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SFS Hotline Phone Extension 345
The School has established an outside of the area telephone contact to use in the event of an earthquake or other major disruption to local telephone service. Please contact The Walden School, located in Pasadena, California at 626.792.6166 in such a communication disruption.
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General Emergency Policies
The San Francisco School has clear policies governing emergency preparedness and response:
- The safety of the students is of paramount importance. All actions taken shall bear in mind the safety and well being of both students and SFS staff.
- In the event of a major disaster during school hours, SFS will not be dismissed without the express approval of the School Head or his/her designee.
- In the event that school is closed unexpectedly, students will remain under the supervision of school authorities until released to parents or their pre-authorized representative. Instructions to parents about an unexpected dismissal will be communicated on this website, on the SFS voicemail system and/or through phone calls directly to parents at home or work.
- In an effort to respond quickly to any emergency, The School has adopted the Saf-T-Net ALERTNOW Rapid Notification Service. This service will allow The School to contact all student’s parents using up to 5 contact numbers (home, work, cell) within minutes after an emergency or incident has occurred at The School. The source of our information is what parents have provided on their Emergency Release Forms. It is extremely important that this information be up to date and accurate. Please notify the front desk immediately should your home, work or cell number change or if you want to add a new number. Read more about how the Rapid Phone Notification Service works.
- When the decision is made to close the School it is the SFS expectation that a parent or authorized representative will come to pick up the child/children. However, situations are anticipated that would prevent parents from picking up children, such as an earthquake that makes streets impassable or a local Code Red Alert that directs the local population to shelter in place.
- SFS Staff are aware that they may be required to stay on site for 24-36 hours or longer to care for children who are not picked up. In the case of major structural damage as may occur in a severe earthquake it may be necessary to leave the site as a group to a safe location such as Palega Park. Following a site evaluation the student body could possibly return to the campus or proceed to another shelter as directed by emergency services workers. If an evacuation is necessary, parents will be informed of the shelter location and/or the shelter location will be posted at The School. Children should be, within the judgment of the people in charge, where parents expect them to be.
SFS Intentions During These Current Uncertain Times
The San Francisco School has prepared a plan to deal the possibility of another terrorist attack or war.
The normal procedure on days where such an event occurs is as follows:
- In the event of such a tragedy SFS would keep school open and work primarily to maintain the emotional safety and even the innocence, where possible, of our students. Preschool teachers will respond to individual student questions and concerns privately rather than bringing the discussion to a larger group. First-eighth grade students may all come together in a large group sitting in school families for acknowledgement of the situation, words of assurance, and some songs. Either before or after the assembly, grade level groups can discuss the situation further in a more age-appropriate manner. Otherwise, normal classes and routines will continue.
- Students will not be released to protest or demonstrate without prior written authorization from parents and/or a verbal confirmation with the administrative staff member. The School prefers to release students in such circumstances directly to the parent or another authorized adult and urges parents to abide by this expectation.
- At 3:30 pm on such a day, there will be an all staff gathering to check in and make the space to take care of ourselves a little, reflect, and strategize about the following days. Depending on the circumstances, this 3:30 gathering may be open to interested parents as well. On such a day, you can check in at the office to find out if we are having the gathering.
For the complete San Francisco School Emergency Plan:
Information on general emergency preparedness at SFS
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