Emergency Information

KEEPING OUR SCHOOLS SAFE

Walla Walla Public Schools meets the requirements of SAFE SCHOOLS RCW 28A.320.125. Each school has a comprehensive safe schools plan. Each building principal is certified on the use of the Washington “incident command system.” Each school provides for permitting the facility to be used as “a community asset” in the event of a communitywide emergency that is not related to school operations. The school district annually reviews the safe school plan, and a number of other related matters; including inventory, hazardous materials, updating school mapping, identifying all staff trained on the nation’s incident management system or incident command systems, evacuation procedures, and notification of staff on emergency procedures. The district files annual reports on these reviews with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Each school completes monthly safety drills, including a drill for lockdowns, shelter-in-place, and six fire drills. Schools also consider drills for earthquakes, tsunamis, or other high risk events. All drills are documented. Safety is of the utmost importance to us. It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that our children and visitors are safe. In the event of a disaster, we will make every attempt to keep your child at school. We may send home safety information or ask you to participate in training or surveys. Your eyes and ears help us! Please cooperate and model appropriate behaviors so that the children know that this is a top priority.

Fire Drills

When the fire alarm is activated, students are to walk briskly to the nearest exit. The first person to reach the exit should hold the doors open until all persons are clear in his/her section of the building. Staff and students are to evacuate to the field on the 3rd Street side of the building for roll call with their homeroom teacher as practiced in our evacuation drills. An office staff member will verbally inform staff and students when it is safe to return to the building

Emergency Lock-Down

When a Red Lock Down/Intruder announcement occurs, students are to go inside the first available classroom, office, or area that can be secured. Teachers are to lock their doors and cover the windows around the door area and take their students to the wall on the door side opposite the outside windows and remain low and quiet. When a Yellow Lock Down/Emergency announcement occurs, all exterior building doors will be locked. Class is to continue as normal, however no movement between buildings will be permitted. Students and staff are to remain in either Red or Yellow lock down status until an administrator announces that the emergency is over.

Earthquake Alarm

Whenever possible, communication will come to staff and students over the PA system. Should an earthquake occur, teachers will have students get under a desk or move to the nearest solid wall away from windows, duck down, and cover their heads (for protection from falling items.) As soon as it is safe to move, teachers will check for injuries. Students, who are able, will evacuate the building through the nearest safe exit and proceed to the field in front of the school to the spot assigned to the teacher whose class they are in. If there are injured students, the teacher will remain with the injured student(s) and ask one of the healthy students to report that information to the command post.

Emergency Closure/Delay Information

In the event of a school closure, families will be notified by our One Call Now phone message program. Closure information can also be found online at the Walla Walla School District website. It is important to keep the office informed of any phone number changes so that each family can obtain timely information in the event of a school closure or delay.