If an emergency occurs, our school is one of the safest places where students can be. The Bloomfield R-14 School District has an emergency operations plan and all staff members are trained to supervise and care for students. School buildings are usually safer than homes because they are constructed to meet strict public safety standards.

Families are encouraged to be prepared in the event an emergency occurs during school hours. The next time disaster strikes you may not have much time to act. Families are able to cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team with their school. Knowing what to do is your best protection. Whether it's a natural disaster such as an earthquake, fire, flood, or windstorm or a man-made disaster, a crisis is an event over which we have very little control.

Before a Crisis or Natural Disaster and Personal Preparedness:

• Update the school's emergency form listing people to notify in case of emergency. Students will only be released to these people.

• Make certain the person who is responsible for your child has any necessary medication.

• Become knowledgeable in first aid procedures. Keep a first aid kit available.

• Have a flashlight and a battery-powered radio.

• Know the location of electricity, gas and water valves and how/when to turn them off.

• Have your family participate in disaster drills. Develop and practice a family disaster plan.

• Teach your child how to recognize danger signals such as smoke detectors, fire alarms and local community warning systems.

• Explain how and when to call for help. Help your child memorize important family information: name, address, phone number, and where to meet in case of an emergency.

• Keep emergency preparedness kits up-to-date and stocked for at least 72 hours of food and water.

• Have a fire extinguisher. Check it annually.

• Keep emergency phone lists updated. Choose an out-of-state friend or relative who you and your family members can call after an emergency to report your whereabouts and conditions.

In the Event of a Crisis or Natural Disaster:

• Please do not call the school. Phone lines, if working, will be used for emergency communication.

• No child will be dismissed from school unless a parent or approved designee comes for him or her. All parents or approved designees who come for their children must show picture identification before signing out the student.

• Schools are likely to be one of the safest places that children could be located during most crises or natural disasters. Staff members will remain with the children until all have been reunited with their parents or approved designees.

• Bus riders will remain with their drivers. If a child has been let off at his or her regular bus stop prior to the disaster, you should expect to find your child at home. For children who are still on the bus, the driver will make his or her way back to the school as conditions permit.

• Buses will drive by AM stops, if safe to do so, and pick up any children waiting there. They will be transported to school as conditions permit.

• If it is too hazardous to move the bus, children will remain on the bus until help arrives.

If an Emergency Occurs While Your Child is:

After a Natural Disaster or Man-Made Emergency:

School Emergency Preparedness – Frequently Asked Questions

- Is the district storing extra food, water and supplies for an emergency?
Yes, our school has stored extra food, water and supplies for 72 hours. We will also rely on food, water and supplies from neighborhood homes, and if necessary, local grocery stores.

- How are teachers and staff prepared for an emergency?
In the event that children must remain in school during an emergency, teachers will conduct lessons and class time as usual. Dependent upon their safety, children will be allowed to move about the buildings as long as they are out of harm’s way. All non-teaching staff members will provide support and resources as needed, including extra supervision of students and assistance with phone calls and communication activities with parents and emergency personnel. The district safety coordinator and administration have discussed the district’s emergency operations plan with all staff.

- How will the school respond to an emergency?
When the Superintendent or designee determines that an emergency has occurred, there are five possible plans of action:

1. Go-Home Plan: Returns students to their home and family as quickly as possible. Each school maintains information for each child’s emergency contacts. It is important to advise the school office if the name or number of a contact person changes. The school will not, under any circumstances, release a student to anyone who has not been authorized by the parent or guardian. Students are never returned to an unoccupied or unsupervised home. If there is no one at home to meet a student, the child is returned to school and held until a parent or authorized adult picks the child up.

2. Shelter In Place Plan: Keeps students in their buildings when it is safer to stay inside than to go out. Ordinarily, sheltering is considered a short-term solution, but the school is prepared to keep students beyond normal dismissal if necessary. Specific areas of each building are identified as the safest for occupants.

3. Evacuation Plan: Requires that all building occupants leave and go to an alternate location. Evacuation may mean only going outside and away from the building until an all-clear signal is given. Evacuation plans are posted in each classroom, office, and near exterior doors.

4. Lockout Plan: Allows no unauthorized personnel into the buildings. All exterior doors are locked and administrators and/or designated staff monitor main entrance. This procedure allows the school to continue with the normal school day, but curtails outside activity. This procedure is most commonly used when an incident is occurring outside the school buildings, on or off school property.

5. Lockdown Plan: An immediate and imminent threat to the school building population. Staff and students are secured in the rooms they are currently in and no one is allowed to leave until the situation has been curtailed. This allows the school to secure everyone and remove them from immediate danger. This plan is used most commonly when the building has an intruder.

- Are there emergency planning drills?
Yes, drills are conducted at various times during the school year in order to give students and staff practice in what to do during an emergency. Our school believes that response is best when everybody knows their role and has had an opportunity to practice.

- Should I pick up my child during an emergency?
We strongly encourage parents NOT to come to the school during an emergency unless directed to do so. While every person’s natural instinct in an emergency is to go to the school to safeguard his/her child, please understand that doing so may significantly reduce the school’s ability to respond to the situation. In addition, going to the school may interfere with police or other emergency workers whose sole purpose is to assure the safety and well being of students and staff. Vehicles driven to the school, for example, may restrict access for emergency vehicles and/or school buses that are loading children for evacuation or to take them home. The school’s staff will be actively working at all times to ensure the safety of all students. While it may seem logical that every student taken home by a parent reduces the workload of the staff, in a fast-moving crisis that requires careful coordination and communication, extra vehicles and visitors to the school may actually make the task of keeping track of all students exceptionally difficult and potentially dangerous.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/

From the American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_500_,00.html

and http://www.prepare.org/

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/emergency/

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency: http://sema.dps.mo.gov/semapage.htm

The Citizen Corps: http://www.ready.gov

If you have other questions about this information,

please contact Toni Hill at thill@bps14.org or 568-4564.