TOPIC 1: How does District 58 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, which includes a test of our emergency notification system on Friday. Here are the messages you can expect this week: Monday: How does District 58 prepare for school emergencies? Tuesday: How can families prepare for school emergencies? Wednesday: How does District 58 communicate emergency information? Thursday: How does District 58 respond to emergencies? Friday: Emergency test email, robocall and text, which will begin with "This is a test." Today, we will explore: How does District 58 prepare for school emergencies?

District 58 staff and Downers Grove emergency responders meet annually to review District 58’s emergency management procedures. Updates are recommended based on national emergency response best practices and the unique safety needs of District 58.

Any emergency procedure updates are communicated to administrators and principals, who review the plan with their teachers and staff at the start of the school year, and as needed throughout the year. A primary safety component of the emergency plan requires that plan details only be available to employees and emergency responders.

Teachers keep copies of a summarized emergency classroom action guide, which they can quickly reference during actual emergency situations. These guides are also available to, and reviewed with, substitutes.

District 58 schools practice a variety of safety drills throughout the year to ensure everyone is prepared if an emergency occurs. The safety drills include: fire drills, tornado/severe weather drills, bus evacuation drills and active threat drills. Drills are designed to educate and prepare students. Schools take precautions to avoid scaring students during drills.

Building principals will notify parents when a safety drill occurs, either by email or newsletter.

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