Emergency Procedures

Please carefully read all emergency information. 

Earthquake: Procedures Inside

  • DROP to the ground. For those students and staff who are physically unable to drop to the ground, they should remain seated and cover their heads with their arms and hands.

  • COVER under or near desks, tables, or chairs in a kneeling or sitting position.

  • HOLD onto table or chair legs. Protect eyes from flying glass and debris by using your arm to cover your eyes.

  • Remain in the DROP position until ground movement ends. Be prepared to DROP, COVER, and HOLD during aftershocks.

  • School staff should check for injuries and assess the general safety of the room.

  • Report any hazards to the school Damage Survey Team.

  • All Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) should report to the School Administrators Office or pre-designated location.

Earthquake: Procedures Outside

  • Move away from overhead hazards such as power lines, trees, and buildings. DROP to the ground and COVER the back of the neck with your hands.

  • Do not enter buildings until it is safe to do so.

  • School staff should check for injuries.

  • Report any hazards to the school Damage Survey Team.

  • All ERTs should report to the School Administrators Office or pre-designated location.

Fire: in a School Building

  • The School Administrator will:

    • call 9-1-1,

    • sound the fire alarm, and

    • notify the Superintendent and LEAD.

  • School Staff will:

    • supervise evacuation according to the Emergency Evacuation Plan posted in every classroom,

    • close doors upon evacuating,

    • take roll books and take roll at evacuation site, and

    • report missing students to the School Administrator.

  • The Custodian or ERT member will open necessary gates for emergency vehicles.

  • Re-occupy buildings when ordered to do so by San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD).

Fire: Near School

  • The School Administrator will:

    • call 9-1-1,

    • sound the fire alarm, and

    • notify the Superintendent and LEAD.

  • If appropriate, re-occupy buildings when ordered to do so by SFFD.

Evacuation: On-Campus 

The need to evacuate a building on campus should occur after the decision has been made that it is unsafe to remain in the building.

  • If it is determined an evacuation is needed, school staff should assemble students and use the pre-designated evacuation routes to report to the assigned on-campus location.

  • School staff must take roll at the evacuation area to ensure that account is made for all students.

  • Students who are missing or left behind due to serious injury should be immediately reported to school officials.

  • School staff should identify any students who need medical attention and provide appropriate care.

  • School staff should remain with their students and help to calm them.

  • If it is determined school buildings are safe to re-enter, school staff will lead students back to their classrooms quickly and calmly. Roll should be taken once all students are back in the room.

  • Students should be debriefed to calm fears about the evacuation as per the District Crisis Response Manual.

Evacuation: Off-Campus

Off-campus evacuation is implemented after a decision is made that is it unsafe to remain on campus and evacuation to an off-site assembly area is required.

  • If it is determined an evacuation is needed, school staff should assemble students and use the pre-designated evacuation routes to report to the assigned off-campus location.

  • School staff must take roll at the evacuation location to ensure that account is made for all students.

  • Students who are missing or left behind due to serious injury should be immediately reported to school officials.

  • The Superintendent of Schools and LEAD should be immediately notified of the evacuation.

EVACUATION MAPS [DOWNLOAD] (Each room has its own evacuation map.)

Parent-Child Reunification Procedures 

In an effort to address all hazard incidents, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has developed short- and long-term parent-child reunification procedures. Short-term procedures outline the appropriate steps to be taken at individual school sites. When reunification procedures exceed the scope of school site operations, SFUSD will implement long-term procedures to consolidate resources and increase efficiency.

School Site Reunification: Short Term

Student Emergency/Medical Information Card

All students are required to have a Student Emergency/Medical Information Card on file at their school site. Student Emergency/Medical Information Cards must be updated every school year, and the school should be notified of any changes of information on the student emergency/medical information cards.

Student Emergency/Medical Information Cards will be distributed to students on the first day of school and must be returned promptly. Student emergency cards require the following information:

  • Parent/guardian/caregiver current address and phone number

  • The student’s doctor/health care provider and insurance information

  • Any medication(s) or chronic illness(es) related to the student

Parent-Child Reunification

In the event that an emergency occurs on or near a school site, parents (or guardians) must report to the school site and adhere to the following procedures required for releasing a student. School sites must work in conjunction with the SFUSD Department Operations Center (DOC) throughout the parent-child reunification process.

The following procedures provide a general guideline for parent-child reunification throughout SFUSD. Each school site is responsible for adhering to the following three principals when implementing its reunification process: (1) a safe and secure check-in area for parents, (2) a separate area designated for the reunification of parents and children, and (3) a safe and secure exit for parents and children.

Preparation

  • At the start of the school year, each school site will prepare an emergency bin containing copies of Student Emergency/Medical Information Cards.

  • Emergency bins should be updated on a routine basis.

Reunification

  • School staff will set up tables inside the main gate of the alley leading to the yard.

  • Parents or guardians arriving to the school site must wait in line.

  • School staff members working at the tables will verify the parent or guardian name. Only contacts listed on the student emergency/medical information card may pick up a child. Parents/Guardians must have a valid ID and/or be recognized as Parents/Guardians of the student by a school staff member.

  • Parents/Guardians will sign out each student individually and will receive an "exit ticket" for every student.

  • At the student assembly area, students will wait with their classroom teachers.

  • Once parents/guardians have arrived, staff working the tables will "walkie" a runner to notify the child and escort them to the reunification "on deck circle."

  • After Parents/Guardians are reunited with their child, school staff will direct the parent/guardian and child to the exit gate.

  • All Parents/Guardians must return an "exit ticket" to school staff prior to exiting the gate.