Philosophy & Purpose of HHS/RSD Emergency Management Guide

The purpose of the EMG is to provide a framework for communication, assessment, organization, decision-making and follow-up during an emergency.  Such a plan should minimize the effects of shock and grief on our ability to function during a stressful time.  At the core of this plan is the Emergency Management Team.  This multidisciplinary group brings a variety of skills and viewpoints to the planning and implementation of the plan in the event of a crisis.  The Emergency Management Team should be assembled in all or in part for all emergencies, regardless of their size.  This team will facilitate communication, help to calm, reassure and support staff, students and parents, and provide staff members with appropriate information.

 Team members include department heads from:

School Administration, Social Services, Nurse, Secretarial, Maintenance

Police Chief and School Resource Officer

Fire Chief

The kind of situation that is considered an emergency may vary from one that involves a single student or family, to one that involves a whole class, grade, school or district.  Specific examples include, but are not limited to, DCFS reporting, illness, injury, or death of a student or staff person, suicide, natural disasters, (tornadoes, floods), tragedies such as the September 11th disaster and other situations in which the students feel and/or are in actual danger (concerns regarding kidnapping, shootings.)  The emergency may occur in the school or outside of the school and affect student(s) or staff members(s).  An emergency may also be a catastrophic or tragic event occurring within or without the educational milieu and affecting a significant segment of the population directly or indirectly.  A tragic event that occurs outside of the normal school calendar time may also be considered crisis.

 The Emergency Management Guide is broken down into fifteen quick reference sections to provide decision makers with the needed resources in an emergency.  The EMG is always considered a work-in-progress and must be reviewed and updated every year and after every emergency.  Sections of the Emergency Management Guide are available to school staff through their administrators and identified Emergency Management Team members.   It is essential that staff members familiarize themselves with the twenty Emergency Management Protocols and related documents beyond what is posted in their classrooms. 

EMG Color Code - Lockdown

Stop - Caution - Resume

School staff and first responders from the police and fire departments have been trained in the EMG manual contents and directives.  Directives include staff and responder responsibilities during a school lockdown under the EMG Color Code system and posted quick reference EMG materials in each classroom.

CODE RED

(hard lockdown)

Indicates a very serious or dangerous situation exists

CODE YELLOW

(soft lockdown)

Indicates a situation exists for shelter in place or evacuation

CODE GREEN

(all clear)

Indicates the situation has been resolved and teachers can resume normal activity pending direction of principal.

HHS & RSD Messaging System

Both districts provide a messaging system that will send automated notices from the school for anything from a snow day to an emergency.  Follow the provided links for information on how to contact school staff to sign-up for the notices.  We also recommend that you sign-up for one of the departments SNS accounts that would be used to provide immediate information to parents by department command in an emergency.