In order to ensure safety and protect well-being of everyone after the shooting and campus community taken as a whole, it is of paramount importance to take effective and rational measures without any delay. According to the American College Health Association (2011), "in order to create a coordinated and successful response, emergency responders within federal, state, county, and municipal agencies use concepts and operational systems within the National Response Framework (NRF)" (p. 438). The steps to be taken should comprise introducing stricter safety regulations for all students and other individuals being on campus as well as ensuring and maintaining a sufficient supply of necessary medications and related equipment .
There are two major channels of informing students, faculty, staff, and parents of the crisis, which include internal and external communication. Internal communication may be based on the following means: Internet, landlines and cell phones, posters, and other printed materials. Methods of external communication may include state and local public authorities and mass media as well as information provided by healthcare organizations involved and other related institutions and organizations.
As a general rule, "after a crisis, schools are practical, logical, and effective places to help students recover from a tragedy" (Love & Cobb, 2012, p. 158). Therefore, in the weeks after the shooting, it is of paramount importance to help students and other persons involve recover from the tragedy by providing effective psychological aid and other types of assistance.
If I were involved in this crisis, I would exert every effort to deal with my feelings in response to the shooting in the most effective manner. In the first place, I would talk to my parents and guidance counselor and tell them about things and feelings which disquiet me and make uncomfortable. However, it such conversations did not help me resolve my issues, I would seek psychological assistance from professionals.
References
American College Health Association. (2011). Emergency planning guidelines for campus health services: An all-hazards approach. Journal of American College Health, 59(5), 438-449.
Love, R. A., & Cobb, N. (2012). Developing Schools' Capacities to Respond to Community Crisis: The Tennessee Initiative. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 25(3), 158-163. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6171.2012.00339.x
