EMERGENCY DRILLS RULES
AND REGULATIONS
Fire drills shall be
scheduled each month by the building administrator. The purpose of a
fire drill is to train students, under staff direction, to move safely,
quickly, and quietly from any location in the building to a designated
area outside. Order shall be stressed rather than speed.
Fire drills shall be
held without warning, except that enough advance notice shall be given
before the first drill of each term to permit teachers to discuss exit
routes with students.
The following rules and regulations shall be
complied with in all schools:
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Rules for fire
evacuation shall be posted in each room. These will include
directions on the exit and alternate exit to use and the outdoor area
to proceed to upon leaving the building from the particular room.
Fire escapes shall be used at all fire drills.
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A distinct fire alarm
shall be used for fire drills only; another signal shall be
established by the building administrator for return to class.
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No person is
to remain in the building during fire drills.
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Evacuation
areas shall be at least 100 feet away from buildings and out of
driveways.
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It is each student's
responsibility to move outside quickly, quietly, and in an orderly
fashion, through the assigned exit and to the assigned evacuation
area. No running or pushing shall be allowed; talking shall not
be permitted as students exit from the room and/or building.
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Teachers shall stand at their exit doors
and see that all students are out safely. They shall be
responsible for:
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seeing that windows are closed;
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assuring that electrical circuits and
gas jets are turned off in the classroom;
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maintaining order during the evacuation;
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assigning students
to hold open any necessary doors and instructing them to rejoin the
class after the last person passes through the doors;
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taking
with them the class record book, checking attendance when the class
is in its evacuation area, and immediately reporting to the building
administrator any student who is unaccounted for; and
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checking
and reporting the time it took the group to evacuate.
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The building
administrator shall report all fire drills to the Superintendent or
designee, using a special form provided by the district central
administrative office.
EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN RULES AND REGULATIONS
During a crisis in or around any Benton Harbor Area School, it may
become necessary to secure or “lockdown” the building. The purpose of
the lockdown of a building is to ensure the safety of students and
school employees by avoiding direct contact/confrontation with an
individual(s) or situations that might present a danger. ( Note – these
procedures will also be used for non-emergency lockdowns associated with
drug searches of the building).
The following steps
should be taken to lockdown any Benton Harbor Area School:
The building
administrator (or their designee) will use the PA System to announce a
lockdown of the building. At the same time, they will designate someone
from the office to make contact with those classrooms and areas that
cannot hear the announcement. The following areas/rooms must received
direct notification of a lockdown.
Under NO circumstances
will any type of coded message be used to relay this information. In
the event that the primary communication method is disabled or otherwise
unavailable, the building administrator ( or their designee) will ensure
that every faculty/staff member is advised of the lockdown.
The building
administrator (or their designee) must also make a decision as to
whether available staff members are needed to assist with the situation
or if the nature of the emergency dictates that they “secure”
themselves in the building, this should be made a part of the original
announcement of the lockdown.
Once the lockdown is
announced, the following are school personnel responsibilities:
PRINCIPAL/DEAN
The building administrator ( or their designee) must initially make
the decision, based on the circumstances of the incident, to lockdown
the school.
The building
administrator (or their designee) must also make the decision, based on
the circumstances of the incident, to either call all available
personnel to the main office to assist or to have them secure themselves
within the building.
The building
administrator (or their designee) is responsible for ensuring that the
Superintendent’s office is notified of the lockdown.
The building
administrator (or their designee) is responsible for evaluating the
situation/incident that necessitated the lockdown and requesting
additional assistance (i.e. school personnel, security, police, fire
department, etc.) as needed.
The Coordinator of
Public Service (or their designee) is responsible for establishing and
maintaining contact with emergency personnel and responders through the
use of cellular telephone and ensuring emergency workers are kept
updated on the school’s status during the lockdown of the school
facility.
The building
administrator (or their designee) will ensure that communications with
classrooms are established through the use of PA Systems, or any other
means, and will be monitored at all time by the building administrator.
ASSISTANT
PRINCIPALS/ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
The assistant principals, administrative staff, and other crisis team
members present will assist the building administrator ( or their
designee) as directed based on the incident.
TEACHERS/ASSISTANTS/COUNSELORS (WITH STUDENTS PRESENT)
Teachers will lock
their classroom doors and ensure that all their students are accounted
for. All students will be moved away from the doors and any windows
for their safety.
Teachers will notify the main office of any students are not accounted
for via intercom. Classrooms with substitute teachers will be contacted
directly, if possible, to check student roll. If for any reason
communications are not available, or a classroom fails to acknowledge
the office request for accountability, each classroom will be contacted
directly, if possible, based on the nature of the incident. Under NO
circumstances will a student be sent out of the classroom to contact the
main office (or any other reason).
Teachers that are
outside of their classroom but still on campus with students will go to
the nearest room that can be secured or to one of the evacuation sites
designated in the evacuation plan, based on the circumstances of the
situation. This is not intended to prohibit the teacher and students
from returning to their own classroom if it is immediately and safely
accessible. The decision as to where to report will have to be made by
the teacher dependant upon the circumstances of the situation.
Teachers that are
outside of the building and off campus with students will report to one
of the evacuation sites designated in the evacuation plan or other
site(s) as deemed appropriate by emergency personnel or school
administrators, upon return to the campus. Any class that may be
outside the building should have access to a school radio or other means
of communication for direct contact with the main office during a crisis
or emergency.
TEACHERS/ASSISTANTS/COUNSELORS (NOT WITH STUDENTS PRESENT)
Teachers not responsible for students at the time the lockdown is
announced are to report directly to the main office for assignment by
the building administrator (or their designee) if so requested during
the initial lockdown announcement. If not requested for assistance,
teachers are to secure themselves in a classroom or office in their
immediate area at the time of the announcement.
CUSTODIANS
Custodians are to report directly to the main office for assignment by
the building administrator (or their designee) if so requested during
the initial lockdown announcement. If not requested for assistance,
custodians are to secure themselves in a classroom or office in their
immediate area at the time of the announcement.
Security and
Custodians will ensure all common area doors and windows are closed and
locked, if possible; and report this status directly to the school
office upon completion.
OTHER SCHOOL
PERSONNEL
(Secretaries, Volunteer, etc.)
All other school personnel present in the building but not with students
at the time the
lockdown is announced are to report directly to the main office for
assignment by the building administrator ( or their designee) if so
requested during the initial lockdown announcement. If not requested
for assistance, these personnel are to secure themselves in a classroom
or office in their immediate area at the time of the announcement.
The building
administrator (or their designee) will announce the conclusion of the
lockdown over the PA Systems. No school employees, students, or other
persons present in the building during the lockdown are to leave their
secured location until the building administrator (or their designee)
has advised that the lockdown is concluded. This is not intended to
prohibit the employees, students, and other persons from leaving the
secured location prior to the announcement of conclusion of the lockdown
if so warranted due to extenuating circumstances of the situation where
the safety and security of the personnel would be jeopardized further by
not relocating. The building administrator (or their designee) will be
notified immediately, or as soon as possible, if personnel have to leave
a secured area for any reason during a lockdown.
At the conclusion of
the lockdown, the building administrator (or their designee) will
announce that the lockdown is lifted and all personnel are to resume
their normal schedules and activities. Any changes in schedule or other
information will also be provided as a part of this announcement.
