I had a feeling that was likely what happened....I have to admit, I think I'd be pretty steamed. Glad the other administrators in other buildings realized how bad it was. The timing of the storm was about as bad as it could have been. Nonetheless, that's why schools have crisis plans.

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Originally posted by Amy:
All schools are equipped with an emergency weather alert system. When severe weather is approaching, the alert goes off (annoying and somewhat loud) and an announcement follows explaining what is approaching. Usually schools have 30 minutes or so of warning time. I'm a little suprised Churchill dismissed given that some kids walk nearly a mile but, I wasn't there...I think the parents will likely handle this.

If I am remembering Dr. Riebock's Superintendent's Report correctly, this alarm system did not sound at Churchill. No one on staff heard any tornado alarms go off either. I would suggest folks contact the D41 offices for more info about the Churchill timeline.

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
Glad the other administrators in other buildings realized how bad it was.

Remember that, because it is a closed campus, Churchill lets out earlier than the other schools in the District. So the storm was hitting shortly after they began to let out and shortly before/as the others were to begin.

this is hearsay from a churchill parent, but I was told the school made the decision to the let the children out early because they knew a storm was headed their way.

right on, bob solak. those posts speak the truth.

having a household member who works at a d41 school i did find out one interesting fact: the schools have emergency plans that work quite well "during" a school day. the glitch for the staff at these schools is that the storm came so close to end-of-day. it became apparent that the schools weren't as well prepared for emergency situations when school is in flux, so to speak. as a result,things got pretty confusing, but not ONLY because of lack of training in this type of situation.

imagine this scenario: some teachers were dismissing kids; others had their classes hunkering down. add to the confusion, dozens of parents who were arriving on foot now needed to be rushed into the schools for their own safety -- putting staff at additional risk (btw, i've read/heard so much blame about the schools not heeding weather warnings, yet no one is talking about all the clueless mommies strolling up ON FOOT to schools to pick up their kids -- shouldn't THEY have known about the impending storm too? if they did, why in god's name would they have been WALKING to school?). in fact, much of the confusion at each school was caused by the parents who didn't understand the schools' emergency protocols and as such were not following the procedures in the same orderly fashion the children were. in a matter of a few minutes, each school was dealing with a situation where staff were trying to get frightened kids AND confused (and in some cases, uncooperative) parents into emergency mode.

moral of the story: d41 MUST work on emergency drills for all times of day (including opening and closing of school days when parents come into the picture). parents need to use a lot more common sense and follow the rules if they're going to enter the schools during emergency drills.

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
It became apparent that the schools weren't as well prepared for emergency situations when school is in flux, so to speak. as a result,things got pretty confusing, but not ONLY because of lack of training in this type of situation.

Exactly my point when I commented about the storm coming at perhaps the worst possible time...it's a difficult spot to be in, having to make that kind of decision.

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(btw, i've read/heard so much blame about the schools not heeding weather warnings, yet no one is talking about all the clueless mommies strolling up ON FOOT to schools to pick up their kids -- shouldn't THEY have known about the impending storm too? if they did, why in god's name would they have been WALKING to school?).

That's a very good point. I suppose as Bob said that if Churchill didn't get the warning (I have to say I'd be suprised since I know the one at Hadley was going off nearly an hour before it hit), then parents didn't know either. We had seen the radar earlier in the day at our house and as the skies greyed up, I assumed (a dangerous thing, I know) that the schools would hold the kids. Either way, it was a bad decision to let the kids out...people make bad decisions all the time. It's called being human. My guess is that they will be much more cautious next time.

quote:

moral of the story: d41 MUST work on emergency drills for all times of day (including opening and closing of school days when parents come into the picture). parents need to use a lot more common sense and follow the rules if they're going to enter the schools during emergency drills.

Couldn't agree more. It was a difficult spot to be in and raises the issue for discussion and better planning - just like the Village's response. All schools should update their crisis/emergency plans at the end of the school year or at least over the summer and then review it at the beginning of every school year with staff during their institute days. As a counselor, I nag for it but it doesn't always happen - at least not well. Unfortunately, the reality is, schools end up dealing with more crises these days and they need to be as prepared as possible by relying on staff to pitch in and know their roles.