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EMERGENCY

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MVSD Emergency Preparedness Plan

In the event of an emergency DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL. Families will receive alerts via ParentSquare. Please view our Emergency Communications Protocols for more details.

Each emergency presents a unique set of variables, which will be evaluated prior to a decision to use ParentSquare. Those variables include nature of emergency, time of emergency, estimated duration of emergency, impact on immediate safety of students, direction given by law enforcement and emergency services agencies, and others. The District's highest priority is to first evaluate and respond to the emergency and ensure the immediate safety of students; and then to notify parents/guardians if the individual emergency dictates.

Please ensure that your contact information is up-to-date in the school district's database so that you receive ParentSquare messages where you can be reached. Any adjustments in your contact information can be made by contacting your local school. It is important to keep your contact information up-to-date at all times, especially changes in text phone numbers and email addresses.

When you receive an Alert from ParentSquare, please regard it as very important. Do not call the school or the District Office. If it is an emergency notification, it will include instructions.

Do Not Drive on Campus - School campuses must be clear of cars to allow for emergency vehicles. Park your car safely nearby and walk to school. Do not leave your car in the street where it will block other cars or emergency vehicles.

Major Earthquake - If buildings are unsafe to re-enter, CHILDREN WILL REMAIN UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF SCHOOL AUTHORITIES until parents or designated responsible adults can pick them up.  Students will only be released to a parents or guardian as listed on their emergency card.

Student Pick-up Locations – Pick-up is at the following Outdoor Student Release areas:

Edna Maguire: Behind school at blacktop play areas

Middle School: Basketball courts adjacent to Community Center

Old Mill: Lovell entrance to bottom of stairs behind auditorium

Park: Catalpa Street entrance on blacktop

Strawberry Point:  East Strawberry Drive entrance on blacktop

Tamalpais Valley:  Next to library

Bring Identification - You must bring Picture ID to identify yourself for release of any student to your care.  Do not attempt to remove your child or any other child from school without having signed the emergency release form at the Student Release area.

The objectives of the Emergency Preparedness Plan are as follows:

  • To arrange for a calm and efficient plan for parents to retrieve their children from school, if necessary;
  • To minimize injuries and loss of life of students and personnel and to insure their safety and protection if an emergency occurs during school hours;
  • To provide for maximum use of school personnel and school facilities.

Emergency on the Way to School - If children are caught in an emergency between home and school, it is recommended that they go immediately to school.

Emergency at School - Should an emergency occur while the children are at school, the following actions will be implemented by personnel, depending on type of emergency as specified in our plan:

  • In event of earthquake, give “duck and cover” instructions.
  • Evacuate students to assigned area on yard.
  • Hold students in assigned yard area, take roll, report missing students and wait for further instructions.
  • Certain teachers will report for assigned special duties (e.g. first aid or search and rescue).  Otherwise teachers remain with class and provide student supervision.
  • Provide basic first aid.
  • If school buildings are declared unsafe to re-enter by the Principal, students will be dismissed.
  • Dismissed students will only be released to a parent or guardian as listed on their emergency card.

Food and Water Supply - In the event that children need to remain on campus for several hours after an emergency, we have a basic supply of water and food.

Evacuation From Immediate Area - Conditions may be such that it is necessary to remove students from the immediate area.  An instant alert system via ParentSquare will communicate to parents/guardians, when possible, the location of students.  A notice will also be posted on the front door of the school with the location of the students.  If students are to be removed to a Red Cross Shelter, they will be kept together under the supervision of the Red Cross and a Child Protection Services worker.

 

You and your family are encouraged to develop an Emergency Preparedness Plan for your home.  Please take a moment to review the City of Mill Valley's emergency prep resource page  and Southern Marin Fire Departmentfire.org for essential information.

 

Emergency Release Forms - If you are unable to reach the school, personnel will care for your child until you can safely get there.  In order to assist staff in the safe caring for your child, be sure you have filled out, signed and returned the "Emergency Release Form".  If there is any special medical information the school should know about, please record it clearly and notify the school office if there are any significant changes.  

 

Emergency Communications Protocols

A red speech bubble with a white exclamation mark inside.When incidents happen in our community, we collaborate with our local law enforcement or health department partners. We update you as soon as we are able to safely do so. The steps listed below are a guide to how the District office will be communicating with families:

  1. Website Pop-Up Alert: We have a constant pop-up alert on all pages of our website.  This will state if schools are open or closed.
  2. ParentSquare Alert: We send a ParentSquare alert which generates an instant message to your chosen method of contact.
  3. ParentSquare email: We send a ParentSquare email post to all district families.
  4. Updates: We will provide updates on the website (pop-up) and with ParentSquare as new information is received.  
  5. Social Media: We update social media if time allows - Instagram, Facebook
  6. Debrief: Following the event, we post a debrief document on our website headlines section and report out with ParentSquare and in the Family Newsletter.

 


 

This is a reminder that should we ever have to close any of our schools because of an emergency situation, prior to school opening for the day, we will send out a ParentSquare alert to all families.  This alert will be sent out between 6:30-7:00 a.m.  No notification will be sent out if schools are open.  Login in to your ParentSquare account to verify your contact information is up-to-date.

If you are uncertain or wish to double check the status of schools, please go directly to our website where an alert notification bubble will state the current status of our sites.  

For more information about our Emergency Preparedness Plans, please visit this page of our district website.