Elmira CitySchool District

Family, School, Community:Together We Succeed

School Emergency Information Guide for Parents and Guardians

A school crisis can take a number of forms including an environmental event, such as a chemical spill or gas leak; a weather emergency, such as a tornado warning; or an intruder in or near the school. The nature of a school crisis dictates whether school officials will put in place a shelter-in-place, hold in place, evacuations, lockouts, lockdowns or any combination of two of these protocols as a means to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff.

I Love You Guys Standards for Safety

The "I Love U Guys" Foundation's Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and Standard Reunification Method (SRM) are used to help New York schools and communities respond to emergencies. The SRP is based on five actions that can be taken in any situation. The SRM helps schools and districts plan and practice how to reunite students with their families after an emergency.

In the event of an emergency at your child's school, it is important for you to know and understand these School Emergency Response Protocol terms:

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities During a School Emergency and Reunification After a School Emergency

In a school emergency, the first instinct as a parent is to pick up the telephone and start calling the school or rush to the school and get your child/children. The truth is, this only complicates matters from a safety and security standpoint.

Parents too close to an incident often hinder the rescue attempts of police and fire officials on the scene. The best action parents can take in an emergency is to stay close to their phone and e-mail and to monitor local radio and TV reports for regular updates and instructions. ECSD will be sending updates via website, Schoology, Schooltool, Class Dojo and other media outlets.

In the Case of a School Emergency

Although your first reaction would be to call or rush to your child's school, please follow the tips listed below:

DO rely only on official communication from school or public safety officials.

DO tune into local TV/Radio stations for official school news alerts.

DO listen for official information regarding reunification with your child.

DO NOT call or rush to your child's school. Your presence could interfere with emergency responders.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT YOUR CHILD DURING AN EMERGENCY. Contacting your child may slow down the school’s efforts to get all students to safety if your child is not paying attention to instructions.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOLS FOR INFORMATION DURING AN EMERGENCY. In an emergency, staff members will be busy dealing with the safety of students and will not be able to answer the phones. For information during a crisis, please check the District's sources of communication.

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Reunification Plans

Parents/guardians will be directed by school or public safety officials via TV/Radio, district website, Schoology, SchoolTool, or Class Dojo to their child's specific location. Students will be released ONLY to parents/guardians who are documented as emergency contacts and who present a picture ID such as a driver's license, military ID or passport. The reunification process can be time-consuming so parents are urged to be patient.

How You Can Help

Ensure that your child's emergency contact information is accurate and current. The District uses its website, Schoology, SchoolTool, email, text messaging, local news tv/radio or district media pages to notify parent of inclement weather and emergencies. Become familiar with your school's emergency communication procedures. Each school is committed to providing accurate and timely information in the event of an emergency. 

Emergency Communications

When there is an emergency, depending on the nature of the crisis and the resources available (i.e. phones, Internet), the District may communicate with one or more of the following methods:

In its communications, the District may provide any or all of the following information as it becomes available, depending on the nature of the emergency:

-What happened?
-Where and when did it happen?
-Who is in charge?
-Who was involved? Only general information will be provided. No specific names will be provided if a law enforcement investigation is involved and due to privacy reasons for students and staff members.
-How is the District responding?
-Has the situation been contained?
-Are students and staff safe? Is everyone accounted for?
-Are victims being treated and where?
-Information on dismissal, transportation, sheltering, and where and when parents may pick up students.
-Where to go for more information as it becomes available.

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Need to Update Your Contact Information?

Ensure that your child's emergency contact information is accurate and current with the District.>>Click here to complete the digital change of information form.