Superintendent’s Message
12/2006

Safety, Communication Information

Should an emergency or disaster situation ever arise in our area, we want you to be aware that the district has made preparations to respond. We have been examining our schools and increasing our security measures to help ensure the safety and security of our students. Currently, the high school has indoor and outdoor video cameras that increase the safety and security of students. We are in the process of determining costs and phases for implementing video cameras on the inside and outside of the middle school. By January, all of the elementary schools will have cameras at the entrance and doors will be locked. People wishing to enter will be granted access by school personnel. Every school has been actively practicing Emergency Management Procedures (EMP) and we will continue to inform you about how we are doing with various procedures. Your cooperation is necessary in any emergency and we will do our best to keep you informed. In order to accomplish this, it is important that you provide us with up-to-date contact information and additional people to contact should you be unavailable. Remember to notify the school when your address or work/home phone numbers change.

What You Can Expect From The District in an Emergency Situation:

• Increased Communication: When we are aware of an emergency situation, the district will follow the policy and protocol set up in our EMP. If the situation is deemed to not be credible, a letter will be sent home explaining what happened and the steps that were taken. If the incident is deemed to be credible, the district will post a statement on the website (http://www.wrsdsau59.org/) and contact WMUR, Channel 9 and WFTN radio station 94.1 FM with pertinent information for parents.
• Parent Contact: In the case of a weather emergency, all elementary school parents will be called to make plans for their child returning home or to a sitter’s home. No child will be sent from the school without contact being made with a family member or emergency contact. The district will also post a statement on the website and contact WMUR, Channel 9 and radio station 94.1 FM with pertinent information for parents.
• Student Release from School: Should the situation, require that students be released and you wish to pick up your child, each school has set a protocol to follow. When arriving at the schools, parents will be directed in the sign out process. Your help is important in assisting us to ensure the safety of all our students.

Every student’s safety is the goal of our district in all situations. Our school website also has a link, “Emergency Safety Information” where you will find a description of the various drills that we will be doing throughout the school year.  Please discuss the drills with your child.  It is our belief that planning ahead and practicing for emergency situations will enable us to better handle them should they occur.