CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Student safety is the priority in every crisis situation. Blue Valley Schools follows a comprehensive crisis plan, which includes procedures for a wide variety of emergencies.

Communication is a major component of the crisis plan. Blue Valley Schools remains in constant contact with local emergency management officials throughout any emergency and utilizes several communication methods to keep parents informed.

Depending on the nature of the situation and the actions we may need parents to take, communication may include:

• the district website
  
  
• Facebook and Twitter
  
  
• automated notification system (text, e-mail and/or telephone messages)
  
  
• the news media

In order to focus our attention on student safety during an emergency, communications efforts will be coordinated at the district level.

In a true emergency, events happen fast and situations can vary from school to school. Blue Valley Schools will do its best to keep families informed in a timely manner, especially as it pertains to early or delayed dismissal times, transportation issues and any other changes to the instructional day. Blue Valley Schools understands there is not one communication tool that will reach everyone so throughout the course of an emergency; a variety of methods to communicate with families may be used. Please remember that the nature of the situation will determine which communication method is used. Non-emergency situational updates will generally be made via social media and/or email. When a specific response or instructions are required, multiple communications methods will be utilized.

DISMISSAL DURING AN EMERGENCY

During emergencies, families are urged to avoid coming to the school until after notification that it is safe to do so. If families choose to come to school during an emergency, there may be significant delays in the school’s ability to release individual students to parents, as the priority will be maintaining the safety of all students. When regular dismissal times or procedures are altered due to an emergency, schools will have a student sign-out process in place for the safety of all concerned. Thank you for partnering with Blue Valley Schools to create safe and secure instructional environments in our schools.