Communicating during an emergency

  • Our goal is to inform parents that a shelter-in-place or lockdown is underway as soon as it is safe to do so. Staff members will first ensure the safety of your student and others on campus then turn their attention to providing you with timely updates. Please know that we also work to ensure all information shared is accurate which sometimes requires delays while details are verified with law enforcement or other sources. 
     
    How we’ll share information with you in an emergency:
     

    Mass Notification & Websites

    • An automated mass notification alerting you that a shelter-in-place or lockdown is underway will be sent via phone call, email, text message and push notification to the district's mobile app. Because staff are focused on your student’s safety and accurately determining the specifics of the situation, this initial message may simply inform you that a safety situation is underway but may not provide many if any details about the cause. Emergency mass notifications are sent with a high priority for rapid distribution and they’re sent to all phone numbers and email addresses we have on file for a student’s parents or guardians.
    • An initial alert followed by updates of information will be posted to the school and district websites. This is the best place to look for official updates as we will update information as it becomes available. Posts are made to the district’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. This helps other members of the community receive information about the incident. 
    • During an extended shelter-in-place or lockdown you may also receive updates via our mass notification system to share the current status of the school or additional information. This same information is made available on the website.
    • After a shelter-in-place or lockdown, you will receive a final update via the mass notification system and a posting to the website sharing a summary of what was involved in the incident, what was done in response, and steps going forward.

     

    News Media 

    The district actively works with news media during emergency situations to help share accurate and helpful information. Please watch for OFFICIAL information from the district or first-responders on news media.
     

    Phone Calls

    During and after an emergency, school phone lines may become overloaded. Please refrain from calling a school during or right after an emergency if at all possible. If it is urgent that you get a message to the school for the safety of your student during an emergency, please contact the district office at (916) 971-7700. 
     
Last Modified on September 9, 2019