HFFMCSD Parent Guide Page 1 Highland Falls – Fort Montgomery CSD

EMERGENCY PLANNING A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

General Information

Preparation!! Being prepared Issues include: There are five general for emergencies is not only a categories that the plans requirement of the State, but • Where do I get current address. is also taken very seriously by information? the staff and administration of • What should I do during a Categories include: the Highland Falls – Fort crisis? • Montgomery Central School Who can I contact for 1. Criminal Offenses such as District. The District has help? bomb threats, kidnapping, developed an emergency or violent behavior management and safety plan When disaster strikes, the for each of its schools -- a first consideration for every 2. Natural hazards such as plan that is reviewed and staff member is the safety of severe weather revised annually. This plan our children. addresses an enormous 3. Environmental hazards range of issues from the The Highland Falls – Fort such as exposure to hazardous materials, relatively minor to the more Montgomery Central School explosions, or fires severe while addressing the District has established emergency management and social, emotional, and 4. Medical emergencies safety plans for each building psychological needs of staff such as injury, contagious and students during the in the District. All of these disease, exposure to aftermath of an incident. plans are coordinated with biohazards, accidents or police, fire, EMS, and other terminal illness involving a The purpose of this guide is officials from county and / or student, parent, or staff to provide basic information statewide agencies. member to parents on how their cooperation and assistance 5. Death or suicide of a will aid the District and their student, staff member or children during a crisis. family member

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HOW WILL THE SCHOOL 2) Shelter In Place Plan: to continue with the normal RESPOND TO AN school day, but curtails EMERGENCY? Keeps students in their outside activity. This buildings when it is safer to procedure is most commonly When the Principal, stay inside than to go out. used when incident is Superintendent or Ordinarily, sheltering is occurring outside the school designee determines that considered a short-term building, on or off school an emergency has solution, but each school is property. occurred, there are five prepared to keep students possible plans of action: beyond normal dismissal if 5) Lockdown Plan: necessary. A part of the 1) Go-Home Plan / Early shelter plan will be a Stay-Put An immediate and imminent Dismissal: plan. In this instance, all threat to the school building students will remain in their population. Staff and students This plan returns students to current classroom until are secured in the rooms they their home and family as otherwise notified . are currently in and no one is soon as possible. allowed to leave until the Each school 3) Evacuation/Relocation situation has been curtailed . maintains Plan: This allows the school to information for secure everyone and remove each child's Requires that all building them from immediate danger contact person(s). It is occupants leave and go to This plan is used most important to advise the an alternate location. commonly when the building building principal if the name . has an intruder. or number of a contact Evacuation may person changes. mean only going outside and away Where will the students go The school will not, under any from the building if there is a relocation? circumstances, release a until an all-clear student to anyone who has signal is given. In In the event that students not been authorized by the some circumstances, must be moved to an parent or guardian. students and staff may need alternate location, the school Elementary students are to be transported and housed will attempt to reach all never returned to an temporarily in another parents to advise them of unoccupied or unsupervised location until the Go-Home the alternate location site. home. If there is no one at Plan can be put into Depending upon the home to meet an elementary operation. circumstances of the student, the child is returned emergency, these plans may to a location that can provide 4) Lockout Plan: be utilized. Police, fire, security and supervision. The EMS, county and state child will be held until a Allows no unauthorized authorities know of the parent or authorized adult personnel into the building. alternate locations; however, picks up the child. All exterior doors are locked the alternate locations will and administrators, monitors remain confidential until an or other school personnel actual emergency occurs. monitor main entrance. This procedure allows the school HFFMCSD Parent Guide Page 3 ARE THERE doing so may significantly • The District's website, reduce the school's ability to www.hffmcsd.org will post EMERGENCY respond to the situation. In updates PLANNING DRILLS? addition, going to the school throughout the may interfere with police or course of an YES, At least once each other emergency workers emergency. year, the District conducts a whose sole purpose is to test of its assure the safety and well • The news media (radio Go-Home being of students and staff. stations) WHUD / WLNA / (early Vehicles driven to the school, WBNR / WSPK / WGNY / dismissal) for example, may restrict WPDH / WRRV will be plan. Other access for emergency contacted and kept up-to- drills are vehicles and/or school buses date on all developments, conducted at various times that are loading children for and will be asked to evacuation / relocation or to during the school year in broadcast important take them home. The order to give students and information. staff practice in what to do building's staff will be actively during an emergency. working at all times to ensure • We will, however, make Transportation and the safety of all students. every effort to contact communication tests are part While it may seem logical that parents and guardians. of each drill. Additional drills every student taken home by Principals have a and simulations will be a parent reduces the separate copy of every workload of the staff, in a conducted by each school's child's contact information fast-moving crisis that emergency team -under the that they will keep with direction of the building requires careful coordination them during an principal -throughout the year. and communication, extra emergency. The District believes that vehicles and visitors to the response is best when school may actually make the The principal or designee everybody knows their role task of keeping track of all may ask parent organizations and has had an opportunity to students exceptionally difficult to assist in disseminating and potentially dangerous. practice. information.

Please note that we have a SHOULD I PICK UP MY WHERE CAN I GET home/school communication CHILD AT SCHOOL INFORMATION DURING system in place. This DURING AN AN EMERGENCY? system will allow us to EMERGENCY? inform parents in a timely Chances are that you may fashion if we encounter a We strongly encourage not be able to reach the true emergency. parents NOT to come to school by telephone in a real emergency. Past experiences the school during an indicate that staff must react emergency unless to the emergency first. District Do not call 911 directed to do so. telephone lines will be busy for information with personnel who need to as this is While every person's natural communicate to emergency meant instinct in an emergency is and support services. to go to the school to Therefore, it is important for reporting safeguard his/her child, that you do not try calling emergencies please understand that the school building. only. HFFMCSD Parent Guide Page 4

WHAT PROVISIONS precautions from time to ARE MADE FOR time. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES? • Please encourage your Each school has an action children not to use their plan that cell phones as this can provides for cause great confusion, students and potentially shut and staff down needed service by who have emergency responders special needs. For more information, contact your building Principal. Questions about the WHAT CAN I DO TO PLAN information contained in AHEAD? this guide should be directed to your building The most important Principal. things you as parent can do: FORT MONTGOMERY • Make certain your ELEMENTARY SCHOOL child's school has up- to-date emergency Mrs. Rachel Adelstein contact information. 845.446.1008 • Periodically review with your child alternative arrangements you have made in case an HIGHLAND FALLS emergency prevents you INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL from being at home. • Talk to your children Mr. Michael McElduff and emphasize how important it is for them 845.446.4761 to follow instructions

from teachers and school officials during JAMES I. O’NEILL HGIH an emergency. SCHOOL • Carefully read all Ms. Debbie Brand information you receive from the school. You 845.446.4914 may receive safety updates about