Emergency Response Terms and Procedures

Statistics consistently show that schools are among the safest places to be due to the strong commitment of educators, families, and our community to our students and schools. We hope this email will answer questions you have concerning our actions and intentions in the event of an emergency.

As soon as possible, please ensure your contact information in PowerSchool is current and accurate, including who is authorized to pick up your student. We will use this information and multiple communication channels (phone calls, emails, text messages) to provide accurate and timely information in the event of an emergency. If necessary, we may also use our district and school website, social media accounts and local news outlets to share important and timely information.

An emergency situation is any situation that poses an immediate threat to a person’s health, security, property or environment. KSD staff prepare for and train to respond to a wide range of emergencies, threats and other situations, including but not limited to tornadoes and other weather conditions, mechanical failures, fires, an armed intruder, etc.

Common terms that may be used in response to an emergency:

• Drill: An activity that covers a specific safety circumstance and is designed to prepare your student to act quickly and minimize questions and fears should an emergency take place. State law, local code and Board policy require fire, tornado, and other emergency drills, including an unannounced lockdown.
• Lock and Teach (Lockout): Lock and Teach or Lockout is the term used when a possible emergency situation is in close proximity to or in some cases inside the building. Students remain in the building and classes can go on as planned.
• Lockdown: Lockdown is the term used when there is a threat in the school or in close proximity to the building. Occupants are kept in rooms or areas that are secured. There is no movement within the building.
• A.L.I.C.E.: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (A.L.I.C.E.) is the safety procedure that staff and students are trained to use in the event of an armed intruder in a building.
• Shelter-In-Place: All occupants remain in the classroom/building. Movement within the building is at the building administrator’s discretion. This can be used in response to a number of different emergency situations outside the building, including weather conditions, chemical spills, etc.
• Evacuation: Evacuation is the term used when an emergency situation is in the building and students and staff need to get out of the building.
• Rally Point: This area is where students and employees meet following an evacuation.
• Reunification Point: This is the location designated at a school or other site where families may pick up students. This location will be communicated to you during an emergency.

What you can expect if an emergency occurs:

• The emergency plan will be implemented and the district/school emergency teams will respond.
• Appropriate emergency response agencies will be dispatched to the school as needed.
• Depending on the situation, students and employees may be secured within the building or evacuated to a Rally Point and/or Reunification Point.
• Families will be kept informed about the situation with as much detail as possible. The first and official way for us to contact you in an emergency is using our automated SchoolMessenger system. Please only rely on these official communications. 
• In an emergency, phones are needed to manage the situation and lines must remain open. Calling could also put students and employees at risk in an intruder situation. For example, if they did not have time to turn down their ring volume, your call could potentially give away their location.
• Depending on the situation, access to our campuses may be restricted in order to allow emergency personnel to do their jobs. After emergency responders determine that it is safe to release students, arrangements will be made to reunite students with their families. This may occur at a Reunification Point.
• Students may not be allowed to take their property (coat, backpack, etc.) with them in an emergency.
• In some cases, students and staff who have been evacuated to a Rally Point will return to their school once the emergency situation has been resolved. Classes may continue if appropriate and standard end-of-classday procedures will be followed.

After an emergency that requires an evacuation to a Reunification Point:

• You will need photo identification in order to pick up your student at the Reunification Point.
• During reunification, students will only be released to a parent, guardian, or other Emergency Contact listed on the student’s PowerSchool account. The individual picking up the student will be asked to sign a Student Release Form. This procedure is designed for your student’s protection and your peace of mind.

Press Pause

Families should be aware that Kearney School District will ask students and employees to “Press Pause,” or wait before communicating (calling, texting, posting, tweeting) in an emergency to give authorities sufficient time to assess the situation and communicate accurate information.

Plans Change

The way in which we respond to an emergency is greatly influenced by the specifics of an incident, which means our plans may need to be modified. For security reasons, components of our emergency plans are not publicly available.