Emergency Guide for Families
CVSD's Parent/Caregiver Expectations During a School Emergency
Embedded Files
Parents can be instrumental in helping authorities maintain order in an emergency situation by listening to and following directions given by school personnel, police officers, and firefighters. Emergency situations make us feel vulnerable and out of control. School personnel, police, and firefighters will do whatever is necessary to ensure your child is safe and reunited with you as soon as possible.
Be Prepared
Be Prepared
The Family's Role During an Event
Make sure your contact information and your student's emergency contacts are accurate and up to date. Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to update this information each summer during the annual enrollment verification process. If you need your information updated during the year, contact your school's front office.
CVSD uses SchoolMessenger as its mass notification system, which utilizes your student's emergency contact information for email, phone and SMS (text messages).
If you wish to receive text messages, be sure you have opted in following these instructions.
Be Patient
Be Patient
What to Expect
In the early stages of an emergency event, the district’s primary focus is to protect the students and employees inside the building.
We know students with cell phones will always reach their families before we are able to send an official district message, and that is because our first priority in those early moments is getting everyone safe.
As soon as we are able to communicate with families, we will.
Parent/Caregiver Expectations During An Emergency
Parent/Caregiver Expectations During An Emergency
Be Patient
DO NOT call or rush to your child's school
DO NOT call or rush to your child's school
Your presence could interfere with emergency responders.
Don't Call
DO NOT call or text your child
DO NOT call or text your child
Staff and students are discouraged from using cell phones for safety reasons.
Official Notifications
Check your email & phone
Check your email & phone
Only rely on verified information sent directly from the district or public safety officials.
Stay Connected
Keep your phone close by.
Keep your phone close by.
Communications from the school or district will be sent by phone, email and/or text message.
Stay Connected
Listen
Listen
Listen for official information regarding reunification with your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are questions parents frequently ask during an emergency, and the answers that will support the efforts of the people working to keep all children safe:
How will I get information?
How will I get information?
All factual information will come from Unified Command (school, police, fire and other officials) via School Messenger hourly - even if the message is “no new information,” or more frequently if there is new information to report.
Information could come in the form of text message, voice mail, or email. Please take the time to listen to and/or read these messages in full.
Please do not call the school. Attempts to call or visit the school during an emergency situation will only slow the ability of first responders and the school staff to execute our planned emergency responses.
All members of the local and state police departments, including dispatch, will be busy dealing with the school emergency. Please refrain from calling the police or other departments working on the emergency so that they can focus on the situation at hand.
Should I call my child's cell phone?
Should I call my child's cell phone?
Staff will allow your children to call/text you when it is safe.
We know it is important for you to speak with your child in an emergency situation, however, the sound of a ringing/buzzing phone may draw attention to the location of students who are safely hiding/waiting for emergency personnel. Everyone using cell service at the same time may overload or crash this communication system.
Please wait for your child to contact you or to be updated with factual information via a SchoolMessenger communication hourly - even if the message is “no new information,” or more frequently if there is new information to report.
Where will I meet my child?
Where will I meet my child?
If the school is evacuated, a School Messenger message will direct you when and where to meet your child at a reunification site away from the school.
Students will be sent to this location as quickly as possible. Please be patient. The rescue and evacuation may take time but will be done as quickly and safely as possible. If your child is sent to the hospital, this information will be shared with you directly.
Please follow directions and listen to school staff member(s) at the reunification site. These staff members have the latest factual information to share with you.
Please bring a photo ID to the reunification/evacuation site.
When can I leave the reunification site with my child?
When can I leave the reunification site with my child?
Once at the reunification site, do not leave with your child unless police or school personnel give you permission to leave. We need to make sure we have accounted for all students.
Please bring a photo ID to the reunification/evacuation site.
Should I come to the school or evacuation site?
Should I come to the school or evacuation site?
Only if you are directed to do so via a message from the school.
Please do not come near the school entrances. Police officers/school personnel will have the entrances to the schools blocked. By doing so you could put yourself and others in jeopardy.
Glossary of Common Terms
Glossary of Common Terms
SchoolMessenger: A communication system using the internet and/or phone that can send information to all registered participants.
Reunification Site: A location established, based on the circumstances, away from the schools and evacuation sites. The site will be manned by school and emergency personnel.
Threat Assessment: Involves incidents, real or potential, that include people and their actions.
Risk Assessment: Involves real or potential incidents to a building or surrounding environment.
Options-Based Response: Also called the Active-Threat Response, CVSD utilizes an options-based protocol for addressing the unlikely presence of an active threat in our schools. The protocol empowers people to choose a response (run, hide, fight) based on the information they have in the moment.
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