A school crisis can take several different forms, such as a weather emergency, accident, biohazard, medical emergency, intruder, or any threat to personal safety. The responses below were developed in collaboration with experts including first responders, public safety officials, and district and community leaders. The common vocabulary below helps everyone know what to do when an unforeseen event occurs.
Each of our schools are required to conduct 8 fire/evacuation drills and 3 crisis drills per school year.
Hold is followed by the Directive: "In Your Room or Area" and is the protocol used when hallways need to be kept clear of occupants.
Secure is followed by the Directive: "Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors" and is the protocol used to safeguard people within the building.
Lockdown is followed by "Locks, Lights, Out of Sight" and is the protocol used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place.
Evacuate may be followed by a location, and is used to move people from one location to a different location in or out of the building.
Shelter and state the Hazard and Safety Strategy for group and self protection.
ParentSquare is your source for information in a school emergency. Verify your information in the ParentSquare app. In emergencies we will send ParentSquare urgent alerts via text, email and voice.
If you hear a possible threat or see something unusual, contact a school administrator immediately. Call 911 if it is a life threatening emergency.
In a crisis situation, we must keep the roads clear for emergency responders and district staff. The school campus will be locked, unless we are evacuating. Staff are tasked with verifying the whereabouts of every individual on campus.
The safety of your child is our first priority. Communications comes second. Communications will be sent as soon as possible, but may not be sent immediately while staff are ensuring everyone's safety. In addition, your child will not be released until we can contain the situation and organize our release/reunification plans.
During a school crisis, all staff will be focused on ensuring the safety of students and staff around them. Phone calls may not be answered. In addition, during an emergency our phone lines may be needed to contact first responders or others.
In a school crisis, resist your instinct to drive to the school. Parent traffic during a crisis can interfere with everyone's safety by creating traffic jams, commotion, confusion, and delay.
Conversations, as well as cell phone sounds and vibrations may put people in danger.
Information you may receive from students, social media, or the news may be incomplete or inaccurate. This information may reach you faster than we do because we are managing the crisis. Refer to ParentSquare messages for trustworthy information.
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