With the safety of students and staff being of the utmost importance, all Pasadena ISD schools will be conducting various types of emergency drills during the 2007-2008 school year.

The measures will include fire, tornado, shelter-in-place, evacuation and lockdown drills. “We want to make sure that our students and staff are well prepared for any emergency,” said Kirk Lewis, Pasadena ISD superintendent.

In addition, the district has implemented a new Emergency Operations and Crisis Management Plan. As part of this plan, all campuses will undergo security audits. These audits will look at the physical aspects of the facilities, including locked doors. The review will also examine the social aspects of the campuses, such as how students perceive their safety.

“The findings of these audits will be used to identify where improvements can be made to ensure the safety of students and staff members,” Lewis said.

Pasadena ISD is implementing the Safe and Civil Schools Program which “empowers school personnel with techniques to help all students behave responsibly and respectfully” that results in improved safety. The program, which is federally funded, has been put into place in 23 schools already and 10 more will be introducing this comprehensive program during the 2007-08 school year.

The program is just another added measure of safety implemented by the district over the past eight years. Most recently, the district has added additional security cameras and improved lighting. The district will continue to examine ways to improve security throughout the year.

“I believe our district is extremely proactive when it comes to school safety,” Lewis said. “It’s part of our commitment in giving kids a safe environment in which to learn.”

Campus drills

Your child’s safety is of utmost importance for us; therefore, during the school year all Pasadena ISD schools will be conducting drills of various types. We want to make sure that our students and staff are well prepared for any emergency. Each campus may conduct additional drills they feel are necessary, but every campus will be conducting the following:

Fire Drill
* At the sound of the bell, everyone will evacuate the building.
* Staff will turn off all electricity and close doors.
* Staff will alert the fire department and the district police.
* Students and staff will assemble in designated spots a safe distance from the building, clear of fire hydrants and not under power lines.
* Fire lanes must be kept open for emergency vehicles.
* Students and staff will not return to the building until given an all clear by emergency personnel.

Tornado Drill
* Students and staff will assemble in hallways as far as possible from any windows or glass.
* If possible, portable buildings will be evacuated into the main building.
* Students and staff will remain near an inside wall of a ground level floor.
* Students and staff will “duck and cover” until the all clear is given.

Lockdown Drill
* All classroom doors will be locked.
* Students will be moved to an area of the room away from windows and doors.
* Lights will be turned off.
* Students and staff will wait for instructions from the police or an administrator.

Shelter in Place Drill – A shelter in place is a special designation used when a situation requires the lockdown of the school campus in order to protect students and staff from threats usually associated with, but not limited to, chemical or environmental accidents.
* All HVAC systems will be turned off.
* All students will be brought in from outside.
* Exterior doors will be locked.
* For the safety of students, NO ONE (parents, visitors, staff) will be allowed to enter or leave the building until further instructions are received from the District’s Crisis Communication Center.
* In some instances, a buffer room (a room near the entrance) may be set up to receive persons from the outside. This room will serve as a “buffer” between exposing children and staff who are already sheltered and allowing limited access in emergency and critical situations to those who may be contaminated. Once inside the buffer room, persons must remain there until the all clear is given.

Evacuation Drill – Evacuation may be necessary to insure student safety. Most evacuations will be based upon three scenarios:
* Proximity evacuation – Students and staff vacate the school, but remain within the perimeter of the school property.
* Neighborhood evacuation – The nature of the event dictates moving the students to an alternate site away from the school property.
* Mass evacuation – In the case of a mass evacuation, students and staff would be transported by bus to an alternative site out of harms way. Each campus has been assigned a “partner campus” that would house the students until the crisis is over, and it is deemed safe to return to the home campus.

Each campus has developed an individualized evacuation plan that accounts for the students and maintains supervision of all students. The plan will include pick-up points and procedures for maintaining discipline and control at the alternate site. Please check with your campus for the designated evacuation site.

In the event of an actual incident, parents will be contacted by either the Pasadnea ISD automated phone system or letter. Please be sure that the school has your correct phone number and address at all times.

If you have questions regarding the safety of our schools, please feel free to call either Tom Swan at 713-740-0089 or Candace Ahlfinger at 713-740-0247.