Safety
The district has emergency procedures to be followed in the event of an earthquake, fire, or other crisis. Staff members are pre-assigned to school Emergency Response Teams and have specific duties during an emergency. The proactive actions of individuals during an emergency may save another's life.
Disaster Preparedness
We have identified four major hazards that affect our geographic area: earthquake, flood, wildfire, and tsunami. Procedures to be followed during an earthquake or other emergencies are practiced at least four times yearly. School bus safe riding practices and bus evacuation drills are held annually. Child Nutrition Services personnel are prepared to operate the cafeterias as directed if necessary to feed children during an emergency.
School staff members will remain on duty until all children have been safely checked out by a parent, guardian, family member, neighbor, or childcare personnel designated on your child's school emergency card as being responsible for your child in case of an emergency. You must keep the information on your child's school emergency card current. Your child will not be released to persons other than those listed on the emergency or disaster card.
School Safety Is Everyone's Responsibility
Statistics indicate that schools are the safest places for children; however, in light of recent incidents nationally, we continue to refine and enhance our best strategies to ensure the well-being of all students and staff members. Together with our police and neighboring school district partners, we continually assess and improve our safety procedures. Multiple measures have been taken to protect the safety and well-being of our students and staff, which include, but are not limited to:
- Our students and staff engage in monthly evacuation (fire) drills, lockdown, secure campus, shelter-in-place, and bus evacuation drills. This is in addition to tabletop exercises and conversations that our staff participate in during staff meetings.
- We use drills, exercises, and real incidents as teachable moments, talking to students about important topics such as the importance of listening to adults, remaining calm, and reporting unsafe or unsettling behaviors.
- School Safety Committees/School Site Councils review and update each site's Comprehensive School Safety Plan annually. An increasing part of every school's emergency readiness plan includes training for when a school is placed in a "lockdown." We welcome your thoughts on school safety. Let us know how we're doing by clicking the Let's Talk button.
Ways Parents and Guardians Can Help During A Critical Event
- Check and update the emergency card information in your school's front office whenever you or one of the contacts change information.
- If you or any emergency contacts are ever asked to pick up a child at the school during a large-scale emergency or a medical event for a single child, please remember to bring your identification card. We cannot release children to anyone who does not have proper ID. We can only release children to those individuals listed on the emergency card, with no exceptions.
- Be patient if we have to engage in an emergency reunification process between parents and students. We have many students that we need to keep secure. Working with hundreds of students and parents/guardians takes time. We will reunify you with your child as soon as possible, but we also need to check every adult to ensure they appear on the emergency card.
- Ensure you are registered to receive text messages through our emergency notification system on your cell phone. To opt in, please text yes to 67587.
- In any emergency, please remember that we want to keep phone lines open so our first responders, such as fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical personnel, can use the phone lines to get life-saving resources to the scene(s). Therefore, texting is the best communication between family and friends during an emergency.
- Do not come to the school during an emergency unless you are asked to do so. You and your car will be blocking emergency personnel from possibly getting life-saving resources to your child. If your child's school is on lockdown, you cannot pick up your child. We will not be answering the door or allowing people on campus.
- If an incident happens at your child's school, please know that our staff will first handle the emergency, ensure life safety and then communicate with you. It is critical to take life-saving measures before texting about it.
- Be mindful of your social media presence. Please do not post specific information about your child's school on social media websites. While most people online are good, law-abiding individuals, we know some may want to use the information you post for harm.
- If an incident happens at your child's school, follow the instructions of law enforcement and school administrators. We train and exercise for emergencies so we are better prepared to guide everyone to the most appropriate actions and facilitate a response that does not cause more stress for our children.
- Be prepared at home! Your children are more likely to experience an emergency at home than at school or the community. They need to know what to do and want to be assured that they are prepared as a family. Involve them in getting prepared and putting together an emergency kit. Make it a fun activity for the whole family. Talk to them about how to evacuate their room if there is a fire and where to drop, cover and hold on if there is an earthquake.
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