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 School Response to Emergencies

If there is an emergency at school, school personnel have been trained, and will react quickly to protect children. If the emergency is a fire, students will evacuate to their Assembly Area until authorities determine that it is safe to re-enter the buildings. If there is an earthquake, students will duck, cover, and hold on as trained until the shaking stops, and then will evacuate the building to the Assembly Area. Students will not return until the buildings have been inspected and it is determined to be safe to enter. In both of these cases, students are being led away from the building, which due to the fire or earthquake has become a possible danger to them.  

In rare instances, where more distance is needed to ensure student safety, students may be relocated to another school site. This includes during a tsunami warning for coastal schools located in the Tsunami Inundation Zone. Parents will be advised of all relocations through Blackboard Connect automated phone message.

If there is a hazard outside, such as a report of a person in the area with a gun, or a nearby chemical release, students will be brought inside, where the building itself will help protect them from danger. Schools will act to protect students, and are prepared to shelter the students inside classrooms for hours if necessary. If students are held for a lengthy period of time, there are plans in place for emergency food, medical and restroom needs – these plans vary depending on the nature of the danger to students. 

If there is an emergency at school, you will generally see one of two scenarios when you arrive at the school. You may see all of the students outside in the Assembly Area, if the building is potentially dangerous to the students, or you will see no one outside, because there is a potential hazard outside of the school, and officials are keeping the children inside, and using the building to help shield the students from harm.

Depending on the situation, you may not be able to get close to the school and may be asked to wait in a safe area near the school. If it is hazardous for students to be released, everyone will be kept inside the school until they are notified by the authorities that it is safe. Schools will act with the safety of students in mind, and school officials will always follow the directives of the police department and the fire department. 

School bus drivers are trained in first aid and communicate by two-way radio with the District. LAUSD buses are equipped with first aid kits and most have GPS units that transmit their location at all times. If your child is on a school bus when an emergency such as an earthquake occurs, after the shaking stops, the school bus driver will proceed to the nearest school. That school will care for your child, and you will be contacted with the location by Blackboard Connect automated phone call.