Emergency Protocol
INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES | Hour Zero
 | HOLD AND SECURE
|
| COMMUNICATION: Once the protocol has been initiated, families will be notified as soon as it is safe to do so. Information may be sent out in one or more of the following ways: email, website, phone, and Facebook. If an emergency situation persists past dismissal time the incident commander may choose to do a modified or controlled Student Release (see below). | |
 | SHELTER IN PLACE
|
| COMMUNICATION: Once the protocol has been initiated, families will be notified as necessary. Information may be sent out in one or more of the following ways: email, website, phone, and Facebook. There are some situations where it is not necessary for the school to communicate with families (medical emergency, etc.) If the emergency situation persists past dismissal time the incident commander may choose to do a modified or controlled Student Release (see below). | |
 | EVACUATION
|
| COMMUNICATION: Once the protocol has been initiated, families will be notified as necessary. Information may be sent out in one or more of the following ways: email, website, phone, and Facebook.. There are some situations where it is not necessary for the school to communicate with families (medical emergency, etc.) If the emergency situation persists past dismissal time the incident commander may choose to do a modified or controlled Student Release (see below). | |
 | LOCK DOWN
|
| COMMUNICATION: In the event of a Lock Down it may not be possible to communicate with families until after the incident has ended, to ensure effective police response. Families will be notified as soon as it is safe to do so, with timely updates and detailed instructions on how to proceed, in one or more of the following ways: Edsby, email, school website, phone and social media. Depending upon the severity of the situation that occurred, once the ALL CLEAR has been issued, students and staff may be transported to a reunification centre and released to their parent or an authorized adult through a controlled Student Release process (see below). | |
NOTE: The incident commander is in charge of the situation and is permitted to activate any member of the School Emergency Response Team and delegate responsibilities to assist with addressing the emergency.
STUDENT RELEASE
A controlled student release team will be in place, as needed, to coordinate and direct the safe reunification of students with their parents or an authorized adult. In the event of a controlled student release, parents will be permitted to sign their child out from the school or evacuation centre after showing photo identification. Parents must follow due process to ensure the safety of all students and staff. Students that are 18yrs old and over can sign themselves out.
FAMILIES PLEASE DO & PLEASE DON'T
DO keep calm and only access emergency information from your school, emergency officials, and school/mhpsd based social media pages. Rest assured that school and emergency officials are doing everything to ensure child and staff safety.
DO Watch for live updates via school messenger (phone/text/email), school websites and social media.
DON'T call or text your child during an emergency situation. Calls and texts during an emergency can be disruptive, cause panic, and put people at a higher risk by disclosing their location or drawing attention to them.
DON'T call the school as phone lines need to stay open for emergency communications.
DON'T come to the school. Public interference makes it difficult for emergency officials to respond to the situation and creates additional risks for everyone involved.
EMERGENCY DRILLS
- Schools are required to conduct practice drills several times throughout the school year
- Practice drills can occur at any time
- There will be no official information provided regarding these drills from the division level
- Schools are not required to communicate about drills, but may choose to do so at their discretion
Updated Oct 2024