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For Families » For Families » Emergency Procedures

Emergency Procedures

 

While thinking about emergencies on campus can be scary, it’s both important and empowering to be prepared.

Arroyo uses protocols developed by the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities in San Mateo County, called “The Big Five.” Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Big Five Protocols:

Immediate Action Response: The Big FIve

If you want to dig a little deeper, take a look at the Big Five Community Packet.  

Our emergency plan includes communication with the district and parents. Teachers are assigned to various emergency response roles, including student assembly leaders who stay and supervise students in grade level teams when other teachers are “deployed” to their duty. Our plan also includes entrance security, with staff at each of our entrance and exit areas directing emergency response vehicles and personnel as well as parents, and it includes a student release protocol. Students will be released individually to parents or authorized guardians and adults at the student release station which parents will be informed of upon entering campus. Parents will be directed to park off site allowing for emergency vehicles to have priority. It is critical that parents follow our student release protocol so we can make sure all students are safe and accounted for.

  1. No one will be allowed to drive on to campus, please park in the surrounding neighborhoods and walk to the school entrance. Parents may pick up students from both Central and Arroyo on either side of campus.  Please follow posted signs and/or staff/volunteer directions showing which table to go to.
  2. Ensure you have an ID with you or other identifying information 
  3. Please do not text or call your child to come to the front during this time. We need to account for all students and ensure our process is followed 
  4. Students will be released to emergency contacts only

In the event of a true emergency, the best thing you can do as a parent is to stay away from the school (and refrain from calling both the school and your child) until you are notified to come pick up your student. We understand that this is extremely difficult but it’s important for us to focus on students in an emergency. While keeping parents calm and informed is critical, student safety will be our highest priority and it’s best if we can avoid anything that distracts from that.  

None of us want to be involved in a real emergency, but practicing and being prepared will be key in keeping our kids and staff safe and reuniting with parents if the state of our buildings aren’t usable. Please be assured, safety of our students is a top priority.

We encourage parents to review these safety conversations with their own families. Have a family plan in the event of an emergency, helping your children know the plan and know how to call 911.