Sr. Student Release Drill
Contact:
Kimberley Harvey
Dear families of students in Grades 8-12,
On January 25, we will be conducting an emergency release drill for students in Grades 8-12. This drill is to practise the process of releasing your children to you in the event of a natural disaster or other emergencies. For instance, if there were an earthquake in Vancouver, the school would release students to families and emergency contacts in a controlled manner as they arrive on site.
On the day, between 1:25 pm and 1:40 pm, you will receive a communication asking you to come and pick up your child. If you or your alternate are not able to come to school at the designated time, your daughter will be dismissed at the regular time (3:15 pm). Note: No student will be released from the school unless an authorized emergency contact signs them out between the hours of 1:30 and 3:15 pm.
Our goal is to simulate a real emergency situation and in a real situation, we would not be releasing students on their own to walk, take the bus, or drive etc. There are no exceptions. All parents must sign the students out at the designated student release area which will be in our gym. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause, but it is essential that we all follow our emergency procedures. Our goal is to see what works and does not work prior to a real emergency, and for your family to ensure you have provided the school with the correct emergency information and you are familiar with our school’s emergency procedures.
As shared above, at 3:15 pm on Friday, January 25, any student that has not been picked up, will be permitted to leave the school on her own. If your daughter has an appointment on the afternoon of January 25th, please have her sign out with your permission prior to 12 noon. From 12 noon on, students will be unable to sign out on their own or have a parent call to give them permission to leave. We will be setting up for our controlled release, which we hope that all students will take part in.
One of the most important areas of school emergency planning is gathering accurate information so the school can contact you or someone on your behalf. The information that you enter into the myYHS portal will be used only in case of emergency. This information is kept strictly confidential unless it is necessary to share the information in the event your child’s health and/or safety is at risk. Please make sure to update this information on myYHS (under the "medical" and "contact card" tabs of your child's profile). Read this document for more information on how to update your child’s emergency contacts.
What to expect on January 25th:
On January 25, we will be conducting an emergency release drill for students in Grades 8-12. This drill is to practise the process of releasing your children to you in the event of a natural disaster or other emergencies. For instance, if there were an earthquake in Vancouver, the school would release students to families and emergency contacts in a controlled manner as they arrive on site.
On the day, between 1:25 pm and 1:40 pm, you will receive a communication asking you to come and pick up your child. If you or your alternate are not able to come to school at the designated time, your daughter will be dismissed at the regular time (3:15 pm). Note: No student will be released from the school unless an authorized emergency contact signs them out between the hours of 1:30 and 3:15 pm.
Our goal is to simulate a real emergency situation and in a real situation, we would not be releasing students on their own to walk, take the bus, or drive etc. There are no exceptions. All parents must sign the students out at the designated student release area which will be in our gym. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause, but it is essential that we all follow our emergency procedures. Our goal is to see what works and does not work prior to a real emergency, and for your family to ensure you have provided the school with the correct emergency information and you are familiar with our school’s emergency procedures.
As shared above, at 3:15 pm on Friday, January 25, any student that has not been picked up, will be permitted to leave the school on her own. If your daughter has an appointment on the afternoon of January 25th, please have her sign out with your permission prior to 12 noon. From 12 noon on, students will be unable to sign out on their own or have a parent call to give them permission to leave. We will be setting up for our controlled release, which we hope that all students will take part in.
One of the most important areas of school emergency planning is gathering accurate information so the school can contact you or someone on your behalf. The information that you enter into the myYHS portal will be used only in case of emergency. This information is kept strictly confidential unless it is necessary to share the information in the event your child’s health and/or safety is at risk. Please make sure to update this information on myYHS (under the "medical" and "contact card" tabs of your child's profile). Read this document for more information on how to update your child’s emergency contacts.
What to expect on January 25th:
- Bring your photo ID. You or your designate will be asked for identification as part of our release protocol. This protocol is important in case the person at the release gate is a teacher who is unfamiliar with your family. Because this drill is as much about training our staff as training our families, we will be following the protocol strictly. Therefore, even though this is a drill, your child WILL NOT be released to you if you are unable to present valid photo ID.
- Arrive on foot. Please park at least four (4) blocks from the school to avoid congestion. In the event of a real emergency, this would be especially important as access must remain clear for emergency vehicles.
- Expect lineups. We know from our own experience with student release in the Junior School and speaking to other schools who have practised these types of drills, that the safe release of students does take some time. We thank you in advance for your patience.
Thank you for your participation in this drill. It is an important piece of emergency preparedness and of making sure our students, families, and staff are as prepared as possible for unforeseen events. If you have any concerns or questions prior to this drill, please don’t hesitate to contact Brian Farrell, our Director of Technology and Innovation and Chair of our Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Sincerely,
Kimberley Harvey
Director of Senior School
Emergency Preparedness Committee Member
York House School
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