Emergency Procedures Guide

Evacuation of the Building and Grounds

Parent Procedures:

There may be occasions when students must be evacuated from our school building such as in the case of a natural disaster, fire or other emergency. There is no way to specifically plan for all possibilities, although the same general procedures may be followed in each case.

Fill Out the Form:

At the beginning of each year, parents are asked to complete a form with the names of individuals to whom their child can be released in the event of an emergency; make sure this form is filled out correctly and updated throughout the year as needed.

Listen to the Radio:

In the event of an emergency, important information will be broadcast over the local Grays Harbor radio stations. The county has an emergency management plan in place and will use the local radio stations to transmit information as needed.

Flash Alert:

Parents may also receive up to date information via email or text messaging from FlashAlert.net. A form is sent home at the beginning of the school year or for information on how to subscribe to this FREE service, please go to www.flashalert.net or contact the office at (360) 532-7181.

School Website:

Since the school has a limited number of phone lines, please check the school's website, www.cosmopolisschool.com for updates. This may be the best way to find out what is happening.

Who is authorized to remove your children from school supervision?

If the evacuation of the building and/or school grounds is necessary, children will be released only to persons who are listed on the emergency form. Although, in some cases, certain persons not listed on the form may also be allowed to remove your child from school custody if it can be verified that a parent has authorized this action.

Picking Up Your Children:

When a parent or authorized person comes to school to pick up a child, one of two general student checkout procedures may be in place. The procedure used will depend upon the nature of the emergency and the most efficient way of dealing with the situation. Parents or authorized persons should come to the school with some form of identification and also be prepared to sign when a child is released to them. Under no circumstances should parents take their children and leave without notifying school staff.

  1. Centralized Check-out or Command Center: In this case parents will go to a centralized location and their children will be brought to them by staff. The central check out location will be indicated by signs or flags.
  2. Directly from Teacher/Staff: If no central checkout or command center has been established, students will be released directly to parents by the child’s teacher or supervising staff member. Parents should go directly to the teacher if classes are visible outside of the building or to their child’s regular classroom teacher if students are still in the building.

Students Walking Home:

Students may be allowed to walk home if we can verify there is a responsible person at home.

Students Riding Buses Home:

Students may be allowed to ride the school bus home, but in no case will a student be allowed to go home unless a responsible person is at home.

Where will the students be at school?

Depending upon the nature of the evacuation, students will be moved to the safest location on the school campus. In most cases it is hoped students will be able to remain in their regular classroom. In other events, the grass play ground will offer the best location. There are some cases in which students will be removed from the campus prior to parents arriving. Students will remain in class or grade groups; they will be kept, whenever possible, with their classroom teacher. The evacuation location is the Cosmopolis Cemetery on Altenau Drive.

If you or an authorized person is not available what will happen to my children?

Again, the actual response depends on the nature of the emergency. In no case will a child be left without supervision. We hope that all students will be able to remain on campus. If that is not possible, they will be moved to a central location under the direction of school staff and/or local authorities.

Emergency Communications:

Often during an actual emergency, communication with the school may be difficult. Besides typical phone lines, information may also be obtained through the school district website, Flash Alert, Grays Harbor Emergency Services, or local radio stations.

If you need further information or clarification of procedures contact the school office.