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For Parents » Emergency/Disaster Preparedness

Emergency/Disaster Preparedness

White Oaks has emergency/safety plans to ensure the safety of the students and adults. White Oaks has a well-stocked emergency shed, including water, food, and medical supplies. Additionally, the campus is connected by emergency radio with the SCSD district office and the other school campuses for coordination purposes. White Oaks staff coordinates regular emergency drills so that all students and adults are trained to respond to an emergency. Each classroom is outfitted with an emergency backpack that accompanies the class on field trips and out to the yard during drills. We follow the Big 5 County Emergency Response Protocol.

 

We are utilizing 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 by reading over the attached Big Five One-Pager. If you want to dig a little deeper, take a look at the Big Five Community Packet. We do not practice Secure Campus or Lockdown/Barricade as these types of drills can cause anxiety in children. The Big Five is made engaging and easy to understand through the children's book, Think on Your Feet Pete. This book acts as a great entry point to the Big Five in classroom settings and encourages situational awareness and "thinking on your feet." 

 

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 protocols so we can make sure all students are safe and accounted for. 

  1. No one will be allowed to come onto campus, please park in the surrounding neighborhoods and walk to the school entrance.
  2. In the event of evacuation requiring student release, parents and caregivers will pick up at the Fairmont Avenue gate (outside the office). Please follow posted signs and/or staff/volunteer directions showing which table to go to. All other gates in the evacuation area will be locked.
  3. Ensure you have an ID with you or other identifying information.
  4. Please do not text or call your child to come to the front during this time. We need to account for all students to ensure our process is followed. 
  5. Students will be released only to emergency contacts listed as "approved" by parents on the child's emergency contact information. If you need to update your child's emergency contact information, please contact the school office at 650-508-7317 or [email protected].
In the event of a true emergency, the best thing to 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 and pick up your student. Parents will receive a phone call and email from our emergency broadcast system. Parents also may opt-in to receive a text message during the annual Infosnap registration process, or by texting “yes” to 67587. Please do not try to call the school office during an emergency. 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 students and staff safe and reuniting with parents if the state of our buildings aren't unable. Please be assured, the 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.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.