New Hanover County Schools Managing Crisis Events

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New Hanover County Schools Managing Crisis
Events
Mitigation/ Prevention
Preparation
Recovery
Response
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What Parents Need to Know if anEmergency Occurs

• Emergency planning in the New Hanover County
  School
• District is based upon the concepts of
  prevention or
• mitigation of emergencies, emergency
  preparedness,
• emergency response, and recovery and return
  to
• learning.
• In responding to an emergency, our staff will
  be
• organized according to the nationally
  recognized
• incident command system in order to
  facilitate a
• unified approach with local, state and
  national
• authorities, if needed.
• During an actual emergency, staff have been
  trained to
• implement one or more universal emergency
• procedures.

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What Parents Need to Know About Emergencies at
School?
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Actions the schools will take if an emergency
strikes at your childs school

• Remember, our first and foremost priority is to
  protect your child. We have planned for and
  trained for emergencies.
• Our emergency plans are predicated upon universal
• emergency procedures and will result in
  either a decision to shelter at the school or
  evacuate to a safer location.
• We will never dismiss unaccompanied students
  into
• an unsafe situation or into an emergency
  situation, even if the situation extends beyond
  the school day.

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Actions the school will take if an emergency
strikes at your childs school

• 1. Sheltering If the building is safe, we will
  protect your child by doing one or more of the
  following, depending upon the nature and
  seriousness of the event
• a. Securing the perimeter by locking all
  
• outside doors.
• b. Proceeding to shelter locations if
• warranted.
• c. Locking down the school, with all
  students
• and staff behind closed and locked
  doors, if
• the situation warrants.
• d. The school will not open doors for
  anyone
• except public safety officials during
  a
• lockdown or shelter-in- place.
• e. The school will not attempt to
  communicate
• to parents directly during an
  emergency.
• f. Communications will flow to the news
  
• media, the Alert Now System and the
• Office of the Public Relations
  Director.
• g. Schools will limit the student use of
  cell
• phones.

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Actions the schools will take if an emergency
strikes at your childs school

• 2. Evacuation If the building is not safe, your
  child will be evacuated to a safe location.
• a. The evacuation may be for a short period
  onto the
• school grounds.
• b. The evacuation may be to another
  location. While
• possible evacuation locations have been
• determined for each school, it may not
  be
• possible to use these locations. The
  determination
• of an evacuation site may be altered to
  suit the
• particular situation.
• c. Buses will be provided as needed to
  transport
• students to evacuation locations.
• d. The school will not attempt to
  communicate to
• parents directly during an emergency.
  
• e. Communications about evacuation and
• reunification will flow to the
  Districts Alert Now
• Notification System, the News Media and
  
• other public sources via Director of
  Public
• Relations.
• f. Schools will limit the students use of
  cell phones.

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Actions the schools will take before anemergency
occurs

• The schools, in cooperation with District Safety
  Office and
• Superintendents Office and local public
  safety officials will
• consistently plan for emergency
  situations.
• Each school will conduct age-appropriate
  emergency drills
• and training for students and will
  participate in drills and training offered by
  District Safety Office, local law enforcement and
• other emergency responding agencies.
• The District Safety Office will consistently
  monitor local and national conditions through law
  enforcement and the news media, and will keep
  schools informed of pertinent information.
• Each school will have food and water available
  for every
• student for a minimum of 24-48 hours.

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Actions parents should take beforean emergency
occurs

• Update the emergency contact information for
  your child
• and make sure your childs school has it on
  file. Be sure
• to include any pertinent medical
  information.
• If your child is on medication, be sure that
  your childs
• school has at least a 24-48 hour supply.
• Have a plan for reuniting with your child,
  including
• designating a place for your child to go if
  you or they are
• unable to come home.
• Have food, water, medicine and other supplies in
  your
• home for at least 72 hours.
• Protect valuable papers and documents.
• Go to ready. gov for additional information.

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Actions parents should take if an emergency
strikes at or near your childs school.

• Do not panic. School officials and public safety
  officials have planned for and prepared for
  emergencies.
• Do not call the school. Doing so will hinder
  necessary communications between the school and
  public safety or district
• safety and security officials.
• Do not expect that the school will call you
  immediately if an emergency strikes. Our first
  priority is protecting students, staff
• and visitors. Information will come
  through public sources or the news media.
  Communication from the school will come as soon
  as possible.
• Do not come to the school. Doing so will
  interfere with responding emergency authorities.
  You will be given instructions as to where and
  when you and your child will be reunited.

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Actions parents should take if an emergency
strikes at or near your childs school.

• Do remember school officials and public safety
  officials have planned and prepared for
  emergencies.
• Do listen carefully to local news media and the
  NHCS official web site for information about when
  and where you will be reunited with your child.
• Do follow the instructions of local law
  enforcement and school officials about when and
  where to be reunited with your child.
• Do not call your students cell phone. The use of
  a cell phone
• could distract them or prevent them from
  hearing important, even
• life-saving instructions!

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Actions students should take before an emergency
occurs

• Make sure that you know where you will meet
  your
• parents if they or you cannot come home for
  some reason.
• Make sure you pay attention to what your teacher
  or principal is telling you during fire or other
  emergency drills.

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Actions students should take if there is a
national or local emergency that does not
directly affect your school

• Understand that the school has prepared for
  emergencies.
• You should follow the instructions of your
• teacher or principal.
• You should try to focus on learning.

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Actions students should take if there is a
national or local emergency that does not
directly affect your school

• Dont use cell phones during these times,
• Using your cell phone
• could distract you or prevent you from
• hearing important, even life-saving
  instructions!

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Actions students should take if anemergency
strikes at or near your school.

• Follow the procedures
• you learned in fire drills, tornado drills or
  other emergency drills.
• Follow the instructions you hear from teachers,
  staff members or the public address system.

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Remember Managing Crisis Events In Our Schools Is
A Task For Every Body