What Should Parents Do in an Emergency?

  • The most helpful parent responses to a school emergency are to remain calm and wait for accurate information to be sent to the email or phone number listed in the parent portal (Infinite Campus).


    Although it's natural for parents to want to rush to their child, it's important for parents to understand that during such an event, individual schools and emergency responders have been trained to deal with these incidents. Cooperation in an emergency is essential to the safe and swift resolution of the incident. 


    Parents should not call the school.
    It is essential to keep phone lines open so school officials can make outgoing emergency calls. If students are ill or injured, their parents will be notified first. 


    Parents should not go to the school.
     Parents can inadvertently create traffic jams that may block emergency responders from getting to the scene or leaving the scene if necessary to transport injured students or staff to emergency medical facilities. 

    Helpful tips for parents when their child’s school is dealing with a crisis:

    • Remain calm, follow procedures, and cooperate with school and public safety officials. 
    • Remain close to the phone listed as the emergency contact number. We recommend that parents do not call or text their child during an emergency in an effort to keep their focus on their teacher’s directions and to keep their location undisclosed. Students will be able to communicate with parents as soon as the incident has been resolved and we have received the all-clear from local law enforcement or other officials. 
    • Obtain current information about the incident from the school and district websites, and social media platforms (for example, Facebook or Twitter)
    • Understand that emergency pick-up procedures are different from routine pick-up procedures. If you are instructed to pick up a child at school or a family reunification site, bring a photo identification card. If someone else is sent to pick up your child, be sure it is someone who is listed on the school’s record as an authorized individual and they have a photo ID. Children will not be released to anyone who is unauthorized or cannot provide appropriate identification. Please remember to be patient and understanding with teachers and staff during this stressful time.
    • Follow all emergency procedures as outlined here as well as procedures communicated during and after the emergency. We ask that parents follow established emergency checkout procedures for emergencies as outlined above. Reunification systems are established to ensure the safety of students. By sticking closely to this plan, we can keep our children safe.