GCHS Emergency Procedures

DIR-S App

The middle school uses this app during any drill or emergency that does not require an evacuation. It is one of the first tabs to open when logging onto Google Chrome so staff can use it on the desktop. DO NOT CLOSE THIS TAB!

 Any staff member can start an alert but it is the responsibility of the Principal to investigate and then act upon that alert. There are three parts to the DIR-S App once an alert (drill or real) is sent out:

1. Report - this is where staff can report missing or additional staff/students that they have once they take roll; accounting for any staff/students who are not where they are supposed to be.

2. Chat - This is where the principal, district office, EMS and dispatch communicate. Staff are not to enter anything unless it is a detail that will help locate and/or solve the main event of the emergency. It is not meant to report missing students/staff members, if staff are safe, or to chat back and forth.

3. Map - This is where staff notify the front office and first responders if they are safe or not. During a drill or real emergency that does not require an evacuation, staff members click the room they are in and then click if they are safe or not. They can also mark if they need immediate assistance.

Emergency Buttons in the classroom (These will contact the office, not dispatch):

• • • Red- Urgent Emergencies

    • Blue- Non emergency call down to the office

    • Microphone

Hold

This alert is used when the hallways need to be cleared and the students contained in a classroom. When this alert is activated: 

• The Principal contacts the staff member who activated the alert and goes to the area of the incident to report to the Lead Secretary. It is their job to work with the staff member to ensure all students are safe and accounted for. If it’s an emergency, the staff member who activated the alert will call 911.

• The Lead Secretary gets on the intercom and announces “Students and Staff a Hold has been put in place. Please return to your classroom. Staff, please report in on the DIR-S App and monitor it for further communication. Please stay in your classrooms until the all clear has been announced and the hold has ended.” They then wait to hear from the principal for any updates. They are in charge of contacting the student’s parent/guardian if needed and to meet EMS if they are called and lead them to the incident.

• The Supervisors will begin the accountability process for the staff members assigned to them and await further instructions if they are needed. Once their staff are accounted for, the Attendance Secretary monitors the phones and office door.

• The staff members shut and lock their doors and then log onto the DIR-S App and mark their status. They then continue business as usual, without leaving the classroom, until the all clear is announced and the Hold has ended.

• Once the hold has ended and the principal has cleared the incident, the Lead Secretary or Principal will end the alert on the DIR-S App. The Lead Secretary will then get on the intercom and announce, “Students and Staff, thank you for your patience. The hold has been lifted and it is now okay to leave your classrooms.” If further instructions are needed, such as transitioning to their next class, the Lead Secretary will add these onto the announcement.

Secure

This alert is used when there is a danger outside of the school and all outside doors need to be locked. When this alert is activated: 

• The Principal contacts the staff member who activated the alert and goes to the area of the incident to report to the Lead Secretary. It is their job to work with the staff member to ensure all students are safe and accounted for. If it’s an emergency, the staff member who activated the alert will call 911.

• The Lead Secretary gets on the intercom and announces “Students and Staff a secure has been put in place. Please do not exit the building until the all clear has been announced and the Hold has ended. Staff, please report in on the DIR-S App and monitor it for further communication. If the bell rings, it is okay for you to leave your classroom.” They then wait to hear from the principal for any updates.

• The Supervisors will begin the accountability process for the staff members assigned to them and await further instructions if they are needed. Once their staff are accounted for, the Attendance Secretary monitors the phones and office door.

• The staff members log onto the DIR-S App and mark their status. They then continue business as usual until the all clear is announced and the secure has ended.

• Once the hold has ended and the principal has cleared the incident, the Lead Secretary or Principal will end the alert on the DIR-S App. The Lead Secretary will then get on the intercom and announce, “Students and Staff, thank you for your patience. The secure has been lifted and it is now okay to exit the building.” If further instructions are needed, such as transitioning to their next class, the Lead Secretary will add these onto the announcement.

Lockdown

This alert is used when there is a danger inside of the school and all doors need to be locked. When this alert is activated: 

• 911 is called immediately.

• The School Guardians are deployed.

• All staff ensure safety before the accountability process can begin.

  • Collect students from the hallway

  • Lock classroom/office doors

  • Turn off the lights

  • Flip the tables to create a barrier for students to hide behind

  • Remain Silent until Emergency Officials arrive and give further instructions.

Evacuate

This alert is used when everyone in the building needs to exit in a timely, organized manner. It is activated once the fire alarm goes off. When this alert is activated:

• The Main Office staff grab their emergency binders, radios, and cell phones and exit out the nearest exit.

• The Principal ensures that the district office, dispatch, and EMS are aware and on their way.

• Staff members grab their radios, the red backpack by their room door (a student can carry this), and their emergency clipboards by the door (if they have one). Emergency clipboards have the following items attached:

  • Class Rosters - should be updated at the beginning of each semester and whenever a new student is added to a teachers roster.

  • Student Accountability Sheets (10)

  • Red and Green Card

• Staff then lead students to the nearest, safest exit, ensuring that their door is closed behind the group.

• Everyone evacuates to the field that is on the south side of the building, to the east of the parking lot.

• Once there, the teacher takes attendance for their class.

  • If all students are present and no one is hurt, the teacher has a student hold up the color green.

  • If a student who was present before the alarm went off is missing, the teacher has a student hold up a red card.

    • The teacher then writes any missing students on the Student Accountability Sheet. This sheet is run to the front office staff by another student. The front office will then use their radios to communicate to the other staff and EMS that the student is missing.

  • If a student is hurt, but present, the teacher has another student hold up the red card so help can be notified immediately.

• The Lead Secretary waits for instructions from the Principal, who will be working with EMS and Dispatch.

• The Supervisors will begin the accountability process for the staff members assigned to them and notifies the Lead Secretary when everyone is accounted for.

• Everyone awaits further instructions from the Principal or Lead Secretary.

Shelter

This alert is used when there is a hazard such as a tornado or a hazmat. Usually, Dispatch or the District Office will instruct the principal to start this alert. When this alert is activated:

• The Lead Secretary gets on the intercom and announces “Students and Staff a Shelter in Place has been put in place. Please return to your classroom. Staff, please report in on the DIR-S App and monitor it for further communication. Please stay in your classrooms until the all clear has been announced or further instructions are given.” They then wait to hear from the principal for any updates.

• The Supervisors will begin the accountability process for the staff members assigned to them and await further instructions if they are needed. Once their staff are accounted for, the Attendance Secretary monitors the phones and office door.

• The staff members shut and lock their doors and then log onto the DIR-S App and mark their status. They then continue business as usual, without leaving the classroom, until the all clear is announced or further instructions are given.

  • Further instructions could be to move to a safer location in the school, such as the gym or to evacuate the school.

• Once the Shelter in Place  has ended and the principal has cleared the incident, the Lead Secretary or Principal will end the alert on the DIR-S App. The Lead Secretary will then get on the intercom and announce, “Students and Staff, thank you for your patience. The Shelter in Place has been lifted and it is now okay to leave your classrooms.” If further instructions are needed, such as transitioning to their next class, the Lead Secretary will add these onto the announcement.