Emergency Response Procedures
Emergency Response Procedures for Parents
The safety of PRSD students and staff is our number one priority. PRSD works closely with police, health, and other safety officials to ensure our preparedness in the event of an emergency. We review and update our Emergency Response Plan regularly, conduct fire and shelter drills, and provide training to our faculty and staff. In the event of an emergency, it is essential that we have full cooperation of all involved. These guidelines will assist parents in knowing what to do in the event of a school emergency. Emergency Response Procedures for Parents
Communication
District officials will make every effort to communicate about a school emergency via the most relevant and available means. This includes:
1. Telephone, email and text messages via the SchoolMessenger notification system.
2. Here on the district website: www.pearlriver.org
3. News12 & Fox 5 News
What Parents Should Do
Depending on the nature of the emergency, parents may be asked to:
• Wait for notification (i.e., if students are being sheltered inside the building and unlocking doors would compromise their safety).
• Come to school to pick up their child or children.
• Go to an alternate location to pick up their child or children.
It is absolutely essential that parents follow the directions provided by school district or emergency personnel, even though instincts may guide them otherwise.
What the Schools Will Do
Depending on the specific nature of the emergency, school officials may respond in a variety of ways. Typically, students will either be:
• Dismissed early.
• Sheltered with supervision inside the school building, either in classrooms, hallways, or common areas such as a gym or cafeteria.
• Escorted away from the building, as in a fire drill, to a safe place on school grounds.
• Escorted to a safe location off school grounds for shelter or protection. (Exact location will depend on the nature of the emergency and evacuation.)
Keep Contact Information Current in Your Parent Portal!
School officials will rely on contact information supplied by parents at the beginning of each school year. If your information changes, be sure to update your eSchooldata Parent Portal account or notify your school office. Be mindful of cell phone and work phone number changes as well as home phones. Your phone and email information from your Parent Portal is what is used to send important district and school communications through our SchoolMessenger notification system to communicate important broadcasts such as school closings or other emergency situations by phone, email and text messages . PRSD also uses this system to send emails and texts pertaining to general district and school information and events. Parents are automatically enrolled to receive phone calls and emails using their contact data in their eSchoolData Parent Portal account. The majority of our communications are through email. If you are not receiving emails from PRSD or your child's school, your contact information is not current in your Parent Portal!
It is also important to keep current the list of other adults you approve to pick up your child in the event of an emergency.