TOPIC 2: How can families prepare for school emergencies?

September is National Preparedness Month. District 58’s top priority is the safety of our students, staff and visitors. In honor of Preparedness Month, District 58 will share important safety information with families and staff in a five-part District 58 Emergency Preparedness communication series this week. Today, we will explore: How can families prepare for school emergencies?

HOW TO PREPARE:

Keep your child’s information up-to-date. This ensures that the District can contact you during an emergency. This also lets your school know who has permission to pick up your child. If you need to update your contact information, please call your school office.

Opt in to receive text messages. The District will sometimes use text messaging in addition to email and phone calls when communicating emergency information. To receive text messages, text YES to 68453. You can always opt out by texting STOP to 68453.

Follow the rules. Exterior school doors are locked during the school day. Visitors must ring the doorbell and be visually and verbally identified via the entry camera before gaining school entry. Visitors are asked to verify their name and purpose for visiting the school. Once approved and buzzed in, guests must sign in at the front desk and pick up a visitor’s badge before continuing to their destination. Please note: our schools are limiting visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for your cooperation!

Talk to your child. Use age-appropriate language to describe the importance of safety drills in preparing for the unlikely event of an emergency. Stress the importance of remaining calm and listening to the teacher or trusted employee in charge during a drill or an actual emergency. Encourage children to be vigilant and report information if they see or hear something suspicious.

Create a family plan. School safety drills complement home safety drills. If you haven’t already, create a family preparedness plan. The Village of Downers Grove offers good resources on family preparedness.

IF AN EMERGENCY TAKES PLACE:

Keep informed. Depending on the crisis, District 58 will send emails, texts and/or robocalls district-wide informing families and staff of updates. If a situation merits early dismissal, please be aware you may need to arrange a pickup for your child.

Avoid calling or driving to school. If there is a crisis, the school may be locked down, and you will not have immediate access to your child. Clogging the phone lines may hinder other important emergency response calls from getting through. In addition, heavy vehicle traffic near school can delay access for emergency vehicles. Please remain vigilant and wait for communication regarding next steps.

Thank you for reading our District 58 emergency preparedness series! Learn more about District 58 preparedness at www.dg58.org/preparedness.