School emergency plans and procedures revamped |
| March 26, 2013 |
|
By Richard Conley Superintendent Boundary County School District 101 The last week or so has been very interesting and revealing. A district emergency has shown the administration that we need to revisit our emergency plans and evacuation procedures. This is a positive step for our district and community. It allows us to make sure we are better prepared if an emergency does occur. We are making arrangements for additional spaces for emergency relocations. I had been looking at one school versus all schools on an emergency relocation plan. The new plan will allow all students in every school to leave and proceed to a safe location within walking distance. Students would then be in a secure building while arrangements are made for parent and bus transportation. Another area where we need improvement is getting immediate notification to parents. We have purchased a system that will notify all of our parents within seconds versus our staff trying to call every parent. We will be asking parents how they want us to notify them in case of an emergency. Some may choose a cell phone, others may want a land line and still others may want an email message. We are working to provide better and faster communication to all of our parents. We hope to have this new system and training for staff by the end of April. The District is thankful for all the wonderful students and parents we serve. We will be working to improve overall safety for all students in the district. They are our first and most precious priority. |