DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL

Emergency Response Plan

Students and parents should be aware of the fact that Darien High School has plans in place to deal with a variety of emergency situations including, but not limited to, bomb threats, intruders on campus, hazardous materials and weather emergencies. The specifics of these plans are shared with students and staff at the beginning of the new school year and reviewed periodically.

These plans have been developed with the active cooperation and assistance of the local law enforcement officials. Specific actions will depend on the immediacy and seriousness of the situation. Emergency drills will be announced via the public address system rather than by using the bell system.

Lockdown

A Lockdown of the building may be used to ensure the safety of students and staff during an unexpected incident whereby it is determined that keeping everyone inside is safer than proceeding with an evacuation. The following is a list of procedures for students in the event of
an announced lockdown of the building:

Students should move to the interior walls of the nearest classroom out of direct sight from the windows and halls.
Students should remain in the locked, darkened classroom and sit silently on the floor of the room with shades drawn.
Students should remain silent until announcements are made indicating that the lockdown is over.
Students will be given clear and concise instructions by their teacher and these should be followed.

FIRE DRILLS

Fire drills will be held on a regular basis. At the sound of the fire alarm, all students are to follow the exit procedures posted in the classroom. Students should stand away from the building to allow a fire lane. The all-clear signal is the ringing of the school bell. At that signal, students and teachers should return to class. Remember, when the fire alarm sounds, leave the building immediately. This includes a drill held during lunch.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A STUDENT PULL A FIRE ALARM BOX AS A PRANK.

If apprehended the student will be referred to the police for police action.

The courts view such pranks as serious violations as they require fire department personnel to be away from valid fire calls.

EMERGENCY EARLY DISMISSAL

Should the Superintendent of Schools deem it necessary to close school early due to inclement weather or an emergency situation, Darien High School will usually close at 10:30 a.m. Buses will transport students home at that time.

Darien Public Schools’ Ed-Alert

Darien Public Schools’ Ed-Alert is an emergency notification service that allows parents and staff to receive emails and text messages about urgent information from the Office of the Darien Superintendent of Schools. It is not meant to be a newsletter communication system. Instead, it is meant for high priority messages only, such as the following:

Emergency closings or delays due to weather or other factors
Police notifications about suspicious activity in the community
Other matters related to the welfare of our students and our schools

To sign up for Ed-Alert got to: http://www.myschoolpages.com/schools/darienps

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