Emergency Information
Alta Vista has a clearly defined Emergency Plan that focuses on proper planning and action before, during, and after a severe earthquake or school-wide emergency. This plan is evaluated and updated annually. Please review the information below about our safety and emergency procedures. During an emergency, we ask for your cooperation and support in following our procedures.
IMPORTANT: If you need to pick up your child in a declared emergency, you must bring your ID.
School staff are trained in emergency procedures, and we have emergency equipment at the school site. If you are able to pick up your child in an emergency, we can only release children to those people listed on the child's emergency contacts list. The adult picking up the child must also show an ID so we can ensure the safety of all of our students.
Student Release Procedures
The following student emergency release procedure is designed to ensure that parents/guardians know where to go to pick up their children in the event of a school-wide emergency or an event that causes students to be released at an unplanned time. The additional benefits of the release program are to lessen the confusion/panic of an unplanned event and to ensure that students are released only to those people who are written on the emergency card.
Union School District Policy:
IN CASE OF A DECLARED EMERGENCY BY THE SUPERINTENDENT DURING SCHOOL HOURS, ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO REMAIN AT SCHOOL OR AN ALTERNATE, SAFE SITE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF DISTRICT PERSONNEL:
Until regular dismissal time and then released only if it is considered safe, OR
Until released to an adult authorized by the parent or legal guardian whose name appears on District records.
Parent Notification of School Emergency
In the event of a school-wide emergency, the district or school will send out an email, text and phone message through ParentSquare. Note that phones may not be answered at the school in the event of an emergency or be available if networks are affected.
Campus Student Release Procedure
Students and teachers are trained to assemble in a specified location after the initial emergency evacuations. No students will be released until after they move to their grade level areas.
Your student will only be released to the parent/guardian or someone designated by the parent/guardian on the emergency card.
Important Note: During certain emergency situations, we may be unable to attempt to contact parents/guardians. This means that the first person who arrives at the school and is listed on the emergency card will be able to sign out and leave with your student. We make a note of who signs a student out and their destination so that a parent/guardian will know how to locate their child.
When you arrive on campus to pick up your child, follow the protocol and remain calm.
Prior to Arriving
Bring I.D. (driver’s license or passport). This is critically important to ensure that the students are released only to authorized people.
Know whom you are picking up. Remember that once the child is released to an authorized adult, that adult is now responsible for that child!
Arriving at School
Park in a safe location. Do not block driveways, gates, or parking lot drive-through.
WALK on to the campus. The school will already be following its emergency procedures. Calmly follow the directions of the staff.
You will be directed to your child’s grade level area for checkout. Wait for your turn, then identify yourself and whom you are picking up. Present your identification to the staff member who is helping you.
**Remember you must be listed on the emergency card. NO EXCEPTIONS! Parents who have more than one child to check out will have to proceed to each grade level release area.
This procedure will take time! Do not be in a hurry or panic. The protocol is set up to make sure each child is released to an authorized adult, to account for each child, and to make the atmosphere as calm and non-stressful as possible for both the students (who are waiting) and the parents/guardians (who are checking them out).
After signing out the children, we ask that you leave the campus immediately.