Tag: safety

How it works: weather related school delays or closures

snowflakeKPBSD School Weather Related Delays and Closures

Announcing a school closure or two-hour delay start in a timely manner for our students, families, and staff is important to KPBSD administration. Timing of the decision is crucial so we can notify transportation before busses begin their routes, employees head to work, and students and families prepare for a school day, potentially waiting at bus-stops. The decision to close school for the day or institute a two-hour delay start is the responsibility of the Superintendent of Schools.

KPBSD is committed to school safety, and educating every student. An involved process takes place early in the morning before the decision is made to close, or delay the start of school by two-hours. Additionally, if a school make-up day is necessary, several factors contribute to determine the date for one or more make-up days of school.

If school remains open, and you as a parent or guardian do not believe it is safe for your child to travel to school based on conditions in your area, please use your best judgment to decide what is safest for your family. Please notify the school if your child will not attend; absences will be excused.

How things work
Determine and Communicate school closure or two hour delay start

Is school open? Communication to Publicmicrophone

KPBSD district office communications will post two-hour school delays or closures, and subsequent updates, usually starting by 5:30 AM. If nothing is announced, assume schools are open on a normal schedule.

How-to calculate a two-hour delay start timepause time

  • Add two hours to normal school start time.
  • Add two hours to normal bus pick-up time. Thus, students are picked-up two hours later than their normal scheduled bus pick-up time.
  • KPBSD employees arrive two hours later than normal work-day morning schedule.
  • Schools will dismiss at the normal time unless announced otherwise.

Is school closed or delayed? Decision Making Process

Assistant Superintendent gathers information, beginning as soon as accurate information is available. Most of the time this begins very early in the morning. If a significant storm is expected, a decision might be made the night ahead of time, but this rarely happens. Consultation and assessment includes:

  • District transportation staff
  • Apple Bus Company
  • Alaska State Department of Transportation (DOT)
  • Alaska State Troopers (AST)
  • Central Emergency Services (CES)
  • Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management (OEM)
  • Homer Electric Association (HEA) and utility providers
  • Weather services
  • Onsite school district employees

The Assistant Superintendent contacts the Superintendent to give an update about specific conditions and offer a recommendation for a two-hour delay start* or school closure. (Delay starts are always two hours.)

The Superintendent of Schools makes a final decision to delay start by two hours, or close schools.

  • School principals are contacted with the decision and supporting information*
  • Principal contacts school staff
  • School may implement automated call system, social media post, or other type of contact message to parents if applicable

*KPBSD may be briefed with information that helps to determine that a two-hour delay start will result in school being in session for the day. At other times, the two-hour delay allows time to assess the evolving conditions, before making the decision to close school for the day. If the roads are impassable due to inclement weather, a two-hour delay will give road crews additional time for sanding and plowing. Updates are posted as soon as decisions are made.

Make-up Instruction Dayscalendar

If school is closed for the day, by state law, a make-up day must be scheduled. KPBSD does not build additional days into the annual calendar for potential inclement weather or school closures that may or may not occur.

A make-up day is generally scheduled on a vacation day, or after the official school calendar ends in May. One day is built into the calendar—typically the third Friday in the last quarter—and is often used as the first option for a make-up day.

Factors to consider when a make-up day is scheduled for one or more schools in KPBSD:

  • Coordinated bus transportation
  • Student nutrition services breakfast and lunch programs
  • Staffing

A few school facts in Alaskaschool

State law mandates a school term of 180 days with up to ten of these days used for teacher in-service.

Per state law, all students must attend school for the minimum of 170 student contact days.

KPBSD teaching contract is 188 days (also includes orientation days and 7 mandated holidays.) Teacher in-service days are part of Professional Development and required by contract. Flexible work days are most often utilized at the front end of the school year (August) in preparation for the school year.

Closing school for the day or instituting a two-hour delay start is a complex decision, with several factors involved. Every effort is made to keep school in session.

If school remains open, and you as a parent or guardian do not believe it is safe for your child to travel to school based on conditions in your area, please use your best judgment to determine what is safest for your child and family. Please notify the school if your child will not attend; absences will be excused.

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Links

PDF printout of KPBSD school closure or two hour delay information

KPBSD webpage school closure or two hour delay information

KPBSD logo 4c no tag SMALL

KPBSD Emergency Guidelines for Parents and Guardians

Parents and guardians, school safety is a top priority in the KPBSD. It’s important for you to know what to do before, during, and after a school emergency, weather related delay start, or school closure. Kindly read KPBSD Emergency Guidelines for Parents and Guardians. KPBSD regularly practices safety drills in schools, and includes law enforcement in our ALICE trainings for school emergencies. School delays and closures protocol.

Before A School EmergencyPrint

PARENTS NEED TO BE PREPARED
Contact information entered in PowerSchool is used to make emergency contact with parents. So that KPBSD can keep you informed, make sure your child’s emergency contact information is accurate, current, and updated as needed. That information may be used during an emergency to generate automated phone messages, emails, or text messages to parents from schools or the district office. Parents need to go to the school office to update and sign their information.

  • Download the KPBSD Mobile App so you can automatically receive emergency update push notifications
  • Become familiar with the KPBSD Facebook and Twitter social media sites where emergency information is posted

 
PARENTS NEED TO BE INFORMED
Familiarize yourself with these KPBSD emergency terms and procedures:

  • Stay Put: A “stay put” takes place when a potential threat is identified in the school’s neighborhood. All school doors are locked but classes continue inside as normal. No entry into or exit from the school is allowed. Students will not be released until the situation is resolved and the “stay put” has been rescinded.
  • Safety Closure: A “safety closure” takes place when a violent intruder is identified on school grounds or in the school building. The ALICE protocols will be followed. No entry into or exit from the school is allowed. Students will not be released until the situation is resolved and the “safety closure” has been rescinded.
  • Shelter-In-Place: A “shelter-in-place” takes place when students take refuge in designated areas to be protected from hazardous materials or severe weather. Entry or exit from the schools will be controlled.
  • Evacuation: In the event of certain building emergencies, students will be relocated to an appropriate evacuation assembly area. Students will be released to parents per district student release procedures.

 

During A School Emergency

PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

  • Should trust that during an emergency the school and district is first doing what is needed to protect students, and then communicating to parents as quickly as possible when we have full and accurate information.
  • Should trust that staff and students are prepared for emergency situations. Schools participate in emergency drills throughout the year, and staff and emergency responders know the best procedures for keeping students safe.
  • SHOULD NOT call or rush to your child’s school
  • Phone lines, staff, and local roads are needed for emergency response efforts.
  • SHOULD NOT phone or text your child
  • The sound or vibration from cell phones and phone conversations could put students in danger. Also, students need to be paying attention to the instructions from trained staff. Conflicting instructions from parents may put a child’s safety at risk.

 

After a School Emergency

HOW WILL I BE REUNITED WITH MY CHILD?
Parents and guardians will be directed by school or public safety officials to their child’s specific location. This information will be distributed via the previously discussed emergency modes of communication. Students will be released ONLY to parents and guardians or other designated individuals who are documented as emergency contacts. All individuals will be required to present a valid picture ID such as a driver’s license, military ID, or passport. Please remember to bring your ID with you and inform your child’s emergency contacts that they will be required to show proper identification if they are picking up your child.
The reunification process can be time-consuming, so everyone is urged to be patient.
RECOVERY
Following an emergency, we encourage parents to:

  • Listen to and acknowledge your child’s concerns
  • Provide reassurance that your child is safe
  • Assure your child that additional prevention efforts are being put in place
  • Seek help from school personnel or a mental health professional if concerns persist

Should your child have serious concerns in response to an emergency or crisis, contact your school directly for information and guidance.
Questions?: Please contact your school principal or office.

Link: KPBSD dedicated webpage: School Delays or Closures
2015 KPBSD Emergency Guidelines for Parents and Guardians_Page_12015 KPBSD Emergency Guidelines for Parents and Guardians_Page_2

Pointer: don't aim a laser at an aircraft

laser-pointing-aircraft-faa
January 6, 2017 – This post is on behalf of FAA Aviation Safety in Kenai, Alaska, in an educational outreach effort to students and the Kenai Peninsula communities.

Homer and Kenai report aircraft are being targeted by lasers.

When aimed at an aircraft from the ground, the powerful beam of light from a handheld laser can travel more than a mile and illuminate a cockpit, disorienting and temporarily blinding pilots. Those who have been subject to such attacks have described them as the equivalent of a camera flash going off in a pitch black car at night.

The Federal Aviation Administration along with local law enforcement investigates each report. If you have information of laser activity by someone you know, please take a minute to report them. Our goal is to keep the skies and pilots safe. It would be very sad if this resulted in an aircraft accident here on the Kenai Peninsula. Let’s work together as a community and stop this before anything happens.
The FBI announced a program aimed at deterring people from pointing lasers at aircraft—a felony punishable by five years in jail—and in some locations, reward those who come forward with information about individuals who engage in this dangerous activity.
Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious matter and a violation of federal law. It is important that people understand that this is a criminal act with potentially deadly repercussions.
The new initiative—which includes a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of “lasing”—will run for 60 days in 12 FBI field offices where laser strikes against aircraft are prevalent. A key part of the program is reward money: At some locations, the Bureau will offer up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of any individual who intentionally aims a laser at an aircraft.
We hope that more public awareness about this issue will lower the instances of laser strikes. We also want to encourage people to come forward when they see someone committing this felony—one that could have terrible consequences for pilots and their passengers. As of December 2013, the FAA had documented at least 35 incidents where pilots required medical attention after a laser strike.
Interfering with the operation of an aircraft has long been a federal crime, but the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 specifically made it a federal felony to knowingly point the beam of a laser at an aircraft. The new law has lowered the threshold for prosecution, and the trend is on the rise for jail time in these cases. For example, a 23-year-old California man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for aiming a laser pointer at a Fresno County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. Court records showed that the man deliberately tracked and struck the aircraft.
If you have information about a lasing incident or see someone pointing a laser at an aircraft, call your local FBI office or dial 911.
info: http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/laws/

Caution: student safety traveling to and from school

PrintSoldotna, November 12, 2014—This morning, November 12, 2014, an elementary age student was taken to Central Peninsula Hospital with what appears to be a non-life-threatening injury, after being struck by a passenger vehicle near K-Beach Road in Soldotna, while walking to a bus stop.
Student safety is always the district’s top priority. In response to this accident, KPBSD will review what took place this morning and then as necessary, take corrective action. If you have concerns about other bus stops and routes to schools, please contact either KPBSD transportation at 907-714-8824, or First Student, our bus transportation provider, at 907-260-3557.
SAFETY REMINDER: With the late sunrise and early sunset, many of our students are traveling to and from school in the dark. The lack of light and snow may make it difficult to see students. Parents: safety and reflective tape is available from Kenai Peninsula Safe Kids—please make sure your child is visible at bus stops and while walking or riding a bicycle. Reflective tape on jackets, backpacks, and caps is helpful! Drivers: please watch out for students, and slowdown in school zones.
TIP: Contact Jane Fellman with Kenai Peninsula Safe Kids if you would like to receive free reflective tape or a reflective zipper pull tab for your child’s jacket, backpack, or cap. The reflective tape increases visibility. Call 907-714-4539, or email safekids@cpgh.org.
Links

Walk your child to school KPBSD

It's time to ShakeOut and “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”

Kenai Peninsula Borough School DistrictPrint
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
Shake out, don’t freak out earthquake drill is 10/16 at 10:16 a.m.

Soldotna, September 17, 2014—Schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will participate in the Great Alaska ShakeOut “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” earthquake drill on Thursday, October 16, 2014, at 10:16 a.m.
 KPBSD students and staff join more than 66,000 Alaskans who already registered to participate. Dave Jones, assistant superintendent of instructional support, said, “We need to be prepared for incidents we hope never happen, but if they do, we can minimize the danger to our students, staff, and community.” Earthquake preparation and the proper “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” technique is valuable safety education for our students and employees. We will also practice a radio check-in to the district office from each of our schools following this earthquake drill.
Please encourage Alaska businesses and families to also participate.
Resources, including audio clips for the drill, are available online at: http://www.shakeout.org/alaska/ 

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This and all KPBSD media releases are online at this web page: http://bit.ly/MediaPublicRelationships
Suggest or contribute a story online link: http://bit.ly/SuggestKPBSDstory

Message to KPBSD staff and families


Soldotna, December 14, 2012—A tragic day in the United States is unfolding as the world learns of a school shooting and the death of children and educators at a Connecticut elementary school.  The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District offers care and condolences to everyone affected in this tragedy. Our hearts ache with colleagues and school communities.

At 9:41 a.m. on Monday, December 17, 2012, most of the school district will pause for a minute of silence.

“I am shocked and saddened by today’s events in Connecticut. All of us at KPBSD offer our condolences to the victims and their loved ones. On Monday morning at 9:41 a.m., the district will pause for a moment of silence to remember the lost lives and to offer our thoughts and prayers to families and the greater Sandy Hook Elementary School community.” – Dr. Steve Atwater, KPBSD superintendent

School safety
“Families trust our schools to keep their children safe during the day. The reality is, however, that schools may be touched either directly or indirectly by a crisis at any time. Knowing what to do when faced with a crisis can mean the difference between calm and chaos, courage and fear, life and death” –KPBSD Emergency Action Plan
The safety of our students and staff is a top priority at each of our 43 schools. Every school year, at every school, several drills are practiced, including school lock-downs, hit-the-deck drills, and emergency actions and evacuations in the event of intruders, fire, earthquakes, or other unforeseen circumstances. District-wide procedures are in place and practiced regularly and in conjunction with local law enforcement through our KPBSD Emergency Action Plan.
Our schools are currently:

  • In heightened awareness and paying extra attention to students, staff, and to any school visitors’ onsite.
  • Suspending curriculum to offer support to students if necessary.
  • Administrators and staff are offering a noticeable presence in the hallways.
  • Continuing to work closely with local law enforcement.

Helpful Resources
A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope, Tips for Parents and Teachers:  http://bit.ly/NationalTragedyNASP
School Safety and Crisis Resources: http://bit.ly/NASPCrisisResources
December 14, 2012 message to KPBSD staff and families
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PSA: Safety Precaution Reminder

October 14, 2011: PSA: Safety Precaution Reminder

Parental supervision requested for children at bus stops, and while walking and biking to and from school.

KPBSD reminds parents and guardians not to leave young children unattended at bus stops. Ideally, children should walk and bike to school in groups. Children are reminded to report any suspicious behavior to their parents or an adult in charge, who in turn should contact their respective school. The safety of our students is paramount.
On October 3, a group of students from K—Beach Elementary School reported that they were approached at a bus stop after school, and asked if they needed a ride. As a precaution, this incidence was reported to the school administration and the State Troopers. KPBSD alerted First Student bus transportation on October 4.
On October 14, school administrators at Mountain View Elementary School were informed by students that they were approached by an adult at varying times both before and after school, during prior days. The Kenai Police department was contacted October 14, and determined the stories to be false and unsubstantiated.
Please contact the Kenai Police Department or the State Troopers if you have questions about either of these reports.
As a school district, we are committed to maintaining safe schools. This is a team effort between parents, students, schools, the community, and law enforcement. Providing all students with a safe learning environment is our top priority.
Read: PSA: Parental Supervision requested for young children at bus stops
PSAs and News Releases are always posted on www.KPBSD.k12.ak.us > Communications > Media and Public Relationships page