Education is a field like no other. It is filled with victories: a student grasping a difficult concept, winning a football game, producing a successful school play. In those moments of triumph, our school culture improves, we bond with our students and each other, and we become like family.
Unfortunately, our schools also face crises that cause major disruptions in the learning environment. In such times, schools in Texas are required by TEC 37.108 to have provisions that address psychological safety for students and staff. At Region 7 ESC, we seek to partner with our school districts to provide this type of support when needed.
In 2021, a crisis response team was born out of the Region 7 ESC school counseling office with Dana Harper as its lead. It hoped to respond to and provide support for the districts in our region using the principles from Psychological First Aid and the NOVA crisis response model. NOVA stands for National Organization for Victim Advocacy. The goal of the organization is to "train advocates and crisis responders so they can provide effective and compassionate victim assistance." The Region 7 ESC Crisis Team was initially composed of employees who generously gave their time to complete the training and respond to in-district crises occurring in our region. After the events in Uvalde in May of 2022, it became evident that one incident could quickly exceed the ESC Team's capacity to respond.
As a result, Region 7 ESC has expanded the crisis team to include district counselors in various areas around the region. Through their superintendents' generosity, 33 district counselors and other school staff serve on the crisis team. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, these district counselors are completing NOVA training and onboarding to the Region 7 Crisis Team to ensure they are prepared and able to help should a neighboring district need assistance. The result has been a "safety net" of psychological support for counselors, teachers, and administrators experiencing crisis or loss in districts. Crisis Team members will also be expected to participate in ongoing training that will allow them to practice their skills prior to responding to an actual crisis.
"I am so grateful for the outpouring of love and support that we have seen among districts in our region," says Dana Harper. The Region 7 Crisis Team has made us better together, and in turn, we are better for kids.
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Katilyn Woodley works in the Center for State and Federal Programs as a Professional School Counseling Specialist for Region 7 ESC. She also works with the McKinney-Vento and CTE programs for Region 7. She previously served as a classroom teacher and high school counselor in the East Texas area. |
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Dana Harper is an educator with over 20 years of experience. She has served as a classroom teacher, elementary and high school counselor, academic interventionist, and district Director of Counseling and SEL. Her experiences have varied from urban to rural school districts in East, South, Central, and North Texas. She currently serves as a Professional School Counseling Specialist at the Region 7 Service Center in Kilgore. |