School Emergencies

Students' Role in an Emergency

Students should understand and follow all plans applicable to the given crisis. 

• Students should not panic. In the absence of adult direction, decide where it is safest to be and remain there.
• If a violent situation occurs, notify the nearest school staff member.
• Share all relevant information with law enforcement, teachers, and school staff.
• During and after the crisis, to the extent that is safe, keep your belongings with you, do not pick anything up, and do not go back for anything until receiving clearance.
• Calm and reassure fellow students.
• Do not perpetuate rumors to others. This includes via text message or social media. We want parents and students to have accurate information, not rumors.

 Families' Role in an Emergency

• Stay calm during a school emergency.
• Your attitude/actions conveyed to students in person or by cell phone communication may be traumatic, especially to young children.
• Make sure your emergency contact numbers are updated and on file in the office.
• During a school emergency, listen carefully to emergency notification messages. Check district (https://www.sanjuan.edu) and school web pages as phone communication may be interrupted due to excessive calls.
• Do not allow the media, against your will, to pressure you to be interviewed during a crisis.
• Rely on factual information from the school district or law enforcement.
• Frequently rumors may surface.
• Recognize that crisis counseling services will be available for you or a child affected by a crisis. 
• Please contact a school administrator or counselor about accessing counseling resources.

Lockdowns are the highest level of alert. Used when there is an immediate or imminent threat of physical harm or danger on or headed toward a school campus such as an armed intruder or violent criminal activity. Lockdown directions will be made using plain language, so all people on campus understand the lockdown is not a drill. During a lockdown, students and adults are brought inside classrooms and other designated areas. Doors and windows are closed and locked immediately, curtains or other window coverings are pulled closed; all lights are turned off. Students, staff and visitors are directed to stay out of sight and away from windows and doors and remain silent (this includes no talking or cell phone use). In some situations, students and staff may be directed to hide or seek additional protection barriers such as bookcases, partitions or desks.

A shelter-in-place is a raised level of alert. Used when there is a potential safety concern near or on the campus, such as significant police activity in the neighborhood, reports of a potentially dangerous situation near the campus or for dangerous environmental conditions such as severe weather. During a shelter-in-place, doors and windows are closed and locked, curtains or other window coverings are pulled closed. All scheduled classroom activities and learning will continue as normal indoors. Students and staff may not move around on campus, except with an authorized safety escort. Shelter-in-place orders will be made in plain language so all people on campus understand that the shelter-in-place is not a drill.

Our district has taken steps to ensure our families can stay informed in the event of an emergency at school. We use an emergency messaging system to notify parents and guardians of situations at individual school campuses. It is vital that schools have correct contact information to ensure families receive important emergency information in a timely manner. In case of an emergency, families and members of the community should access our district’s website www.sanjuan.edu. Updates on critical situations will be placed on the home page.

Families are asked to use caution and good judgment when communicating directly with students via cell phone or text message during an emergency. Students engaged with cell phones may be distracted from critical instructions being given by school staff. Rumors among students are also hard to control during crisis situations. Families should rely on official information from our district notification system’s phone calls or from district statements to local media for the most accurate information.

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. Learn more here.

• 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. 

Emergency contact information must be updated annually for each student. 

Families are able to update annual information including emergency contacts via the Parent Portal. You can view instructions on how to complete the process online. If needed, your school office can help you complete the process on a school computer. 

If you have multiple students, the online process through Parent Portal will allow you to update information for each student one at a time. 

Updating parent/guardian contact information 

It is important that we also have up-to-date contact information on file for each student's parent or guardian. This information can be updated at ANY TIME of the year by logging into the Parent Portal or notifying your school office.