Evacuation & Reunification

Evacuation

Student evacuations from a school building may be required due to a variety of crisis situations or dangerous conditions in or near a school building. Some situations that may result in an evacuation include:

  • Natural disasters

  • Fire or explosion

  • Structural failures

  • Gas leaks/chemical spills

  • Dangerous person on/near campus

In most cases, students evacuate to a location on campus and are able to return within a short amount of time when any potential dangers have been cleared. In rare cases, students may need to be evacuated to a secondary location away from the school grounds. When this occurs, parents/guardians may be asked to come pick up their students from this secondary location.

Reunification

BSD7 employs a procedure called "reunification" when there are circumstances that require deviating from typical pick-up routines (e.g. in the case of evacuations or crisis situations). Reunification is a formalized process of controlled release intended to make reuniting students with their caregivers more predictable and less chaotic for all involved. In many cases, reunification will occur at a location other than the school that the child attends.

It is extremely important for parents/guardians to know what to expect in these situations. The more a parent/guardian knows in advance of a reunification, the less anxiety-provoking it will feel if one becomes necessary. Knowing what to expect can also reduce the chance for confusion or delays in the process.


See below for some BSD7 reunification basics:



  • NOTIFICATION

Parents may be notified in a number of ways. The school or district may use its broadcast phone, E-mail, or text message system. In some cases, students may be asked to send a text message to their parents. A reunification text message from a student may look something like this: “The school has closed, please pick me up at 1:25 at the main entrance. Bring your ID. “


  • PARENT/GUARDIAN EXPECTATIONS

If a parent or guardian is notified that a reunification is needed, there are some expectations that parents or guardians should be aware of. First, bring identification. That will streamline things during reunification. Second, be patient. Reunification is a process that protects both the safety of the student and provides for an accountable change of custody from the school to a recognized parent, guardian, or emergency contact.


  • WHAT IF A PARENT CAN’T PICK-UP THEIR STUDENT?

When a parent can’t immediately go to the reunification site, students will only be released to individuals previously identified as a student’s emergency contact. Otherwise, the school will hold students until parents can pick up their student.

**Important reminder: are your emergency contacts up to date? Do they include everyone you might ask to pick up your child in the case of a reunification? If not, contact your child's school to make sure the list is current and includes the right people!**

  • REUNIFICATION CARDS

For parents, there are a couple of steps. If a parent is driving to the school, greater awareness of traffic and emergency vehicles is advised. Parents should park where indicated and not abandon vehicles. Parents are asked to go to the reunification “check in” area and form lines based on either the student's grade or the first letter of their student’s last name. Depending on the specific reunification site, parents will be asked to fill out a reunification card while they are in their car or while they are in line at the check in area. This card has a carbon copy so that the parent can keep a copy and a "runner" can have a copy in hand as they locate the student in the student waiting area. In some cases a runner will be retrieving multiple students at the same time. Having a copy of the information is important for remembering the students names and the order in which they should be retrieved. The runner's copy of the card will be kept until after the completion of the reunification so that the school has documentation that the student was released.


  • INTERVIEWS AND COUNSELING

In most reunifications, members of the BSD7 Crisis Response Team will be on site to provide mental health support and counseling for students who have experienced high levels of distress in response to an incident. These team members may wish to talk to a parent/guardian to provide information or recommendations on how to support their child. In some cases, parents may be advised that a law enforcement investigation is underway and that interviews are necessary. In extreme cases, parents may be pulled aside for emergency or medical information.


  • HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Following a crisis or prolonged evacuation (and depending on the specific circumstances of the situation), high school students may choose to go home or to another safe location on their own rather than wait for formal reunification. In some cases, the school may request that parents/guardians come recover their child. If students are released on their own they are encouraged to contact their parents to assure their safety and develop personalized plans for reunification. Depending on the situation, students may be contacted by the school with a request to mark themselves safe.

Parents/guardians should be aware that ongoing safety concerns could prevent students who have driven to school from accessing their vehicle to return home.


  • BELONGINGS

In many instances where students have been evacuated it is is a possibility that they will not have all of their belongings with them or be allowed to return to the school to retrieve them due to ongoing safety concerns.


BSD7's Reunification Card

*Example Reunification Site Map*

The photo to the left is an example of what it might look like as students are escorted into a reunification area following an evacuation.

The photos above show what a check in area might look like. This is where parents, guardians, or emergency contacts would submit their reunification card and identification. Runners would then retrieve the student from where they are waiting. This area is referred as a "kidhold" in the example reunification site map.

The photo to the right shows what a waiting area for students might look like. In Bozeman, we typically choose indoor spaces for reunification sites so this is not exactly what parents can expect, but we do typically group students by grade level, last name, or class to make sure we can locate them quickly when parents arrive.

WHY HAVE A REUNIFICATION PROCEDURE?

  • To prevent a chaotic or anxiety-provoking situation where multiple parents are simultaneously attempting to locate their child(ren) out of a large group.


  • To make sure that the school is aware of every student's whereabouts and physical/emotional safety until it is confirmed that they are in the custody of a parent/guardian/emergency contact.


  • To manage traffic in the parking lot and to avoid bottlenecks or congestion in the reunification building. This process allows us to reunite parents/guardians with their child as quickly as possible.

For more in depth information on reunification, check out this video overview of The Standard Reunification Model from the Texas School Safety Center.

Have any questions about the reunification process?

Contact Johanna at johanna.bertken@bsd7.org or (406)522-6022