The Parent Connection
Emergency Preparedness & Support Frequently Asked Questions
- What is emergency preparedness?
- How will my child's
school handle an emergency situation?
- How can I see the security
plan for my child's school?
- What is lockdown?
- In the event of a terrorist
attack or other emergency situation, will Aquinas School go into
lockdown?
- What will Aquinas School do
if an act of war or other emergency situation occurs while students
are in school?
- What is Shelter-in-Place?
- What if a child is exposed
to a biological or chemical contaminant?
- What is basic decontamination?
- Why are you keeping children
from their parents?
- Are schools stockpiling food
and water?
- Why aren't the schools storing
three days of water and food for each child as is being recommended
for homes?
- Can I pick up my child?
- What about my child's medication?
- Are students allowed to have
cell phones at school?
- Can I contact my child?
- How will my children know
what to do in the event of a terrorist attack?
- How will Aquinas School help
my child in the event of an incident?
- Will children be allowed to
view events via live television or radio reports?
- How are field trips handled?
What is emergency preparedness?
Aquinas School has taken steps to ensure your child's safety while
in school. In consultation with the Office of Catholic Schools,
Prince William County, police and fire departments, our school has
developed a crisis response plan. Emergency preparedness is basically
preparing the steps you will take in the event of an emergency,
such as contact information, communications, and evacuation plans.
Drills will occur unannounced throughout the year to ensure the
plan's effectiveness.
How will my child's school handle an
emergency situation?
The flexibility of the Aquinas School plan is key to the success
of the response. In general, our plan involves the designation of
a crisis management team; development of evacuation, Shelter-in-Place,
and lockdown procedures; preparation of a portable critical response
kit that contains key information and supplies; provisions for training
personnel and updating the plan; checklists for dealing with specific
types of incidents; and resources for help before, during and after
an event. Aquinas School plans have been reviewed within the last
twelve months, and our school crisis team has received training.
How can I see the security
plan for my child's school?
Aquinas School does not release this type of specific information,
pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. This law provides
specific exclusions to the type of information that can be released
(2.2-3705). Security is essential to the effectiveness of our plan.
What is lockdown?
An emergency may prevent the safe evacuation of a school building
and require steps to isolate students and faculty from danger by
instituting a school lockdown. In an interior lockdown situation,
all students are kept in classrooms or other designated locations
that are away from the danger. Faculty members are responsible for
accounting for students and ensuring that no one leaves the safe
area. School personnel will also secure building entrances, ensuring
that no unauthorized individuals leave or enter the building. Parents
may be permitted access to the building and to pickup their children
if it is safe for them to do so depending on the specifics of a
lockdown.
In the event of a terrorist
attack or other emergency situation, will Aquinas School go into
lockdown?
The specific actions taken by Aquinas School in any emergency situation
will depend on the specifics of the situation. Any action taken
would depend on several factors, including the level of threat and
the advice of Office of Catholic Schools, local, state, and federal
agencies. The safety of students and staff members will be the primary
concern in any decision. Prudence will be exercised in making the
decision.
What will Aquinas School
do if an act of war or other emergency situation occurs while students
are in school?
The specific actions taken by Aquinas School in any emergency
situation will depend on the specifics of the situation. Any action
taken would depend on several factors, including the level of threat
and the advice of Office of Catholic Schools, local, state, and
federal agencies. The safety of students and staff members will
be the primary concern in any decision. Prudence will be exercised
in making the decision.
What is Shelter-in-Place?
Shelter-in-Place is a short-term solution to a short-term
problem. If an accident or attack that created contaminated air
occurred in the nearby area, everyone would be brought indoors.
Building personnel would close all windows and doors and shut down
the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC). This
would create a neutral pressure in the building, meaning the contaminated
air would not be drawn into the building. Shelter-in-Place
is a short-term measure (measured in minutes or hours, not days)
designed to use a facility and its indoor atmosphere to temporarily
separate people from a hazardous outdoor environment. The alternative
would be to evacuate into a hazardous situation, thereby causing
harm to all involved. No stockpiling of water and food is needed
for Shelter-in-Place. Any event of a magnitude that
required such stockpiling would require that we all take our direction
from the federal emergency management officials. Parents may be
concerned that, during a Shelter-in-Place activity,
they couldn't pick up their children and might be separated from
them for long periods of time. That will happen if the air outside
the school is not safe for parents to breathe, then it is not safe
for their children to breathe. Aquinas School has developed a plan
that uses the best possible method for ensuring the safety of students
and staff members in this type of crisis. Remember, it is not the
school's intention to keep children from their parents. Aquinas
School personnel are merely endeavoring to keep children safe until
parents can pick them up.
What if a child is exposed
to a biological or chemical contaminant?
In the event of an exposure staff members on hand would conduct
basic decontamination.
What is basic decontamination?
In the event that your child shows symptoms of exposure, school
staff members would conduct basic decontamination. The child would
be separated from other children and directed to wash thoroughly
with water. If possible, school personnel would make sure that the
child was showered and would provide alternative clothing. The exposed
clothing would be put in plastic bags, and the bags would be sealed.
Every effort would be made to use privacy during the decontamination
process. Removing a contaminated person's clothing effectively removes
in excess of 80 percent of contaminants from the person; the alternative
would be to do nothing and thereby cause the person to suffer pain
and possible serious injury.
Why are you keeping children
from their parents?
Aquinas School does not intend to keep children from their
parents if a crisis occurs during school hours or school activities.
It is the school's intent to make sure that children are safe inside
their schools until such a time that the threat has been reduced.
Parents will be informed when they can pick up their children via
the school phone tree system, web site and local media.
Are schools stockpiling
food and water?
Our school has taken action to make sure that we have the appropriate
resources available for a short-term event.
Why aren't the schools
storing three days of water and food for each child as is being
recommended for homes?
Most of the envisioned emergency situations would be localized
short-term events and would not call for long-term supplies. It
is unreasonable to expect our school to stockpile three days worth
of food and water inside the school for each person.
Can I pick up my child?
Parents are allowed to pick up their children unless Office of Catholic
Schools or public safety officials have declared a Shelter-in-Place
response, or there is some other reason why access to the facility
is restricted. During any emergency, school personnel will maintain
as safe and normal environment for children within the school as
is possible. School is not automatically canceled in emergency situations.
Remember, school may be the safest place for children to be.
What about my child's medication?
If your child takes medication regularly, You, the parent, should
make sure that the school has an appropriate amount of additional
medication on hand. Talk with our school nurse for more information.
Can I
contact my child?
Parents are asked not to call the school in emergency situations
so phone lines can remain accessible for handling the specific situation.
Parents will be kept informed via the Aquinas School phone tree
and the Aquinas School Web
site. Cell phones cannot be carried or used by the students.
How will my children know
what to do in the event of a terrorist attack?
Inform your children that, if a crisis occurs while they are
in school, their teacher will provide them with appropriate instructions.
Parents are also encouraged to prepare a family disaster plan and
practice it so that everyone will remember what to do if a disaster
does occur. Everyone in the household, including children, should
play a part in the family's response and recovery efforts. Teach
your children how to recognize danger signals. Make sure your children
know what smoke detectors, fire alarms, and local community warning
systems (horns, sirens) sound like.
How will Aquinas School
help my child in the event of an incident?
The number one priority of the Aquinas School administration,
faculty, and staff is to maintain calm, routine, and order in the
event of a lockdown or Shelter-in-Place. A special
school-wide prayer service has been designed for use during Shelter-in
Place. This prayer service includes the Rosary for Peace,
songs, Scripture selections, reflections, general intercessions,
and time for quiet. This beautiful service will help the children
focus on God's abiding love for them. Teachers will also provide
other absorbing activities for their students. Following the September
11, 2001 terrorist attack and the fall 2002 sniper situation, we
understood in a deeper way, that remarkably crisis situations help
build resiliency in children. The resiliency learned during traumatic
situations can benefit our children during future life challenges,
both large and small. In this spirit, the Aquinas School teachers
will surround their students with security, love, support, and comfort.
Will children be allowed
to view events via live television or radio reports?
In the event of a terrorist attack or other crisis, teachers
will be informed as to the appropriate actions to take. Appropriate
measures will be taken depending on the age of the students. Receiving
live media coverage in the classroom about an attack or crisis will
not be available to our students.
How are
field trips handled?
The impact of any critical situation on field trips will depend
on the specifics of the situation. If the situation warrants, all
field trips will be canceled. Cancellations could also include travel
to athletic events, community programs, and other events. There
may be circumstances that could require the cancellation of field
trips to certain areas. If a field trip is under way and must be
recalled, buses would be directed to return to the school or a designated
safe area. Parents are reminded that Aquinas School retains the
right to cancel any field trip for safety reasons and is not responsible
for any financial obligations parents may have.
Aquinas School gratefully acknowledges the
Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Community Relations for
allowing us to utilize information from their Emergency Preparedness
web site.
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