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Safety Plans & Drills

Safety Plans & Drills

All schools use a tool called CrisisGo to quickly distribute information and directives to staff, via an app on their mobile devices, during emergency situations. The CrisisGo information is aligned to the school’s overall safety plan and communicates simultaneously with the school system’s Safety & Security team and other district leadership.​ When an emergency is reported, teachers and/or staff members in the affected area will hear a specific tone on their mobile device and then are given instructions to follow via the CrisisGo app, such as how to secure their classroom, account for each student in their care, and what to do while awaiting more information. It also allows them to communicate back to the district’s Safety & Security team and report on their surroundings and any critical needs.

Additionally, all schools and administrative centers have the Centegix Crisis Alert System installed, which allows teachers and staff to activate an alert using a special wearable badge during an emergency. Depending on the severity, the alert automatically notifies front office staff of a situation, such a medical issue or a minor student altercation, where a school police officer or an administrator can intervene. In more critical situations, the system directly alerts the FCS School Police Department and local police agencies so they can deploy officers and respond immediately.

 

 

Safety Meeting

A meeting of the Fulton County Youth and School Safety Coalition, where FCS is working with mayors as well as county and city police partners to address school safety.

 

Crisis Go

Centegix logo

 

Statistically, schools remain an unlikely place for random community violence or active shooter situations, but understandably, there are still concerns and questions. Emergency preparedness is the educational counterpart to the many safety investments Fulton County Schools has made in its buildings.

As part of its overall safety and emergency preparedness plan, all schools frequently complete evacuation, shelter-in-place, soft lockdown, hard lockdown, intruder alert, and medical emergency drills. These cover a variety of situations, such as fire or smoke, tornado/severe weather, bus accident, hazardous materials, intruder/unauthorized visitor, active shooter and other safety threats.

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Each school has a safety plan that is reviewed annually by each school’s leadership and district safety staff and then reported to the State of Georgia/Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Specifics of each plan are not releasable to safeguard students and staff; in short, having outsiders know what each plan includes would jeopardize the school’s ability to safely enact its protections when needed.

Parents and community members should know that the safety plans are thorough and address the roles and responsibilities of staff and emergency responders; training for students and staff; threat assessment protocols; site plans and floorplans; emergency exits; and evacuation/reunification procedures. The plans also cover what students and staff should do during different emergency scenarios, which is why the routine practice of safety drills and exercises is important.

Having routine safety drills and exercises gives students and staff the knowledge, skills and instinct to quickly respond in any safety situation. All drills are practiced at least four times during the school year, except evacuation drills which are held monthly.

Evacuation

  • An “evacuation” is when students and staff must be quickly moved from one location to another, whether that is inside the school, off a school bus, or to an off-site location.
  • Scenarios can include fire or smoke, a bomb threat, a chemical odor, school bus accident, or other conditions as determined.
  • These drills are practiced more frequently because evacuation is a safety strategy used in many possible situations.

 

Shelter-in-Place

  • “Shelter-in-Place” is when students and staff are moved from (or remain) within their classroom for their safety because there is an environmental threat.
  • Similar to a soft lockdown, shelter-in-place uses the school building to provide protection from the outdoor environment, such as tornados and other severe weather, earthquakes or hazardous materials in the immediate area.
  • Based on the threat’s severity, school leaders will decide whether learning should be halted and student movement within the school should be restricted. Students and staff who are outside will report inside immediately, and those in modular classrooms will either remain in place or be brought inside the school based on the type of threat.
     

Soft Lockdown

  • A “soft lockdown” is when a threat or hazard is recognized outside of the school building. Situations may include a violent act or criminal activity in the immediate neighborhood, such as a home invasion or police pursuit in the area, or even situations like a dangerous animal near the playground.
  • A soft lockdown uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection. All interior and exterior doors are locked and student movement inside the school is limited. Outside activity is discontinued, and students immediately report inside.
  • Teaching and learning may still continue but with a heightened sense of awareness. Staff should be prepared to quickly transition to a hard lockdown if needed.

 

Medical Emergency

  • A “medical emergency” drill is called for a situation where immediate medical attention is needed for a person experiencing an actual or perceived illness, injury, or symptom.
  • This also includes conditions so serious that it is necessary to seek care right away to avoid severe harm.
  • Examples of common medical emergencies are cardiac arrest, stroke, seizures, diabetic emergencies, drug overdose, anaphylaxis and/or heatstroke.
     

Hard Lockdown

  • A “hard lockdown” is when there is a threat or hazard inside of the school building or in situations when school leaders deem appropriate.
  • Examples may include parental custody disputes, intruders or unauthorized visitors, and though less likely or as common, an active shooter situation.
  • A hard lockdown uses classroom security to protect students and staff from a safety threat. During a hard lockdown, all learning stops and students and staff take immediate actions to lock and secure doors, and employ the protection strategies they have learned during drills, such as hiding and keeping away from windows or doors.
  • No students are allowed to leave their rooms until authorized by school leaders or safety personnel, and those who are outside must use their discretion whether to try moving inside the school or to evacuate to an off-site location.
  • No one, including parents or community members, may enter the building while a hard lockdown is under way. Only emergency responders are allowed access.
     

Intruder Alert

  • An “intruder alert” drill is basically a hard lockdown drill but with a specific purpose. This alert is called when there is an active threat or hazard inside of the building, such as an active shooter situation or when a weapon is seen or heard.
  • While the likelihood is low, FCS will continue to prepare its response by implementing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s “Run. Hide. Fight.” protocol. In elementary schools, trained teachers and staff lead age-appropriate drills using “Run. Hide. Fight.” strategies while middle/high schools will train staff and students in the protocol.
  • The Georgia Safe Schools Act requires every school to practice intruder alert drills so that students and staff are familiarized with ways to protect themselves against potential threats posed by an intruder who possesses or is suspected of possessing a weapon.

 

Hold Protocol

  • Though not technically a safety drill, schools use an emergency protocol called a “HOLD” to complement the response to other safety situations. The protocol may be implemented during a non-threat emergency on campus when students need to remain in their current location temporarily (e.g., medical emergency or an administrative reason).