Emergency Information

September is National Preparedness Month….ARE YOU READY?

The Ready Campaign’s websites (ready.gov and listo.gov) and toll-free numbers (1-800-BE-READY and 1-888-SE-LISTO) provide free emergency preparedness information and resources available in English and Spanish.

Earthquake Preparedness

Please download and print this Earthquake Safety Checklist for your home. Prepared by the Red Cross.

Student Health and Emergency Information Form

Download, view and print here. Please check, revise and return to update our directory, medical and contact information.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE LETTER AND GUIDELINES

Contains important information on what you and your children should do in a school emergency. Please click here to download and print. Or read below.

Emergency Response Booklet

Family Emergency Response Booklet is for you to download and keep as a resource.

Emergency Response and Guidelines

The Pittsfield Public Schools would like to make you aware that, should an emergency or disaster situation ever arise in our area while school is in session, the Pittsfield Public Schools have made preparations to respond quickly and effectively. The safety of your children, our staff, and our schools will always be our highest priority. All of our plans have been made to address our responses to emergency situations and to provide direction and guidance to school personnel so that they can implement instructions received during an emergency from school officials and appropriate local, state, and federal agencies.

In the event of an emergency situation at your child’s school, in the City of Pittsfield, or in one of the communities nearby, local and state agencies will provide direction and consultation to the school system. During any emergency, your school’s Incident Commander will direct the school staff in the implementation of one of the following procedures:

  • Lockdown: This response secures all students and adults in the school building. All doors and windows are locked, and students and adults stay in their rooms.
  • Shelter-in-Place: This response secures all students and adults in the school building. All doors and windows are locked but students and staff can move in and out of rooms as necessary (use restroom, visit nurse, get supplies, etc.).
  • Evacuation: The Pittsfield Public Schools has a detailed evacuation plan for every school in the event that it is necessary to remove children from the school building. Students will be relocated to a safe and secure location. Each school has an off-site relocation point for use in the event that students need to be relocated off school property. Parents will be notified of each school’s reunification site, as outlined on Page 4. The reunification site is the only location from which parents will be able to pick up their children.

Please remember to provide your child’s school with the most up-to-date health and emergency information for your family. A form is provided for this purpose in the Policy Handbook for Parents and Students, but you can contact the school at any time to update family information.

Also, please keep in mind that no student is released to any individual who is not specifically listed on the student’s emergency form, including an older sibling. All adults must show photo I.D. when picking up a student.

Your cooperation is necessary in any emergency. We ask that you please follow these guidelines:

  • Do not telephone the school. Telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication.
  • Do not go to your child’s school. Emergency Services vehicles and personnel may need access to the school’s campus. You will be notified where and when to pick up your children, as soon as possible.
  • Turn to local radio (89.7FM, 100.1FM, 1420 AM, 1340 AM) and television stations (Channel 17, 18), the Pittsfield Public Schools website (www.pittsfield.net), or any other local television or radio station.
  • Impress upon your children the need for them to follow the directions of all school personnel in times of an emergency.

Parents should become familiar with the Pittsfield Public Schools’ Emergency Management Plan. Please be patient and respectful of the student release process. Discuss these matters with your immediate family. Planning ahead will help alleviate concern or confusion during emergencies. If you would like further information on the Pittsfield Public Schools’ Emergency Management Plan, a “Family Emergency Response Booklet” is available to you. To obtain a copy, go to www.pittsfield.net or contact your child’s school.

Once again, we want to assure you that in cooperation with local agencies, we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of students, staff, and community. During an emergency, we must all work together and depend upon one another in order to keep our students, staff, and emergency personnel safe.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How will I be notified about emergency situations, procedures, and directives? The District has the responsibility to notify parents about emergency situations at your child’s school as soon as it is practical. The following methods of communication have been established and may be used to notify parents about emergency situations:

  • Connect Ed phone system, used to send instant voice and email messages to all individuals listed as a child’s primary and emergency contact
  • Local radio stations 100.1 FM, 89.7 FM, 1340 AM, and 1420 AM; local cable TV channels 17 and 18; the district website at www.pittsfield.net; or any other local television or radio stations, may be used to communicate accurate information
  • Letters and memos sent home with students to provide information about an emergency event, services available during off school hours, and directions about the next day
  • Parent Information Centers (your school’s parent reunification site)

2. May my child use a cell phone to contact me in an emergency situation? No. We require that all student cell phones be turned off and not used during emergency situations. This is especially important during lockdowns, lockouts, bomb threats, building evacuations, and emergency sheltering situations.

3. Why might students be evacuated from schools? Evacuation is the emergency response procedure used to ensure the safety of students when the building has been threatened (bomb threat) or compromised, or when critical systems have been damaged or present an immediate danger. These situations include fire, toxic spills, flood, natural disasters, and potential acts of violence. The purpose of the evacuation is first to remove students and staff from the imminent danger immediately and then to reunite students with parents in the most effective way possible.

4. Why can’t I go to the school and pick up my child? In the event of an emergency situation while your child is in school, your child is the responsibility of the school. School and emergency personnel will work together to ensure the safety of students and school personnel. Your presence would not allow emergency responders and school personnel do what is necessary to respond appropriately, and, therefore, could compromise the safety and well being of students and staff. Interference with personnel or procedures during an emergency response will result in legal consequences.

Reunification Sites 2011-12

Parents and guardians will reunite with students following a school evacuation at the following locations.

School: Adult Learning Center, 10 Lyman Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 8 Holmes Road, Pittsfield

School: Allendale Elementary School, 180 Connecticut Avenue; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 9 Somerset Avenue, Pittsfield

School: Capeless Elementary School, 86 Brooks Avenue; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 54 Pecks Road, Pittsfield

School: Conte Community School, 200 West Union Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 311 West Housatonic Street

School: Crosby Elementary School 517 West Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 311 West Housatonic Street

School: Egremont Elementary School, 84 Egremont Avenue; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 8 Holmes Road, Pittsfield

School: Morningside Community School 100 Burbank Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 54 Pecks Road, Pittsfield

School: Stearns Elementary School, 75 Lebanon Avenue; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 311 West Housatonic Street

School: Williams Elementary School, 50 Bushey Road; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 8 Holmes Road, Pittsfield

School: Herberg Middle School, 501 Pomeroy Avenue; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 8 Holmes Road, Pittsfield

School: Reid Middle School 950 North Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 54 Pecks Road, Pittsfield

School: Pittsfield High School, 300 East Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 8 Holmes Road, Pittsfield

School: Taconic High School, 96 Valentine Road; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 311 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield

School: Helen Berube Teen Parent Program, 88 South Street; Reunification Site: Pittsfield Fire Department, 311 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield