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What is emergency preparedness?
FCPS has taken steps to ensure your child's safety while in school. Each school
has developed a crisis response plan. Emergency preparedness is basically preparing
the steps you will take in the event of an emergency, such as contact information,
communications, and evacuation plans.
How
can I stay informed?
FCPS broadcasts emergency messages, when necessary, using a number of media.
General emergency messages, early and late school openings and closings can
be found on the school system public web home page (link) and on cable Channel
21. Emergency messages are also posted on the FCPS HotLine, 800-839-FCPS (3277).
Emergency messages are also sent by e-mail to all subscribers of FCPS Keep In
Touch (link here). Emergency messages are transmitted to local media, and parents
are encouraged to listen to radio or television.
How will
my child's school handle an emergency situation?
All Fairfax County Public Schools facilities have an emergency preparedness
plan. The specifics of each plan differ for each location. The response to each
situation will differ based on the specifics of that situation. The flexibility
of the plan is key to the success of the response. In general, each plan involves
the designation of a crisis management team; development of evacuation, shelter-in-place,
and lockdown procedures; preparation of a portable critical response kit that
contains key information and supplies; designation of one or more appropriate
evacuation sites; provisions for training personnel and updating the plan; checklists
for dealing with specific types of incidents; and resources for help before,
during and after an event. All FCPS school plans have been reviewed within the
last twelve months, and school crisis teams have received training. While the
school specific plan is exempt from release to the public per the Virginia Freedom
of Information Act, the template that schools use to construct their plan is
available at http://www.fcps.edu/fts/safety-security/planning/cmw.pdf.
(PDF document)
How can I see
the security plan for my child's school?
FCPS does not release this type of specific information, pursuant to the Virginia
Freedom of Information Act. This law provides specific exclusions to the type
of information that can be released (2.2-3705). The Crisis Management Workbook,
which serves as the template that schools use to construct their own site-specific
plans, is available at http://www.fcps.edu/fts/safety-security/planning/cmw.pdf.
(PDF document)
What is lockdown?
An emergency may prevent the safe evacuation of a school building and require
steps to isolate students and faculty from danger by instituting a school lockdown.
In an interior lockdown situation, all students are kept in classrooms or other
designated locations that are away from the danger. Faculty members are responsible
for accounting for students and ensuring that no one leaves the safe area. School
personnel will also secure building entrances, ensuring that no unauthorized
individuals leave or enter the building. Exterior lockdown procedures may also
be used to ensure the safety of students when an incident occurs in the community.
Parents are permitted access to the building and to their children if it is
safe for them to do so.
In the event
of a terrorist attack or other emergency situation, will FCPS go into lockdown?
The specific actions taken by FCPS in any emergency situation-both divisionwide
and at individual schools-will depend on the specifics of the situation. Any
action taken would depend on several factors, including the level of threat
and the advice of local, state, and federal agencies. The safety of students
and staff members will be the primary concern in any decision.
What will FCPS
do if an act of war or other emergency situation occurs while students are in
school?
The specific actions taken by FCPS in any emergency situation-both divisionwide
and at individual schools-will depend on the specifics of the situation. Any
action taken would depend on several factors, including the level of threat
and the advice of local, state, and federal agencies. The safety of students
and staff members will be the primary concern in any decision.
What is shelter-in-place?
Shelter-in-place is a short-term solution
to a short-term problem. If an accident or attack that created contaminated
air occurred in the nearby area, everyone would be brought indoors, including
those in trailers. Building personnel would close all windows and doors and
shut down the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC). This
would create a neutral pressure in the building, meaning the contaminated air
would not be drawn into the building.
Shelter-in-place is a short-term measure (measured in minutes or hours, not days) designed to use a facility and its indoor atmosphere to temporarily separate people from a hazardous outdoor environment. The alternative would be to evacuate into a hazardous situation, thereby causing harm to all involved.
No stockpiling of water and food is needed for shelter-in-place. Any event of a magnitude that required such stockpiling would require that we all take our direction from the federal emergency management officials. Parents are concerned that, during a shelter-in-place activity, they couldn't pick up their children and might be separated from them for long periods of time. That will not happen; if the air outside the school is safe for parents to breathe, it is safe for their children to breathe. School system personnel have developed a plan that uses the best possible method for ensuring the safety of students and staff members in this type of crisis. Remember, it is not the school system's intention to keep children from their parents. FCPS personnel are merely endeavoring to keep children safe for parents until the parents can pick them up.
What measures
are being taken for students in trailers?
If an accident or attack that created contaminated air occurred in the nearby
area, everyone would be brought into the school building, including those in
trailers.
What if a child
is exposed to a biological or chemical contaminant?
In the event of an exposure--and the child is showing obvious symptoms of such--staff
members on hand would conduct basic decontamination.
What is basic
decontamination?
In the event that your child shows symptoms of exposure, school staff members
would conduct basic decontamination. The child would be separated from other
children and directed to wash thoroughly with soap and water. If possible, school
personnel would make sure that the child showered and would provide alternative
clothing. The exposed clothing would be put in plastic bags, and the bags would
be sealed.
Removing a contaminated person's clothing effectively removes in excess of 80 percent of contaminants from the person; the alternative would be to do nothing and thereby cause the person to suffer pain and possible serious injury.
Why are you keeping
children from their parents?
FCPS does not intend to keep children from their parents if a crisis occurs
during school hours or school activities. It is the school system's intent to
make sure that children are safe inside their schools until such a time that
the threat has been reduced. Parents will be informed of the parent-student
reunification center location via the school system emergency
messaging system and local media.
What is a parent
reunification site?
If public safety officials require that a school building be evacuated,
students and staff members will be safely transported by bus to a designated
parent-student reunification center. Parents will be informed of the reunification
location via the school system emergency messaging
system and local media. At the reunification center, students will be released
to their parents upon presentation of proper identification.
Why can't I
be given the evacuation and parent reunification locations ahead of time?
FCPS does not release this type of specific information, pursuant to the
Virginia Freedom of Information Act. This law provides specific exclusions to
the type of information that can be released (2.2-3705). Also, during emergency
situations, circumstances could arise that might force changes to previously
designated locations. Parents will be informed of parent-student reunification
center locations via the local media and through school resources.
Are schools
stockpiling food and water?
The school system is taking action to make sure that schools and offices have
the appropriate resources available for a short-term event. In the event of
a large-scale catastrophic event, FCPS would rely on federal and state authorities
for assistance.
The U.S. secretary of homeland security and the secretary of education have hailed the FCPS critical response plan as one of the best school plans in the country. This plan is being used as a model by school divisions nationwide. There has been no request by state, local, or federal crisis experts that we stockpile food or water.
The FCPS shelter-in-place plan is to be used only in the event of a chemical, biohazard, or radiological event. In any one of these situations--which are usually localized (i.e., do not cover a wide area)--persons typically need to remain indoors only a few hours before the hazard literally blows away. After the danger has passed, children and staff members will be free to go to their homes.
There may be other events that would cause people to be housed for longer periods of time in public buildings such as schools--a bomb attack, for instance, which has destroyed homes. In such an event, other community agencies, including the Red Cross, would be responsible for providing food and water. This response would be a shelter, not a shelter-in-place.
In all critical events of this magnitude,
the school division becomes part of a larger emergency response team. The county
manager and the county crisis response team lead this larger team, whose members
have been meeting for over a year and planning the various parts of the response.
FCPS has been charged with providing transportation and shelter for the community.
Other groups are charged with providing food and water.
Why aren't the
schools storing three days of water and food for each child as is being recommended
for homes?
Most of the envisioned emergency situations would be localized short-term
events and would not call for long-term supplies. It is unreasonable to expect
our facilities to stockpile three days worth of food and water inside each facility
for each person. Likewise, shopping malls and other businesses are not expected
to perform this type of long-term shelter.
What if my child
is riding a school bus at the time of a crisis?
School bus drivers will be in contact with the Office of Transportation
for instructions in the event that a crisis occurs while students are in transport.
Bus drivers will be informed to use common sense and not travel toward the crisis
location. Parents will be informed of the parent-student reunification center
location via the school system emergency messaging
system and local media.
Can I pick
up my child?
Parents are allowed to pick up their children unless public safety officials
have declared a shelter-in-place response, or there is some other reason why
access to the facility is restricted. During any emergency, school personnel
will maintain as safe and normal environment for children within the school
as is possible. School is not automatically canceled in emergency situations.
Remember, school may be the safest place for children to be.
Who can pick
up my children?
Children will not be released to individuals who are not authorized on the student's
emergency care card or who do not have written parent authorization.
The emergency care form is completed by parents and guardians at the start of each school year. Parents and guardians are encouraged to update the emergency care card (PDF document) as needed throughout the school year.
Friends and neighbors may sign a child or children out with written permission from a parent or parents. Both (or all) parents have to give permission in writing for the sign out and pickup. Schools prefer to have written permission on the day that a child's pickup will change, but schools will also keep written permission on file. School offices will keep the permission notes--usually they will attach them to the emergency care card(s) of those involved. Schools will also ask for identification when the child is released to the one(s) mentioned in the permission note. It is advisable to communicate with the teacher as well, perhaps with a copy of the signed written note.
What about my
child's medication?
If your child takes medication regularly, You, the parent, should make sure
that the school has an appropriate amount of additional medication on hand.
Talk with your child's school nurse for more information.
Are students allowed
to have cell phones at school?
High school students are allowed to have cell phones at school. Students are
not allowed to have them turned on during the school day. In the event of an emergency,
students will be allowed to use their phones to communicate with parents when
specified by the principal. It is important to recognize that in an emergency
situation, however, cell phone circuits may become overloaded, interfering with
public safety's ability to communicate. Student's use of cell phones during an
emergency will be appropriately limited. More information on cell phone use in
schools is found in Reg. 26014
(PDF document).
Can I contact my child?
Parents are asked not to call the school in emergency situations so phone lines
can remain accessible for handling the specific situation. Parents will be kept
informed via the FCPS emergency messaging system.
What will schools do if there's a smallpox
outbreak?
FCPS is working with the county government and the health department on
the communitywide response for mass vaccination. Complete details are found
under Bioterrorism and Smallpox on this web
site.
How will my children know what to do in the event of a
terrorist attack?
Inform your children that, if a crisis occurs while they are in school,
their teacher will provide them with appropriate instructions. More information
is available at the terrorism response resource
page at this site.
Parents are also encouraged to prepare a family disaster plan and practice it so that everyone will remember what to do if a disaster does occur. Everyone in the household, including children, should play a part in the family's response and recovery efforts. Teach your children how to recognize danger signals. Make sure your children know what smoke detectors, fire alarms, and local community warning systems (horns, sirens) sound like.
Will children be allowed to view events via live television
or radio reports?
In the event of a terrorist attack or other crisis, teachers will be informed
as to the appropriate actions to take. Receiving live media coverage in the
classroom about an attack or crisis will be left up to the teacher's discretion.
Appropriate measures will be taken depending on the age of the students.
How are field trips handled?
The impact of any critical situation on field
trips--both divisionwide and at individual schools--will depend on the specifics
of the situation. If the situation warrants, all field trips will be canceled.
Cancellations could also include travel to academies, community programs, and
other events. There may be circumstances that could require the cancellation
of field trips to certain areas. All school buses are equipped with radio communications
with the transportation office. If a field trip is under way and must be recalled,
buses would be directed to return to the school or a designated safe area. Any
such decision will be announced using the FCPS emergency
messaging system. Parents are reminded that FCPS retains the right to cancel
any field trip for safety reasons and is not responsible for any financial obligations
parents may have.
Return
to Emergency Preparedness Home
Last
update:
September 24, 2007
Curator: Rose Kaspersen,
Rose.Kaspersen@fcps.edu
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