Dearborn Public Schools considers your child’s safety one of our top concerns. That includes training them how to respond to potential emergencies in the buildings from fire drills to lockdowns. This sheet is meant to help you, as parents, understand your role in keeping children safe during an emergency at school.
Before an event – Talk to your child
· Ask them about the school’s procedures. Remind them if something occurs they need to stay calm and follow directions from the teachers or other adults in charge at the school. These people have been trained to deal with these situations.
· Remind your student that during an emergency, they should only use their phone if the teacher says it is okay. If they go on social media or connect with friends, caution them not to spread inaccurate information. False information could unnecessarily increase the anxiety of others involved and might mislead authorities about what is actually happening in the school.
· Stress to them the importance of their online behavior— including not bullying or making threats—and encourage them to tell an adult if they see something that concerns them.
During an event – Stay put, stay calm and wait to hear
· Do NOT call or text your child. This could alert an intruder to their location and distract them from following directions from trained adults on the scene. If they reach out to you, try to respond calmly and keep them from panicking.
· Do NOT go to the school. In a true emergency, you will be putting yourself in harm’s way and interfering with the police response. For your safety, and that of your child, stay away from the building until the lockdown ends. During an emergency, you will not be allowed in the building and your child will not be allowed to leave with you until the lockdown is over.
· Avoid calling the school. School staff likely will be unable to answer the phones as they focus on the safety of students and themselves. Information will be posted on the school website once the lockdown is over. We will work to provide this information as quickly as possible, but sometimes we need time to gather all the details to present accurate information.
Terms to know
Lock down means the school is securing all doors and students are being required to stay in their classrooms. Access to the building may be extremely limited.
Soft lock down is when the building doors are secured, but students are allowed to move as usual throughout the building. This is usually done as a precaution due to issues outside the building such as a crime reported in the area.