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Adverse Situations
Benchmark: Adverse Situations
Grand Canyon University: EAD-536
Shanaye Packineau-Williams
Denise Geier
January 12, 2022
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Adverse Situations
Management and Operational Systems
When reading over this case student and evaluating it. There are a couple decisions that need
to be made to ensure that we are considering the safety the students and all the staff at the school.
With school not getting out until 3:45, and the students already starting to feel uncomfortable by
noon, we will need to determine if we should send student home or not. Before sending the
student home, we would first have to explore the options of the possibility of the air being fixed
in a timely manner (within the hour), or a possibility of bussing students to another site in the
district. If the air is not able to be fixed within the hour or the students are not able to be bussed
to a different site, then we will have to send students home. Another consideration that we would
have to keep in mind is since we are in Phoenix, AZ, is the air going to be restored before the
next school day or will there have to be a plan of virtual teaching, canceling school, or having
students at a different site until the air is fixed.
Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources
In a situation like his, communication is key. “Managing communications effectively is a key
dimension of leadership” (Education, 2021). It is important, as a school leader, to be
continuously communicating with staff, and stakeholders that are not in the school like parents
and the district office. First and foremost, the district office needs to be communicated to, as
they will be a huge part in the decision-making process. Communication to parents and
teachers is important to ensure that they are prepared for whatever decision that may be
made. Teacher can be assisting with communication to parents so that they are prepared in
case students are going to be leaving school early for the day. The business administrator of the
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Adverse Situations
school will be able to assist in delegating fund to repair the air conditioner, or in the price it
would be to bus students from our site to a different site. All of this is necessary when making a
huge decision that involves student and staff’s overall health and well-being.
Safety and Welfare
When thinking about the legal rulings, it is the principal’s job to ensure
that all students and staff are safe. Their safety is a priority. In this case, the
safety of the staff and students getting overheated is the concern. The
district could be held legally responsible if there is a student or staff member
that develops a heat stroke due to the air conditioners to be broken and
proper action not taken. This is a prompt situation and according to the
district policy, it is our job to provide the students with a safe learning
environment.
Collaboration with Faculty and Community
To ensure that there is collaboration with Faculty and Community, the stakeholders
involved in this study are first and foremost the students, administration, staff, teachers, district,
maintenance team, and the parents of the students in the school. These stakeholders are either
involved in the situation with the broken AC directly or are a part of the decision-making process
when making a decision for a solution that is best. “To maximize the effectiveness of decision-
making, educational leaders should involve students, families, staff, and community members in
the decision-making process—whenever possible—while being transparent about the rationale
and process behind any decision” (Hanover, 2018).
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Adverse Situations
Rationale
The solutions for this situation are dependent on the different aspect involved in this
situation. The first solution is to move the students to another site in the district where there is a
functioning air conditioner, until the school is able to fix the air conditioner. This will ensure that
all students are learning, and safe. If this solution is not attainable based on the amount of
students, the administration team needs to contact the district to see if there are any portable air
conditioners (AC) that can be used while the main AC is being repaired. If both solutions are not
plausible then the final solution would be to evacuate the school, and either make up the days at
the end of the year or teach virtually during this time. Teaching virtual or just calling off school
would be dependent on how long it would take to fix the AC. Each decision to be made is to
ensure that all students are getting a safe, quality education.
As an administrator, in order to ensure that I am keeping my staff and students’ safety a
priority, I would inform teachers to contact the parents of their students and give them the
information about needing to pick up their student(s) as soon are they possibly can. I would have
the school office staff send out a phone call to all parents, as well as an email that can be sent to
all. I would also have the office or myself reach out to the human resources department in efforts
to get stakeholders in the community to help provide ice water for students while waiting for
parents/guardians to pick them up. “Success in both gaining the confidence of all stakeholders
and being as prepared as possible can be achieved with strong and consistent communication”
(Texas, 2019).I would then inform families and students that for the following day they will
continuing learning from home virtual if they are able to, allowing the school to ensure that the
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Adverse Situations
AC is properly fixed and running up to par and able to get the school cooled down. Teachers will
be communicated with through the whole process to allow for preparation of how to dismiss
students and prepare for virtual teaching the following day.
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Adverse Situations
Resources
Education, M. of. (2021). Guides for managing your school / managing your school / home -
educational leaders. Educational Leaders News RSS. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from
https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Managing-your-school/Guides-for-managing-
your-school
Hanover, R. (2018). BEST PRACTICES FOR DISTRICT COMMUNICATION WITH
STAKEHOLDERS. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://tonted.com/to/implicit-bias-
training-effectiveness/
Texas, A. M. (2019, November 12). What school administrators need to know about safety.
Texas A&M International University Online. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from
https://online.tamiu.edu/articles/education/administrators-need-to-know-about-safety.aspx
