Portola Valley School District

SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN AND PARENT EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Emergencies will happen. Some might affect our schools and students. The following information will help guide families during a crisis that could involve our students. Please keep it handy for future reference.

Quick Access:

When an emergency happens during school hours:

• PLEASE REMAIN CALM! Every staff member at every campus regularly trains in emergency procedures in numerous scenarios. They will do everything possible to keep your child safe.

• PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL. The phone lines need to be kept open for emergency calls.

• PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE SCHOOL. Parents could impede the ability of emergency vehicles to get to the school. Please remain at home or at work until you are given instructions from the school.

• DO NOT IMMEDIATELY DRIVE TO THE SCHOOL. Parents could impede the ability of emergency vehicles to get to the school. Please remain at home or at work until you are given instructions from the school.

• REMEMBER THAT YOUR CHILD WILL ONLY BE RELEASED TO THE ADULTS YOU LISTED ON YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST! It’s important to update this information through PowerSchool each year. Whoever comes to the school to remove your child will be asked for identification and will have to sign your child out. Never take your child from the school without signing out with the staff member in charge!

• EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS:

• The Portola Valley School District website will post emergency information on the homepage for all of the schools.

• Information will be sent to parents via the ParentSquare Alert System via text, email, and/or voice (dependent upon parents’ preferences). Please ensure that your contact information in ParentSquare and PowerSchool is up to date at all times.

• The Town of Portola Valley has a radio station that broadcasts on 1680 AM and is intended to provide information to motorists and residents. The radio station can be heard throughout the community and broadcasts information related to road closures, public service announcements, community events and emergency information. All information has been pre-recorded, and also can be accessed via the QR code:

• The Town of Portola Valley is served by the Woodside Fire Protection District.

• Current Fire Incidents
• PG&E Power Outages
• Road Alerts & Maps

• The Town of Portola Valley is served by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office

EMERGENCY CELL PHONE AND MEDICATION POLICIES:

Emergency cell phone policy:

We know that some students are equipped with cell phones. During an emergency, parents/guardians and students will naturally try to contact each other by phone. Teachers and site administrators will require everyone to turn off their cell phones. The school/district will contact parents once the emergency is over or individually if their child appears to need extra support. If your child texts you during an emergency, please be reassuring and ask your child to turn off their phone and pay attention to their teachers/principal. Also, please be aware that during many types of at-large emergencies, officials often shut down phone systems to allow for the better flow of emergency communications.

Medication policy:

If your child takes regular medication, make sure the medication, dosage, and child’s medical information is updated during the annual Student Information Update through PowerSchool. Also, provide regular supplies of your child’s medication to the school’s office to ensure your child’s medication continues to be dispensed during a disaster/emergency. If no medication is on file with the District, NO medication will be dispensed, as per BP and AR 5141.21.

WHAT WE DO TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES:

PVSD follows SMCOE’s Big Five common emergency plan which has been adopted by all San Mateo County school districts and law enforcement agencies. This emergency plan was created by San Mateo County's Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities, and provides five immediate action responses in any given emergency.

The Big Five has become the cornerstone of emergency response for San Mateo County’s schools. Our District staff has been trained extensively on the Big Five safety protocols. To minimize detrimental mental health impacts on students and staff, PVSD leaders use trauma-informed approaches when practicing and implementing the Big Five protocols with our students.

Planning/Practice:

• Each school site has an emergency plan in place.
• Regular emergency drills are held in each school throughout the school year:

• Parents and families are encouraged to review the Big 5 Community Packet
• Plans and procedures are updated regularly to incorporate current emergency management issues and topics.

Training:

• All district personnel receive annual training in emergency response and emergency management procedures (SMCOE’s Big 5 Emergency Procedures).
• Key personnel at the district and at each school site receive specific training on their Incident Command System (ICS) role during an emergency.  
• Support staff is trained in crisis intervention to respond to students’ psychological needs.
• Staff maintains current First Aid and CPR certifications (Districtwide training was held August 2022).
• We collaborate with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and Woodside Fire Patrol on all training and emergency response protocols.

Supplies:

• Each school site has Search and Rescue equipment.
• Each school site has a storage container(s) where all emergency supplies are secured. These supplies are inventoried and re-supplied each year.
• School offices have emergency response plans, guidelines, and reference guides to assist staff in every type of emergency.

Emergency Communications:

• The district has an emergency communications system designed to allow schools to report status during an emergency via computer, radio, phone and the district’s internal phone system.
• Schools have hand-held radios for on-campus communications.
• Campus staff use a district-wide radio system to connect school sites to the district office
• An automated telephone communication system exists at each district site to facilitate communications and disseminate information.

We can work together to keep your child safe: If there is an emergency, here are some scenarios that your child needs to be prepared for. Please review these with your child at the start of each school year.

• Walking to school: Your child should continue walking to school.
• Walking home: Your child should continue walking home.
• In the neighborhood: Your child should return home or go to a pre-designated alternate home.
• On a school bus on the way to a field trip: The driver will return to the school when it is safe.
• During a field trip: The teacher will find safe shelter at that location until it is safe to return to the school.
• On a school bus returning to school from a field trip: The driver will continue to school when it is safe.

WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS & EMERGENCY EVACUATION

AIR QUALITY RESOURCES

REUNIFICATION AND STUDENT RELEASE

LOCAL RESOURCES FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:

• San Mateo County Alert System - enroll in San Mateo County's Community Alert System (SMC-Alert) to be notified via text message to your email and/or cell phones during urgent or emergency situations.
• Genasys Protect: uses your location on the website and in the app to offer you the most relevant information in an emergency situation (replaces ZoneHaven). Download the app on your iphone NOW!
• Rapid Notify Alert System - "Reverse 911" alert to your landline using white page phone numbers. Self-register to receive alerts to your unlisted landline, cell phone, e-mail, SMS, and/or pager.
• PV Forum - in an emergency, the Town will issue messages via its official communications channels (eNotifications, Town's Social Media channels).
• Portola Valley AM Radio - an AM broadcast radio system has been installed at Town Center as a means of communicating with residents during emergencies.  Tune in during an emergency.
• Portola Valley E-Notices - Subscribe to receive instant email notifications when Town news events are posted on the website.
• SMC Ready - Disaster preparation information for all types of disasters in San Mateo County
• Fire Safe Council - Excellent information on preparing your home.  Landscaping guides and checklists.
• Earthquake Drills - Learn about and sign up to participate in California earthquake drills.
• Zonehaven is used in Portola Valley and all of San Mateo County to aid emergency personnel and residents during evacuations. Residents should know their zone numbers as these will be used during any evacuations.