What Should Parents Do During A School Emergency Event?

During an emergency event, there are many people working to return your child to you safely.  How you respond can either help with the process or may at times interfere and slow the process.  Below you will find some steps you may take to help us in returning your child to you safely and as quickly as possible.

What can you do before an emergency occurs to help?

1. Review this information carefully. Following the steps provided will help school officials, police officers, firefighters, and other professional responders do their jobs and focus on the safety of all individuals involved in the event.
2. Keep your child’s emergency contact information up-to-date. Inform your child’s school immediately if there is a change to your phone number, address, email, or list of emergency contacts. You may be called and emailed during an emergency.  Also, children will only be released to adults listed in your child’s emergency information.
3. Speak with your child about listening attentively to adults and following their directions at all times; especially during an emergency.
4. Report any safety concern you may have to your child’s building principal in an effort to prevent emergency situations.

What should parents/guardians do during a school emergency event?

1. Wait for information from the school district. The latest information will be provided by the district via telephone, text, email, posting to the district’s website or Facebook page, etc. The first priority of the school district is to address the emergency and focus on the safety of our students.  You will be informed of any pertinent information or directions as soon as it is available and safe to release.  If the event is ongoing, updates will be provided as available. 
2. Try not to call the school. Doing so may overwhelm phone lines and staff, preventing them from performing important functions which are necessary during the emergency event.
3. Do not go to the school or evacuation site unless notified to do so. Doing so may shift the focus of staff from performing emergency duties to crowd control, thereby slowing our process for reunification. During extreme emergencies, students will be released only at designated locations.  It is important that no other pick up point be utilized as we need to account for each and every child at all times.  Please emphasize with your child the need to remain with school personnel until released to either you or someone on their emergency contact list.
4. Know that in the event of a serious emergency, students will be kept at their school or evacuation site. When the time comes to pick up students, only you or an emergency contact listed on your child’s emergency list will be permitted to pick up your child.
5. Impress upon your child the need for them to follow directions of any school personnel in times of an emergency event.

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