This document is NOT mandatory. It is provided by the 2013-14 LW PTSA Council Emergency Preparedness Committee as suggestions for newsletter inserts. Please feel free to use any portion for any month you choose. Please feel free to modify as you choose. Bracketed information is provided as helpful cross-reference to the Middle and High School tips. This draft is dated as of April 2014.
HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER INSERTS
September’s Safety Tips of the Month
TIP #1: Emergency Contacts – Not just for medical issues [All]
Most of us parents would only trust a few close family members or friends to be called when we cannot be reached with a medical issue, but we would easily expand the network when asking others to pick up our child in a District wide emergency (such an early release snow day or earthquake).
SUGGESTION: Give your school a longer list of emergency contacts for District wide emergencies. For example, neighbors and parents of school friends. Be sure your contacts know how to reach you( phone/text/email).
TIP #2: District wide student release procedures [High]
District policy is to release your student only to persons you have listed as an emergency contact (See Tip #1). However, the reality is that high school students, particularly those with cars, are likely to self-evacuate and simply leave school campus. The school is doing its best to educate students that the procedures are there to protect them.
SUGGESTION: Please help educate your student that if they simply cannot wait to be properly released, you want to know when they left the school and where they planned to go; so they should at least tell school personnel of their plans.
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
October’s Safety Tips of the Month
TIP #1: Modified and Full Lockdowns [All-but Elem/Middle in Feb with modified language in Suggestion]
The District has established a procedure for communicating to school families and to neighboring school’s families in the event of either a modified or full lockdown of a school. The District may ask that parents meet their student at [your school name]. For full procedures, see lwsd.org/xxxx
SUGGESTION: For the safety of staff, students and first responders, please follow District directives. The streets around the school must be kept clear for police, fire and EMT. Our presence takes away personnel from responding to our students.
TIP #2: Food allergies [Elem/High]
In a District wide emergency, the school has a limited supply of food to feed students until they are picked up. The school may or may not have appropriate food to meet the needs of all students with food allergies.
SUGGESTION: If your student has food allergies, please feel free to bring in a 3-5 day supply of food in a box/container that is clearly marked with your student’s name and we will store it with the school’s emergency supplies. You may also wish to provide your student with a few hour’s supply to keep in their backpack at all times because it may take a little time to distribute the emergency supplies. (Bring to school’s front office.)
[EMP Chairs: Be sure to send front office personnel an email to let them know this has gone out in the newsletter so they know to contact you to put it in with the emergency supplies.]
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
November’s Safety Tip of the Month[High]
Winter is fast approaching and the District newsletter has/will communicate the inclement weather procedures. School late-starts or closures are determined on a District-wide basis, and are decided at [6am?]. Phone calls are made to [family home phones?]. For full procedures see
SUGGESTION: For students with cars, winter items to store in the car are:
- Warms shoes, clothes, gloves.
- Ice scraper/snow brush
- Tire chains
Year round items for the car are:
- Flashlight
- Flares
- First Aid Kit
- Cellphone charger
- Water and snacks
- Jumper cables
- Music/games
- Keep gas tank at half a tank of gas
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
December’s Safety Tip of the Month [High/Middle but text differs]
Winter is here and wind storms become more common. Should a power outage occur please be careful about the use of in-home heating that can cause carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Commonly seen problems include: indoor use of cooking grills; use of wood burning fireplaces without proper ventilation and cars running in garages to heat the living space above the garage.
SUGGESTION:
- Install CO monitor; check CO monitor battery.
- Don’t use generators or grills indoors, even in the garage.
- Check now to make sure gas and electric fire places are properly vented.
Carbon monoxide poisoning information can be found at the Center for Disease Control website:
Here is a one page check list for how to prepare for a windstorm:
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
January’s Safety Tips of the Month [High]
TIP #1: Emergency information in student’s wallet or backpack
For security reasons we teach our children to lock their cell phones, and so what happens if they are injured, are not responsive and cannot communicate? The next step for emergency responders will be to check their wallets or backpack for contact and medical information.
SUGGESTION: Prepare a simple emergency card for your student that includes: Their name, month/year of birth (for medication dispensing), address, parent’s name/phone (home/cell), allergies, medical conditions, wears contact lens. For the student’s own benefit, you may wish to include your out-of-state contact person’s name/phone.
TIP #2: Sample emergency preparedness kit for student backpack
For students without a car, students can carry a small emergency kit in their backpack.
SUGGESTION:In a Ziplock baggie include: protein bar, hand wipes, band aids, nitrile gloves, mylar blanket, female sanitary supplies, and the out-of-area contact card.
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
February’s Safety Tip of the Month [Elem/Middle in Oct – High language differs]
Experts tell us we are ‘overdue’ for a major earthquake, but no one can predict whether it will happen in our lifetime. Even so, home preparedness can help.
SUGGESTION: During an earthquake duck-cover-hold. Stay away from windows (flying glass shards). Anchor bookcases and other tall items. Keep shoes and gloves near your bed to use after a quake that starts while you’re asleep.
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
March’s Safety Tip of the Month [High]
Talk to your students about: (i) evacuating the house in a fire or earthquake and (ii) where to meet outside the home in both situations. Remind them about feeling the door for heat before they open the door (don’t open it if it’s hot and they have another exit route!) and staying low to the ground to best avoid smoke. A wet cloth over their nose would be great if they have liquid in the room they can use.
SUGGESTION: Teenagers may feel they don’t need to plan ahead for a fire, but ask them to humor you and tell you their exit plan if they were in each room in the house. Then ask them to do the same and tell you how they’d react in an earthquake. A meeting location example: designating a neighbor’s lawn. The purpose of a meeting location is so that you can quickly confirm everyone is out of the house, and it prevents emergency responders from needlessly entering a burning home.
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
April’s Safety Report [All]
This month [school name] PTA would like to report on how the $XX allocated to emergency preparedness was used [will be used]. We have purchased [plan to purchase] the following in an ongoing effort to provide [school name] with some emergency supplies to help the school staff in an emergency:
[list supplies]
Thank you for your membership and contribution to the [school name] PTA! You help us help all [school name] students.
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
May’s Safety Tip of the Month [Middle/High – text differs]
As the year comes to a close, students are excited and Prom night approaches. [School name] has planned a Senior Graduation Party that will keep our student’s safe, but there are many other temptations existing.
SUGGESTION: This is a good time to again ask your student to humor you as you remind them not to text and drive, and to avoid the temptations of drinking, smoking and taking drugs. The following is an excellent Centers for Disease Control website about how to talk to your student about these dangers:
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
June’s Safety reminder[All-tip #2 text differs]
If you provided any special food to the emergency supplies for your student with allergies, please contact [insert name and email of EMP Chair] to coordinate pick up of the supplies.
Summer Safety Tips:
We are looking forward to a fun and safe summer. Please take a few minutes to review the following information.
TIP #1: Helmets
"… Bike helmets provide a 63-88% reduction in the risk of head, brain, and severe brain injury…”
For more information, including how to obtain a free or reduced cost helmet, visit:
TIP #2: Drowning [High text is different]
Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning. “Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event.” Read this for an excellent explanation of what to look for:
TIP #3: Heat Illness
With temperatures on the rise it is important to know the signs of heat-related illness. Here’s a quick reference for how to recognize and treat Heat Distress and Heat Stroke:
Have a safe summer! Let’s hope we get lots of sun and use lots of sunscreen!
[your school name] PTA Emergency Preparedness Chairperson [your name/email]
High School Emergency Preparedness Newsletter Inserts1