Colorado’s top school-safety agency has launched a plan designed to help schools prepare for and respond to large-scale emergencies, particularly shooting threats.

In a Thursday news conference, the Colorado School Safety Resource Center announced the release of its Crisis Response Guidelines for K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education, a 38-page document compiled by a working group of school security, crisis response and mental health experts that outlines preparation and response strategies for dealing with on-campus threats.

Judge: Colorado shooting suspect incompetent to stand trial

Colorado is believed to be the first state to implement such a set of guidelines, officials said.

“We’ve been looking at 20-plus years of school districts all over the country struggling in their preparedness, response and recovery following critical incidents in schools,” said John McDonald, executive director of  Department of School Safety for Jefferson County. “We’re seeing the same failures over and over again. It has to get better – we have to do better.”

Since 1999, Colorado has had 10 school shootings, resulting in 18 deaths and at least 48 injuries, McDonald said. Those attacks have lasting physical and psychological effects on students, staff members and families.

Because of these incidents, many Colorado leaders have been compelled to develop expertise in dealing with the aftermath of a shooting, according to CSSRC Director Chris Harms.

Colorado school staffs get new violence prevention training

Harms and other agency officials assembled a n interagency working group toformulate a set of guidelines to help all schools and colleges respond better to catastrophic emergencies. The Statewide Crisis Response Working Group, composed of 28 crisis and response experts from school, colleges and districts across Colorado, pooled their resources and experiences to formulate the plan.

The guidelines include year-round planning initiatives , proper actions to take during an event, and how to help students and families recover after a crisis.

The document, available on the CSSRC website, is designed to augment existing emergency plans , Harms said . It is, she said, a “living document” that will be updated over time.

“These guidelines are there to prepare them for these large-scale emergencies ahead of time, to give them assistance during these kinds of events, and to provide suggestions to help in the aftermath as they’re responding and having the ongoing results of these kinds of critical incidents.”

Officials from the working group stressed that all Colorado schools need to acknowledge that the threat of another shooting is real and omnipresent.

“The first thing that we see time and time again is schools struggling to believe it could happen to (them),” McDonald said. “While we think the best of everyone, we have to be prepared for those worst of days, and it starts with that premise.”

School shootings have become an unfortunate trend in America, and officials said that it is impossible to completely protect students from the specter of the inevitable next attack. But properly applied, they said the new guidelines should help students, families and staff members increase their readiness, and to feel more empowered because of it.

“I have not seen such a comprehensive program anywhere else in the country,” McDonald said. “I love the fact that Colorado is leading the way.”

Colorado school tip line sees 101% uptick in calls; interim panel examines legislative solutions