Emergency Closing Procedures

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Dear Parents/Guardians:

Please take a few moments to read the following very important emergency planning information that we distribute every year at this time.

Should an emergency or disaster condition ever arise in our area while school is in session, we want you to be assured that the schools have made preparations to respond effectively to such situations. In fact, public schools in New Jersey are built to meet stringent construction standards and they may even be safer than many private homes in the event of a natural disaster.

Should we have a major disaster during school hours, your child will be safe and cared for at his/her school. The Warren Schools have a detailed emergency management plan which has been formulated to respond to a major catastrophe.

Your cooperation is necessary in any emergency, for both the safety of staff and students, and the expedient reunification with your child. To that end, you are asked to please do the following:

  1. Try not to call the school. Telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication.
  2. Do not go to the school, or evacuation site, until notified to do so.
  3. In the event of a serious emergency, students will be kept at their schools or evacuated to an alternate site. When the time comes to pick up students, only you or a responsible adult you have pre-identified will be permitted to pick up your child. The pre-authorization piece is very important, and the school’s emergency database is where we keep the list of people you may authorize for this purpose. Please be sure you consider the following criteria when you authorize another person to pick up your child at school:
    1. He/she is 18 years of age or older
    2. He/she is usually home during the day
    3. He/she is known by your child
    4. He/she is both aware of and able to assume this responsibility
  4. Because local telephone service may be disrupted, be sure to list with your child’s emergency data at least one contact who lives out of the area (and provide a reliable phone number for that person).
  5. Turn your radio and television to those channels that you normally use for information about school closings, delayed openings, etc. Also, you can check the district website (www.warrentboe.org). The district’s “Reverse 911” and email (“Eblast”) systems may be used as well, conditions permitting. If students are to be kept at school, the above media outlets and district communication sources will so report.
  6. Impress upon your child the need for them to follow directions of any school personnel in times of an emergency.

During extreme emergencies, students will be released only at designated locations at the school or evacuation site. It is important that no other pickup point be utilized (e.g., do not go directly to your child’s classroom), as we need to be able to account for every child at all times. Please emphasize with your child the need to remain with school personnel until you arrive or somebody you authorize to pick up your child arrives. We ask for your patience and understanding in such situations as the dismissal process will take more time than normal.

The decision to keep students at school will be based upon whether or not it is safe to transport students in the area. In the event of an emergency that takes place during the time students are being picked up and transported TO SCHOOL, students will be kept on the bus, additional student pickups will cease, and the driver will proceed to the intended school to await further instructions. Please note that any child who has not been picked up remains the responsibility of the parent/guardian (and please remember that an “empty house” can be a concern in such situations when the child returns home). In the event that an emergency occurs in the afternoon when students are on the bus FROM SCHOOL, the driver will make every attempt to continue delivering students to their homes. Should conditions prevent the driver from delivering students to their homes in the afternoon, or to school in the morning, the driver will deliver the students to the nearest school and await further instructions. The receiving school will then attempt to communicate with the home school to inform them of the students’ location.

Please discuss these matters with your immediate family and authorized contacts. Thinking about emergencies such as these is not pleasant, but we take your child’s safety very seriously and we therefore attach a very high priority to being prepared for any and all emergencies. If you have any questions about the school’s emergency plan or procedures, please contact the building principal for further information.

Sincerely,
James A. Crisfield, Ed.D.
Superintendent