All Austin Independent School District school facilities have an emergency preparedness plan. The specifics of each plan differ for each location. The response to each situation will differ based on the specifics of that situation. The flexibility of the plan is key to the success of the response. In general, each plan involves the designation of a emergency incident command team; development of evacuation, severe weather, shelter-in-place, and lockdown procedures; preparation of a portable emergency go-kit that contains key information and supplies; designation of appropriate evacuation sites; provisions for training personnel and exercising the plan; action guides for dealing with specific types of incidents; and resources for help before, during and after an event. All AISD school plans have been reviewed within the last twelve months. Students, teachers, and other District employees will participate in drills of emergency procedures. When emergency announcements are made or the fire alarm is sounded, students and visitors must follow the direction of teachers or other campus staff quickly, quietly, and in an orderly manner. The campus administrative staff functioning as the incident management team will coordinate the initial on-campus response and work with first-responder agencies to provide.

Fire Drills

Facilities have automatic fire alarm systems and are required by code to utilize that system for conducting fire drills. For those buildings, or parts of buildings, not connected to the main automatic fire alarm system, warning will be made by public address announcements and door-to-door notification.

Students, visitors and staff members are expected to follow the direction of the administrative incident management team, maintain accountability of personnel and report any issues identified.

Severe Weather/ Tornado Drill

Each campus has an all-hazards weather radio programmed to receive severe weather warning information as issued by the National Weather Service. Severe weather situations and events are also monitored by the AISD Police Department with the capability to disseminate information district wide. Severe weather safety procedures include moving students and staff from portable buildings and single span roof structures into safe locations have been identified within each campus. Please keep in mind that a school structure will offer better protection from severe weather then a motor vehicle, parents and other visitors to the campus will be offered tornado refuge. Tornado drills will be conducted to educate students and staff members of the correct tornado safe position and locations within the school.

Other Protective Action Procedures

The specific actions taken by AISD in any emergency situation-both district-wide and at individual schools will depend on the specifics of the situation. Any action taken would depend on several factors, including the level of threat and the advice of local, state, and federal partner agencies. The safety of students and staff members will be the primary concern in any decision. An emergency may prevent the safe evacuation of a school building and require steps to isolate students and faculty from danger by instituting a school lockdown or shelter-in-place. In a lockdown situation, all students are kept in classrooms or other designated locations that are away from the danger. Faculty members are responsible for accounting for students and ensuring that no one leaves the safe area. School personnel will also secure building entrances, ensuring that no unauthorized individuals leave or enter the building. Shelter-in-place is a short-term measure (measured in minutes or hours, not days) designed to use a facility and its indoor atmosphere to temporarily separate people from a hazardous outdoor environment. The alternative would be to evacuate into a hazardous situation, thereby causing harm to all involved. Parents will only be permitted access to the building and to their children if it is safe for them to do so. Protective actions for lockdowns, shelter-in-place, bus evacuations and additional exercises as identified will be practiced at each campus.

Emergency Medical Treatment and Information

If a student has a medical emergency at school or at a school-related activity when the parent cannot be reached, the school would need to have written parental consent to obtain emergency medical treatment and information about allergies to medications, food, insect bites, etc. Therefore, parents are asked each year to complete an emergency care consent form. It is parent/ guardian responsibility to keep emergency care information up-to-date (name of doctor, emergency phone numbers, allergies, etc.). If your child takes medication regularly, you, the parent, should make sure that the school has an appropriate amount of additional medication on hand. Talk with your child's school nurse for more information. Please contact the school nurse to update any information that the nurse or the teacher needs to know.

Emergency School-Closing Information

In the event of an emergency that causes the District to close school, please listen to announcements from the local media (television, radio, etc.) and watch the AISD Cable Channel 22. If public safety officials require that a school building be evacuated, students and staff members will be safely transported to a designated parent-student reunification center. Parents will be informed of the reunification location via the local media. At the reunification center, students will be released to their parents upon presentation of proper identification. Children will not be released to individuals who are not authorized on the student's emergency care card or who do not have written parent authorization. The District will make every effort to ensure the safety of students and assist them in returning to their homes.