Refer to complete procedures included in the District’s School Emergency Preparedness Guide
School: View Royal Elementary
Principal/Vice Principal: Jen Fahr & Amanda Johnson Contact Phone Number: 250-479-1671
School Police Liaison Officer: West Shore RCMP
Alternative Evacuation Site Location: Shoreline Middle School, 2750 Shoreline Dr.
Protocols could not possibly be outlined for every emergency situation. The professional judgment of the administrator will always be important in determining actions. The following is a quick reference for some of the processes in place to deal with emergency situations.
Please refer to the following for updated information during an emergency within our district or regarding specific schools: www.sd61.bc.ca, CFAX, 107.3, 100.3, CBC Radio, 100.3 The Q, The Ocean 98.5, Times Colonist, Black Press, CTV, CHEK News
Facebook and Twitter: Updates are also posted on the Greater Victoria School District Facebook account and Twitter account @sd61schools
EMERGENCY DRILLS AND SUPPORT INFORMATION:
CIRT
The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) provides support to schools and families in dealing with critical incidents through a provision of expertise, resources and additional counseling. The team will develop an action plan in response to a critical incident and may invite the district CIRT to provide further support.
EARTHQUAKE
In the event of an earthquake, students will be instructed to drop and cover. Drop and cover follows this process: drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it until the shaking stops. Evacuation will proceed as outlined in the School Emergency Preparedness Guide. Earth quake drills are practiced a minimum of twice per year at each grade level.
FIRE
In the event of a fire within a school, the fire alarm will be sounded by the person discovering the fire. Students will be evacuated from the building using the nearest safe exit and will assemble at a predetermined location where attendance will be taken and the names of missing students and their possible location are reported to the Principal. Fire drills are practiced on a regular basis, once per month at elementary and every two months at middle and secondary.
HOLD & SECURE
A ‘hold & secure’ should be used when it is desirable to secure the school due to an ongoing situation outside the school and not related to the school (e.g. a robbery occurs near a school, a cougar has been sighted in the neighbourhood). In this situation the school continues to function normally, with the exterior doors being locked until such time as the situation near the school is resolved. After any hold & secure, a communication will go out to parents/guardians briefly outlining the situation and how it was handled.
LOCKDOWN
A ‘lockdown’ should only be used when there is a major incident or threat of school violence within the school, or in relation to the school. The school will follow the established lockdown procedures. Parents should wait for information from the school district before coming to the school. After any lockdown, a communication will go out to parents/guardians briefly outlining the situation and how it was handled. Lockdown drills are practiced at the school, at least one per year, and include the school liaison officer.
VTRA
Fair Notice for our Parent Community: The Greater Victoria School District is committed to creating and maintaining school environments in which students, staff, parents/guardians/caregivers and others feel safe. From time to time it may be necessary to complete a Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) in response to threatening behavior toward students or staff. To ensure and promote the emotional and physical safety of students, staff, parents/guardians/caregivers and others, threats must be taken seriously, investigated and responded to. The VTRA will allow the school to plan the interventions necessary to prevent traumatic events in schools and ensure the safety of all.
The school district is subject to personal information privacy laws, and will undertake the collection of information during a VTRA in compliance with the requirement s of such laws, including by limiting collection to information that is relevant and necessary to address a risk of threat and by ensuring that information is collected from publicly available open source social media sites. The school district will not collect information as part of a threat assessment unless there is reason to believe that a risk exists. Information collected as part of a threat assessment may be provided to law enforcement authorities in appropriate circumstances.
PARENT INFORMATION
In the event that students cannot be released from the school site, our alternative student pick-up location site is: Shoreline Middle School 2750 Shoreline Dr.
Please wait for information from the school district before coming to the school to pick up your child. Information can be found at: www.sd61.bc.ca, CFAX, 107.3, 100.3 The Q, The Ocean 98.5, Times Colonist, Black Press, CTV, CHEK News
Facebook and Twitter: Updates are also posted on the Greater Victoria School District Facebook account and Twitter account @sd61schools
***Student’s will only be released to the parent/guardians or individual(s) listed as an emergency designate. Please ensure the school has updated information for your child.