Managing a Behavioural Crisis at School: Operational Strategies Before, During, and After

From Prevention to Post-Event Reflection: A Practical and Respectful Guide

Behavioural Crises at School Put Pressure on Students and Adults 

This article offers an operational guide structured in three moments: before, during, and after the crisis. 

The goal is not to control, but to understand and prevent, with concrete examples and realistic indications.

When the Situation Explodes

An overturned desk. A sudden scream. A run out of the classroom. In those moments, time seems to stop. Anyone who works in school knows this feeling well: tension, responsibility, the stares of the other students.

The priority becomes managing the immediate. But effective crisis management does not begin during the crisis.

3 Important Moments

1. Before the crisis: prevention and early warning signs 

Many crises are preceded by signals:

• increasing agitation 
• sudden withdrawal 
• rigidity in language 
• difficulty changing activities 

Real example: a student who enters the classroom already irritated after physical education.

Observation:

• very sensitive to noise 
• struggles with the transition from dynamic to sedentary activity 

• Preventive strategy:
• 5 minutes of decompression 
• anticipation of the schedule 
• short social story about returning to the classroom 

Prevention does not eliminate everything. But it reduces frequency and intensity.

2. During the crisis: safety and regulation 

• Priority objectives:
• Ensure safety 
• Reduce stimuli 
• Maintain a calm tone 

• Avoid:
• public reprimands 
• long explanations 
• immediate confrontation 

In the acute phase, the brain is in defensive mode. The ability to reason is reduced.

Concrete interventions:

• lower your voice 
• reduce the audience around 
• offer a quiet space 

This is not “giving in”. It is facilitating regulation.

3. After the crisis: analysis and repair 

This phase is often skipped. Yet it is central.

Useful questions:

• What happened before? 
• Which need was not met? 
• Was the context appropriate? 

With the student, once calm:

• reconstruct the event 
• name the emotions 
• identify alternatives 

Here a social story can become a tool for preventive reflection on future situations.

Common Mistakes

• Interpreting the crisis as intentional challenge 
• Focusing only on punishment 
• Not modifying the context 

The crisis is a signal. Not just a problem.

Change of Perspective 

Don’t just ask yourself: “How can I stop this behaviour?”. But also: “What is it communicating?”

This shifts the focus from symptom management to understanding the need.

Conclusion 

Managing a behavioural crisis means:

• preparing beforehand 
• containing during 
• reflecting afterwards 

There are no perfect solutions. There is conscious practice that improves over time.

In the Guide and Operational Strategies section you will find other practical tools for dealing with complex situations at school. 

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