Calvert County Public School System - Emergency Plan Letter

[Admin]

The Calvert County Public School system has released this letter to parents and the public. The St. Mary's School system released a similar letter a few days ago. We will post it later on today.

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February 19, 2003

Dear Parents/Guardians:

The safety of your children, our staff, and our schools will always be our highest priority. Given the serious warnings from the Department of Homeland Defense, the Calvert County Public School System (CCPS) is thinking and planning for possible events and appropriate responses to those events. All of the plans we have made address, in a prudent manner, how to respond to various situations and provide direction and guidelines to schools about how to implement instructions they receive during an emergency from not only the school system but also appropriate local, state and federal agencies. A listing of local emergency information is at the bottom of this letter.

The Calvert County Public School System has a representative on the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and is also represented at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during times of crisis. In addition, CCPS Central Office has a system-wide emergency team that interacts with the EOC and all schools, offices and facilities in the system. Each of our schools and departments likewise has an emergency plan specific to that location.

In the event of an emergency situation in Calvert County or one of the areas adjacent to it, local and state agencies will provide direction to the school system. During any emergency, the EOC will be activated and direct the school system in the implementation of one of the following procedures:

* Lockdown: This initial response secures all students and adults in the school building and requires the locking of all doors and windows. Students are released to parents or other individuals listed on the student's emergency form through each school's Orderly Dismissal Plan. Please keep in mind that no student is released to any individual who is not specifically listed on the student's emergency form, including an older sibling. All adults must show photo I.D. when picking up a student.

* Shelter-in-Place: These procedures involve housing students in the building until the danger has passed. Air and water quality are monitored and adjusted as appropriate and the transfer of the facility to a county agency for supervision during the crisis is made through the EOC. The direction to Shelter-in-Place will only be implemented by the EOC in a situation where the environment is so critically dangerous that it would be unsafe for parents to travel to schools and for schools to open their doors thereby exposing those inside to an external hazard.

Parents can help by:

* Giving the most accurate, up-to-date health and emergency information to your child's school office.
* Ensuring your own safety.
* Creating a family emergency plan.
* Tuning in to local radio and television stations and checking the CCPS' website at www.calvertnet.k12.md.us.

Once again, we want to assure you that in cooperation with local agencies, we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of students, staff and community. Certainly in times like these, we must all work together and depend upon one another in order to keep everyone out of harm's way. We thank you for all you do in support of Calvert County Public Schools and this community.

Sincerely,
J. Kenneth Horsmon
Deputy Superintendent
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LOCAL EMERGENCY RESOURCES

T.V. Channels

4
45
7
9
11

Radio Stations

WSMD 98.3 FM Mechanicsville
WMDM 97.7 FM Lexington Park
WWZZ 104.1 FM LaPlata
WKIK 102.9 FM California

Websites

Calvert County Public Schools: www.calvertnet.k12.md.us
Calvert County Emergency Operations Center: www.co.cal.md.us/pubsafe