Should an emergency situation ever arise in our area while school is in session, we want you to be aware that schools have made preparations to respond effectively. Should we have a major earthquake or other emergency during school hours, your child will be cared for at school. In fact, schools in Alaska are built to meet stringent construction standards and they may be safer than your own home in the event of a disaster.

Do not telephone the school. Telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication.

It is important to complete the sign-out process when picking up students at school. We would like to avoid the possibility of sending emergency responders into a dangerous situation looking for a missing student that simply left without checking out. We also want to maintain accurate information about students that have checked out in case another family member is looking for them. An emergency card is required to be filled out by parents at the beginning of every school year.

Impress upon your child the need for them to follow the directions of any school personnel in times of an emergency. Please familiarize yourself with the school Emergency Action Plan and discuss these matters with your immediate family. Planning ahead will help alleviate concern and allow us to maintain a calm and organized response in the event of emergency.

The decision to keep students at school will be based upon a variety of factors. If this occurs, radio stations will be notified. Turn your radio to KPEN 102.3 FM, KWAVE 104.9 AM, KSRM 920 AM, KBBI 890 AM or KDLL 91.9 FM for emergency announcements.

Since local telephone service may be disrupted, list an out-of-state contact on the emergency card since calls may still be made out of the area while incoming calls are affected.

In the event of a major emergency, your district schools will need the assistance of community members. Supplies will be needed to provide for the children and volunteers will be needed to assist with clean up and the care and shelter of the children until they are picked up by a designated family member or friend. We would encourage you to consider the possibility of serving as an emergency volunteer.

Other school closure or delay information is also available.