Dear Grand Oak Parents

Dear Grand Oak Parents:

Now is the time of the year to review our safety plan with our families. I wanted to share our school safety information with you and make sure that everyone understands our procedures fully. We pledge to our families that we will continue to be diligent in our monitoring of the building and the grounds around our school. To help continue to make our school as safe as it can be, we need our parents and families help. Please remember to bring in a picture ID when you are coming to pick up your children. Each and every time that we have a sign-out or if a parent is signing in, our secretaries will be asking for this ID information if they do not know the parent or relative. Please be patient with us and understand that we are only taking this precaution so that your children stay safe. We wanted our parents to know that at 8:00 all doors are locked and they will need to be “buzzed in”. Please just state why you are hear and have your ID in case we ask for it. You will still need to report to the office to go through the normal processes for further entry. In addition, we have cameras posted in and outside the building to make sure students are safe at all times. We hope that these additional precautions this year will make our parents even more comfortable with our wonderful environment. We would also like you to help us with reminding your children that if any situation occurs at the school and we have to go in to a “lockdown” that they should feel calm and safe, and listen to all of their teachers’ directions. Our teachers and administration will make sure that all students are safe at Grand Oak Elementary School.

If the school is in a “lockdown” due to a threat inside or outside the school facility, we ask that parents do not enter the building (there will be signs posted). If you are already in the building please move to the closest classroom and remain there until you hear the announcement that the lockdown is over.

If an event does occur at the school we will be using our Connect Ed phone system to notify our parents. It is important to make sure that all of your phone contact information is accurate so you will receive the information. If you haven’t been receiving our Connect Ed messages please call the school immediately. We also have procedures for three different levels of evacuation at Grand Oak:

Level I- This is a short term evacuation and students are kept on site. This means that once away from the building there is no imminent danger. For example, monthly fire drills fall in the Level I evacuation category. If it would be necessary to dismiss our students from this area there will be signs posted to how the staging areas will be set up (bus area, parent pick-up, media, security, administration supplies).

Level II- This is an evacuation that involves students leaving campus. Our Level II site is at the St. Mark’s Catholic Church located on Stumptown Road. If we ever have to go to this level it means that there is a danger where we need to move 500+ yards from the facility. Once a danger is resolved students will return to the site, if the danger is not resolved we will have various staging areas that we ask all parents to follow. This type of evacuation is typically associated with flooding or gas leaks.

Level III- This is an evacuation that is decided on by central office and will have us taken by bus to a site “to be announced” (all school staff and students). We will notify parents of this via Connect Ed and Facebook. Once we arrive at this location we will continue to contact parents as needed, bus children home and release children to parents (must have proper ID). Again, we ask that all parents follow the staging area directions once they arrive to help maintain order. Parents should not try and come to the school to pick up children. They should go directly to the evacuation site.

We hope that this information will be beneficial to parents, but we also hope that we will never need it. This week we will also be sending home some important information from McGuire Nuclear Station with other important emergency planning information. Through our continued preparedness for all types of situations, we hope that our families will feel safe and comfortable in sending their children to school.

If you ever have questions regarding our policies, please call Mr. Giovanelli at 980-343-2063 (or via email).