The ShakeOut and Emergency Preparedness

Did you receive a text at 10:23am today about our school’s participation in the ShakeOut? This was a test of our school and emergency notification system. If you did not receive a text alert and would like to going forward, follow the directions in this post.

To prepare for the ShakeOut, faculty and staff practiced on Monday as part of our ongoing safety and security training with Highlander 6. During the event today, our school practiced Stop, Drop and Cover in the classrooms, along with evacuating the building and following holding area procedures, setting up first aid stations and completing structural assessment, search and rescue and family reunification plans.

After the all-school drill, the Incident Command Team debriefed with Highlander Six to review emergency processes and earthquake preparedness. Sam Patrick, All Hazard Risk Mitigation Consultant from Highlander Six, commented on the drill today saying, “The training I observed today is the anomaly as opposed to the standard. Very few institutions lean into training like you guys do. The fact that you’re taking this as serious as you all are will truly set St. John apart from the rest of the education world. Be proud of the work you all did today. Parents should be made aware of what good hands their children are in while they’re on your campus.”

St. John will continue involving faculty and students in periodic trainings throughout the year. As the school practices and prepares for emergencies, is your family doing the same? Ask your children what they thought about the drill today. Are you prepared should an emergency occur while at home? Being prepared for any emergency is about planning ahead. Find helpful information on how to do so at Ready.Gov. Questions about our safety and security protocol can be directed to Paul Kelley, Assistant Principal, at pkelley@st-johnschool.org.