Evacuation During School Hours

Here are items for your consideration should you have to evacuate your school during school hours.

1. Remember Key Priorities:

• • Prioritize safety over all else.
  • Follow instructions from local emergency services.
  • Maintain calm and clear communication at all times. 

2. Activate Evacuation Plan: 

• • Announce the evacuation using the school’s alert systems.
  • Ensure staff are at assigned posts and ready to assist.
  • Don’t forget to communicate with families using all channels of communication.

3. Get Everyone to Safety:

• • Support students and staff with special needs or mobility challenges. 
  • Check to ensure your meeting spot is safe. If not, follow the direction of emergency service personnel.

4. Account for Everyone: 

• • Take attendance at assembly points and verify everyone is accounted for. 
  • Notify authorities if anyone is missing. 

5. Secure the Building:

• • If possible and only if safe to do so, ensure all utilities (gas, electricity, water) are turned off. 

6. Communicate Updates:

• • Inform families and staff of the evacuation status and next steps. (Sample here)
  • Provide updates through all communication channels.

7. Reunite Students with Families:

• • If you evacuated with students, use a controlled release process to reunite students with parents or guardians. Verify identification for student pick-ups. (Resource: Student Release Guide from SMCOE)
  • Work with the police if some students are not and cannot get picked up.

8. Document the Evacuation:

• • Record any injuries, damages, or issues during the evacuation.
  • Report to the district office or emergency services as required.