Evacuation Drills to Boost Readiness
Evacuation drills are being held at district buildings throughout
the school year. The drills are conducted under the leadership of
local police departments and are being done so that students, staff,
and first responders become even more familiar with the proper
procedures in case of an emergency. During these drills, students
and staff members evacuate to a host facility, just as they would
in an emergency that would require a move to a different location.
To further ensure the safety of the students and staff, local police
departments always have ambulances and fire trucks on hand during
the drills. Also, the teachers, staff, and school nurse are fully prepared,
just as they would be in a true emergency.
District ALICE Certified
Fairview Elementary School Principal Becky Stephan, Ed.D.,
talked with first responders prior to the evacuation drill at
Fairview in November.
The Fox Chapel Area School District recently was named an ALICE
Certified Organization, which means that the district “has successfully
met the requirements of the ALICE Training Institute’s Certified
Organization program, in active shooter response preparedness. …”
The district is one of only several dozen organizations in the nation
to earn the certification. Fox Chapel Area has trained ALICE
Certified Employees, participated in an Active Shooter Proactive
Response Drill, and has a Proactive Response Outline in EOPs
(Emergency Operations Plans). The certification is good for the
2018-2019 school year. ALICE, an active shooter response program,
stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate.
Raptor ® Visitor Management System
The district is in the process of implementing the Raptor Visitor
Management System in all district buildings. Raptor offers instant sex
offender screening; checks school visitors against databases to check
for custody alerts and banned visitors; keeps accurate and reliable
records for every visitor that enters a school; and offers districtwide
reporting.
In November, Fairview Elementary students participated in an
evacuation drill where they relocated to a host facility.
“Sadly, in this day and age, we have to take these precautions,” said
David McCommons, Ed.D., deputy superintendent for the Fox
Chapel Area School District. “Everyone is welcome in our buildings,
but we have to be sure that those we’re welcoming are safe to be
around our children.”
Ruvna Crisis Communication Tool
Fox Chapel Area will be implementing Ruvna, a crisis communication
platform that faculty and staff members will use in the event of an
emergency. A replacement for paper and clipboard rosters, Ruvna
allows teachers to account for students during a crisis, facilitates
faculty interaction during an emergency, and dispatches help
immediately to students or staff who require assistance. It works
directly with the district’s student information system.
Officer Scott Bailey was greeted by a second‑grade student at
Kerrtoberfest in October.
Fox Chapel Area School Board member Eric Schmidt said the safety
of students and staff is among the top priorities in the district. Mr.
Schmidt serves as the School Board safety liaison and has a special
interest in safety, as he not only works for the Allegheny Health
Network, but also is a local paramedic.
“Though we already had a number of security measures in place at
all of our buildings, we never stop thinking of how we can make
our schools safer,” said Mr. Schmidt. “It’s a conversation we’ll keep
having.”
In September, Dorseyville Middle School and Hartwood
Elementary students participated in an evacuation drill where
they relocated to a host facility.
FOX CHAPEL AREA
❘
WINTER 2018
13