School Crisis Team
Showing up for students, educators, and families
Our School Crisis Team is a small group of specially trained senior chaplains honored to serve as part of the Sonoma County Crisis Response System of Support (SOS), a countywide partnership coordinated by the Sonoma County Office of Education. Created in 2005, SOS provides schools with access to trained crisis response professionals who can offer additional support following events that have a significant impact on a school community.
Every school already brings its own strengths, relationships, and knowledge of its students. When requested through SOS, our chaplains work alongside school administrators, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other response partners to provide calm, compassionate support during the immediate aftermath of a crisis.
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When requested by law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical services, our volunteer chaplains respond anywhere in Sonoma County, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to care for the people at the center of the crisis.
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Our six-month Chaplain Academy is designed to prepare volunteers for the responsibility of a lifetime.
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More info coming soon.
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Our Critical Incident Support Team provides compassionate, structured support for groups and organizations following traumatic events.
When a death affects a school community, students, educators, and families are often navigating many different needs all at once.
Specialized Programs
Our chaplains are trained to provide supportive presence during times of grief, uncertainty, and disruption. Depending on the needs of the school, this may include:
Notification of SCOE when a call out involves school age children in any way.
Spending time with students, staff, or family members who would benefit from one-on-one support
Providing a quiet, grounding presence throughout the school day
Supporting educators as they care for their students while navigating their own responses
Assisting families in understanding available resources and next steps
Working collaboratively with the school's crisis response team and community partners
Offering culturally responsive, trauma-informed support that honors each person's background, beliefs, language, and wishes
No two responses look exactly alike. Every school community is different, and every response is shaped by the needs identified by school leadership.
How We Help
We believe that people heal in community.
Our chaplains are not therapists, and they are not on campus to provide spiritual care unless it is specifically requested. They are highly trained volunteers who offer steady presence, compassionate listening, and practical support during difficult moments.
We recognize that grief and crisis are experienced differently across cultures, families, identities, abilities, and generations. Our commitment is to meet people with humility, respect, and without assumption—supporting the response already being led by the school while helping create space for care, connection, and stability.