Safety is our top priority
Schools are considered to be one of the safest places in our communities. However, in reality, an emergency can occur anywhere at any time.
During any emergency, our first priority is the safety of our students and staff.
In order to provide an effective response to any school crisis or emergency, Buffalo Trail Public Schools uses the Hour-Zero School Emergency Program in conjunction with other local emergency plans.
Our Hour Zero program has individual school emergency plans as well as a Division Plan that are reviewed annually and after an emergency occurs. There is an on-site School/Site Emergency Response Team (SERT) at each school, along with a Division-based Administrative Command Team (ACT) for emergency responses that provides support and aid to schools at time of an emergency.
Click HERE for access to the School Emergency Program - a guide for parents and guardians.
In addition to the procedures described below, schools also practice protocols such as “Drop-Cover-Hold,” a method of protecting vital body parts during some natural disasters, and conduct fire drills. All staff and students are required to participate in these drills.
| Lock Down | Lock-down is used when there is a threat or potential threat of violence to students and/or staff inside the school. During a Lock-Down all doors to and within the school are locked. No one is permitted in or out of any area once it has been locked. Students and staff must respond very quickly to a Lock-Down command to get to a safe location before doors are locked. No one, other than law enforcement, is permitted access to the building until the Lock-Down is over. |
| Hold and Secure | Hold and secure is used when there is a threat or potential threat of violence to students and/or staff outside the school. During a Hold and Secure, all entrance doors to the school are locked, with no one permitted in or out of the building. Movement is permitted inside the school, and inside activities can continue. No one, other than law enforcement, is permitted access to the building until the Hold and Secure has been cleared. |
| Shelter-in-Place | Shelter-in-Place is used when there is NO THREAT OF VIOLENCE but directing and controlling movement inside the school is prudent. A Shelter-in-Place maybe be called for any of the following reasons: an environmental emergency, severe weather, student, or staff requiring first aid/medical/focused attention. During a Shelter-in-Place, students and staff retreat to classrooms/safe zones to seek shelter or simply clear the hallways, allowing for both privacy of a student requiring attention and unrestricted access for emergency responders. This protocol may or may not include having students or staff who are outdoors come back into the school. Doors are not locked during this protocol. Students will not be released or dismissed until the situation has been resolved. |
| Evacuation | Evacuation is used when there is possible danger INSIDE the school (with no threat of violence) and it is safer to be outside the school than inside (e.g., fire, gas leak). This may mean only going outside and away from the building until it is safe to re-enter the school. In other cases, students and staff may need to go to an evacuation centre. Parents will be informed of the alternate location through the school’s Crisis Notification Network. |
| Dismissal | If necessary, a Controlled Student Release Procedure will be used to release students to an authorized emergency contact. |
All staff is regularly trained on emergency protocols. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SCHOOLS CONDUCT TRAINING AND DRILLS to rehearse emergency procedures and help better prepare students and staff for possible emergency situations. These exercises prepare students and staff to act quickly and help to minimize a child’s fear during a real emergency.
Although standardized protocols and procedures provide the basis for our response, the way in which we respond to an emergency is greatly influenced by the specifics of an incident. We are driven foremost by our concern of ensuring student and staff safety.
Our Division collaborates closely with local emergency personnel to ensure plans are coordinated with appropriate agencies. The Division’s plans do not replace the authority of law enforcement, fire or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – staff members work in full cooperation with these agencies.
We recognize that when an emergency occurs parents will be worried and want to be reunited with their child as quickly as possible. It is our intention to make this happen.
However, to ensure every child’s safety and the safety of staff, specific procedures have been established for releasing students. These procedures may be modified depending on the circumstance. Parents are asked to adhere to the parent-child reunification procedures listed below (in "Communicating during an emergency").
Staff will work hard to ensure these procedures take place without delay. However, please understand the process will take some time. We take time to ensure your child's safety. We ask for your patience when you arrive at the Parent-Child Reunion Area.
Parent-Child Reunion Procedures
- A Parent-Child Reunion Area will be established. Parents will be notified at the time of the emergency of the Reunion Area’s location. The location may not be at the school — the location will depend on the specifics of the emergency.
- You will be required to fill out a Student Release Request Form. This ensures all students are accounted for at all times and students are only released to authorized individuals.
- Students will only be released to an individual designated as legal guardian or emergency contact on the Student Information Update Form. This form is sent out each year by your local school and is available on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. It is important to keep this information current as the school will only release a child to someone listed as an Emergency Contact — there will be no exceptions.
- Valid identification is required to pick up your child. This is required to protect your child from any unauthorized individuals attempting to pick up students. Even if school personnel know you, you must still present I.D. as the school may be receiving assistance from other schools or outside agencies.
- You will be required to sign for the release of your child. This is extremely important, as it ensures your child, along with other students, is accounted for at all times. Please do not just take your child from the school or evacuation center without signing for his/her release.
- Once you have been reunited with your child, please leave the area immediately. This is for your own safety and that of your child.
If you are unable to pick up your child, he/she will be kept at the Parent-Child Reunion Center until alternate arrangements can be made. Your child will be supervised at all times.
When an emergency occurs, please do not come to the school to pick up your child unless requested to do so.
Doing so could impede the response to the situation and also interfere with emergency crews’ and school personnel’s efforts to deal with the emergency. Extra vehicles and people at the site make the task more difficult.
If you arrive at the school in the midst of an emergency, please respect the protocol in progress. While we understand personal circumstances or initial reactions might move you to do something contrary to the school’s established procedures, we cannot compromise the safety of students or staff to accommodate individual requests that could put anyone at risk.
Please do not call the school. Please do not call your child’s cell phone.
- Phone systems need to remain available for handling the actual emergency.
- Overloading the system may mean the school cannot communicate with first responders.
- Calling your child’s cell phone during an emergency may be putting them at higher risk by disclosing their location or drawing attention to them during a lock-down.
During an emergency, our FIRST PRIORITY is to protect students and staff.
Next, we will do everything in our power to keep you informed. DURING AN EMERGENCY, it is unlikely you will be able to reach the school by phone. We will, however, make every effort to contact parents directly or by one of the methods noted below.
- Crisis Notification Network and/or the Media - Parents will be alerted to emergency situations via our SchoolMessenger notification system. In order to receive these notifications, please ensure your contact information is up-to-date at your school. Stay tuned to local TV and radio stations for news alerts.
- Website, Social Media - When appropriate, the District will also keep parents informed by posting information regarding the emergency on the District website. We may also add information to social media.
PLEASE rely on the Division and our schools for accurate, dependable, firsthand details and updates.