Emergency Preparedness

School Safety Plan

The safety of students is our primary objective; our School Safety Plan defines our site-specific responses to emergencies using the Big Five Safety Protocol. This plan was developed with input from School Site Council, staff, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and Redwood City Police and Fire Departments. It is updated annually to reflect changes in policy, student needs, etc. Sandpiper School has plans for responding to emergency situations such as earthquakes, chemical spills, power failures, fires, civil disturbances, and any other event that interrupts regular school activity. Every month children participate in Safety Drills. These are designed to help assure that students will follow school emergency protocols in the event of an emergency. 

Parent / Child Reunification Plan

Keep emergency contact information current.

It is essential that parents and guardians regularly check and update their contact information on your child’s emergency card, in our student information system (AERIES), and in the PTA school directory. This includes your home and cell numbers, as well as adults whom you have designated to be your child's guardian in case of emergency . Your child will NOT be released to anyone who is not listed as an emergency contact. It is imperative that your child's Emergency Information be kept current and accurate. Please contact the school if there are any changes. You may update your information at any time by emailing Carmen Rogers at crogers@brssd.org or by calling 650.631.5510. 

In the event of an emergency where your child would need to be released from school to an adult, we have developed protocols to ensure safe reunification.

Communication will come from the District Office by phone and email. Please follow these steps:

• Follow instructions from the email and/or phone message, indicating when and where to pick up your child. This may be at an off-site location, or on our school campus. You will also be instructed on where to park if certain roadways are closed off.

• Do not call the school. We must have the lines open for emergency calls. Also, we may not be in the office if we are required to evacuate the building.   

• Do NOT park directly in front of the school. We must have the driveway and parking areas clear for emergency vehicles.    

• When you arrive at the pick-up location, please remain calm and look for signs or instructions on where to stand. There may be a table with last name indicators or a school employee may be giving you further instructions.

• Have your identification ready! This can be an ID card or driver’s license. You will be asked to provide this to the district employee verifying the identity of adults on scene.

• Only those adults listed on the emergency contacts will be able to pick up children. Arrange with other parents at school to add emergency contacts to your list.

• Every adult who picks up a child will be asked to print and sign their name indicating the release has taken place.

• Once you’ve been reunited with your child, please leave the area immediately so school personnel can continue reuniting other families.

• Look for further messaging about next day procedures for school.

Safety at Home

No one can ever be totally prepared for a natural disaster, but knowing what to do before, during and after can make a crucial difference. Critical steps to take include creating an emergency plan for your family, conducting emergency drills, being aware of the location of emergency exits and fire extinguishers in your home, and maintaining an emergency preparedness kit to sustain your family for up to a week.

Two of the most common natural disasters in California are earthquakes and fires. Below are some tips to help your family prepare a disaster plan, so that you can prepare for these events as much as possible.

Create a disaster plan

Here are some steps you should take when creating your family’s disaster plan.

• Draft your family’s emergency plan with this PDF template.

• First, meet with your family to discuss what you need to prepare for earthquakes and fires; explain the dangers of earthquakes and fires to your children, and plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.

• Locate two “safe spots” inside each room per type of disaster.

• Pick two places to meet. One should be outside of your home in case of fire; the other should be outside of your neighborhood, in case you can’t return home. Every family member should know the address and phone numbers of your meeting places.

• Designate an out-of-state friend to be a “family contact”. After a disaster, long distance phone service is usually restored before local service, so family members should call the “family contact” to check in with their location.

• Talk with your family about what to do in an evacuation. Locate two exit routes out of each room; practice evaluating, and plan on how to take care of your pets.

• Show each family member how to shut off the gas, water, and electricity valves in your house—keep tools near the gas and water shutoff valves. Remember: only turn your utilities off if you suspect lines have been damaged or you have been instructed to by your utility company.

• Install fire extinguishers (approved for use in both regular and electrical fires) in your home and teach every family how to use them.

• Inspect your home for potential hazards; secure items that may break, fall, or obstruct an exit during an emergency.

• Print and fill out an emergency plan and have everyone in the family read and understand it.