health and Wellness team and colleagues from other departments — as well as social workers from the Los Angeles County Office of Education and other agencies — CRN team members helped ease the transition back to campuses.
“Often, we’re walking into a school on one of the worst days they’ve ever had,” said CRN Coordinator Jason Claros. “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.”
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, according to a statement released April 14 by the OCDE.
Under the guidance of OCDE’s Integrated Supports and Services unit, the network provides assistance to Orange County’s 29 school districts and other local educational agencies during emergencies, including natural disasters such as Southern California’s wildfires in January, grief and loss, substance overdoses and other crises.
For example, through a partnership with the Orange County Sheriff’s Coroner Division and surrounding counties, the CRN team is notified if a student or a student’s legal guardian passes away. Once alerted, a member of the network contacts the student’s school district to offer crisis response planning, consultation and resources tailored to their needs.
Fullerton Joint Union High School District Director of Student Support Services Allen Whitten recalled working with the CRN following two separate incidents that occurred within a short time span.
“The OCDE Crisis Response lead reached out to us at about the same time we learned of the crisis,” Whitten explained. “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. They met with students and staff and provided that extra help we needed to ensure our whole community got the support they needed.”
According to Whitten, the CRN team helped with planning and communication, and sent mental health specialists to meet with students and staff directly.
Composed of professionals trained in trauma-informed care, the CRN operates seven days a week, offering school communities guidance and support before, during and after emergencies.
“Our mission is to help districts build the capacity to respond to a crisis in a healthy and appropriate manner,” said Claros, emphasizing the network’s trainings to help LEAs prior to a catastrophe at no cost to schools. “We do that through direct support and pre-incident training that empowers schools before a crisis even occurs.”
The CRN team offers training through the nationally recognized PREPaRE curriculum developed by the National Association of School Psychologists through two workshops — the first focuses on comprehensive school safety planning and is designed primarily for administrators, while the second offers hands-on strategies for mental health crisis intervention.
