Emergency and Safety Information

How parents can be most helpful in an emergency situation: 

If a potentially threatening situation or an emergency occurs on a school campus, for the safety of your students, we request parents to PLEASE:  

• Remain as calm as possible.
• Do not attempt to go to school. Access routes and streets need to be clear for emergency vehicles. Traffic congestion will make the response difficult for first responders. Parents or community members who try to make it to the school put everyone at greater risk, including themselves and their students.
• Remain at home or at work to make it easier for officials to contact you should this be necessary. If schools need to evacuate students off-site, you will be given information through the district communication channels as to where and when to pick up your student.
• Do not call students on their cell phones. In some situations, students must maintain silence so as not to alert an intruder. A ringing cell phone places children at risk. For this reason, students are asked to silence cell phones until staff determines it is safe to do so. To every extent possible, school personnel will work with students regarding the use of their cell phones during an emergency to keep you informed and to reduce anxiety. In addition, if numerous people are using cell phones at one location, it could jam the cell phone tower, which would prevent emergency and school officials from using their emergency communication devices. This could seriously hinder their efforts to assist students.
• Do not contact your student’s school. Lines need to remain open to deal with the emergency. If the system becomes overloaded, it again will hinder efforts to help students and to provide information to the community.
• Stay tuned to local media for ongoing information and emergency instructions.  Check for updates at www.slusd.us or the district’s social media channels. 
• Show patience. Know that school officials and first responders are doing everything possible to help your students through chaotic situations. Our first priority will be the safety of the students and staff. Other considerations will take a back seat to student and staff safety. 

Remember, in an emergency, school officials will need your assistance. By following the above guidelines, you will be doing your part by not making a potentially bad situation even worse.