Daniel 
Most districts practice reunification once a year, if that. A tabletop in August. Maybe a functional exercise with the police department every few years, if a grant covers it. But every district sends parents an unplanned disruption message twenty or thirty times a school year. A boiler fails. A bus loses power steering on the … Read more
If the messaging is wrong, a reunification can be run well and still feel like a disaster to families. The plan on paper accounts for students, verifies IDs, and releases children to authorized adults in an orderly way. But the parent reading their phone in a car doesn’t see the plan. They see whatever you … Read more
Every step in a school reunification leads to one moment: the parent and the child see each other again. The Reunification Area Supervisor runs the space where that happens. What Is a Reunification Area Supervisor? The Reunification Area Supervisor leads the team that manages the actual reunion. They coordinate the timing, the privacy, the flow, … Read more
You planned the drill for weeks. Every team member knew their station. The supplies were staged, the site was set, and the roles were assigned. Then the exercise started, and within minutes, something felt off. Families at the site were hearing one thing from one staff member and something different from another. A supervisor was … Read more
Most school districts have a reunification plan. Far fewer have ever worked through what it actually asks of their people. That gap is not a failure of effort. Reunification planning competes with a hundred other priorities, and the resources that exist tend to assume a district already has a consultant, a budget line, or a … Read more
In every school reunification, there is one station that does the work the entire process exists for: confirming the right adult is picking up the right child. That station is the Check-In Area, and it’s led by the Check-In Area Supervisor. What Is a Check-In Area Supervisor? The Check-In Area Supervisor runs the verification station … Read more
Most school districts have a reunification plan on file. Fewer have a planning team that knows it. Fewer still have a team that has practiced it. And very few have ever stood at an actual reunification site, run families through the process, and documented what happened. Genuine reunification readiness is not a document. It is … Read more
Most school emergency plans mention a reunification kit. Far fewer describe what should actually be in one, why each item matters, or what happens when a team arrives at the reunification site and discovers critical materials were left behind. This post walks through what belongs in a school reunification kit, organized by function. Use it … Read more
The first thirty seconds of a parent’s experience at a reunification will shape everything that follows. The Greeter Supervisor is the role that owns those thirty seconds. What Is a Greeter Supervisor? The Greeter Supervisor leads the team at the front of the reunification operation. The Greeters who meet families as they arrive, direct them … Read more
The school most likely to need a reunification is the one least able to run it. That single reality changes everything about how reunification should be planned, trained, and executed. Every school emergency plan should include a reunification section. Most of them assume, at least implicitly, that the school’s own staff will run the process. … Read more
Before parents arrive at a reunification, somebody has to set up the site. Once the operation starts running, somebody has to absorb the unpredictable tasks the Director cannot stop to handle. That somebody is the Staging Manager. What Is a Staging Manager? The Staging Manager is the role responsible for two phases of the reunification … Read more
Most definitions get it wrong. Reunification isn’t about getting students back to their parents, it’s about getting students back where they belong. That distinction matters more than most people realize. Ask most school administrators what school reunification means and they will tell you it means getting students back to their parents. That answer is understandable, … Read more
Dr. Dan Rector is the Executive Director of The Reunification Foundation and a nationally recognized Crisis Management leader with over 20 years of experience in emergency preparedness, training, and organizational resilience. While serving as Director of Training, Education, and Emergency Planning for the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, Dr. Dan designed and delivered crisis training … Read more
In the same vein as our announcement last week about the On-Site Reunification Kit, we have upgraded and renamed our premium kit to better align with the needs and requests of schools. With the Off-Site Kit, we are introducing our new foldable A-Frame signs. These lightweight, fold-flat signs are made of the same material as … Read more
In or effort to continually help schools prepare for reunification events we are pleased to announce our new On-Site Reunification Kit! After hearing the feedback from schools about what they are looking for in a reunification kit and reviewing our sales history, we have decided to replace the Base Reunification Kit with the On-Site Reunification … Read more
Michael is a Learning and Development Specialist with over 12 years of experience in creating and delivering impactful learning solutions for diverse audiences and organizations. He holds multiple credentials in human resources, talent development, project management, and business administration. As an Adjunct Trainer at The “I Love U Guys” Foundation, Michael works to ensure school … Read more
Patricia is an experienced clinician, program, and project manager with over 35 years of pediatric and neonatal critical care and ambulatory experience across various roles, including faculty positions, medical relief work in Ecuador and Vietnam, staff development, patient care, quality improvement, patient safety, and advanced practice nursing. She is a passionate advocate for improving emergency … Read more
On the journey of school preparedness, laying a strong foundation is just the beginning. Our previous article, “Crawling Towards Competence,” explored the essential “Crawl Phase” of the Reunification Foundation’s methodology, where schools establish comprehensive plans, initially train their teams, and gather supplies. Much like a child first learning to sit and then to move, the … Read more
Dan is the Principal of West Woods Elementary School in Hamden and co-chair of the Hamden District Safety Planning Team. Formerly Assistant Principal and Principal of Hamden Middle School with prior service in the U.S. Coast Guard as well as a professional services company providing IT consulting and support services to banking, brokerage, and other … Read more
Dr. Amery Bernhardt is the inaugural director of the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation. With expertise in law enforcement and emergency management, he champions evidence-based strategies for safer schools. We are humbled that Amery has volunteered his time, knowledge, and experience to support our work. To learn more about Amery and the … Read more
The Crawl Phase is the initial step in the Reunification Foundation’s training methodology. During this phase, schools establish a foundation for their reunification capabilities by concentrating on vital elements such as planning, team training, and resource acquisition. A key objective of the Crawl Phase is to develop a comprehensive reunification plan. This involves bringing together … Read more
Watch our latest episode of “Just Chatting With Dr. Dan,” where he discusses the importance of defining your terms.
Effective school safety relies on robust and adaptable reunification plans. To achieve this, the Reunification Foundation has developed a dynamic training methodology that builds on the traditional “Crawl, Walk, Run” model. This enhanced approach, known as “Crawl, Walk, Run, Refresh,” transforms the linear progression of skill development into a continuous cycle of improvement, ensuring sustained … Read more
School reunification events present complex challenges that demand careful coordination between various responding agencies. While the primary goal is always the safety and well-being of students and staff, conflicts can arise between groups due to differing priorities. As school safety teams develop reunification plans, it is critical to acknowledge these potential conflicts and develop strategies to navigate them.
The history of school safety is marked by a series of evolving concerns and responses, shaped by societal events and a growing understanding of the need to protect students and staff. While early school safety measures focused primarily on fire safety, the scope has significantly expanded to include many potential threats. In the early years … Read more
One of the most common traits of any successful organization is constantly seeking improvement. Additionally, they are never afraid to look within and ask the hard questions. Are we doing enough? Is this the correct approach? How can we be better? Should we rethink this? To help us uphold the highest standards and to encourage … Read more
Carly Posey is a nationally recognized speaker and passionate advocate for school safety and community preparedness, a path ignited by the harrowing experience of December 14, 2012, when two of her four children were present during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Witnessing her youngest son’s escape and her daughter’s hiding while her older children … Read more
Developing a training program that prepares you and your team to respond when something occurs is vital to ensure your organization is ready for unexpected events. To effectively prepare for an event, there is a process you can follow that will help you come up with a plan. Program Evolution A complete training program will … Read more
Claire Marie is the Founder and Executive Director of Sammy & Friends, a company that offers training and resources to help school communities implement trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate emergency drills for children. With more than thirteen years of professional experience, which includes serving as a reserve police officer, holding a degree in Public Health, and … Read more
One of the most common questions that come up when speaking to schools and other organizations about reunification is, “What do we do when XYZ occurs?” or “Can we do that?” In response, we usually look at them, put our hands up, and shrug. That’s because we can guide you towards a best practice, but … Read more
Reunification is an all-hazards tool that can and should be used anytime it is no longer safe to remain on school grounds. Practicing the process often will ensure that staff, students, and the community know what it entails when you pick up a student from any location where they are under the care and supervision … Read more