Children in School

Checking on Your Child
In the event of a community or national emergency, an evacuation, or a shelter-in-place order, parents should check the local media and local school cable stations, hot lines, and websites for announcements about changes in school openings and closings.

News about changes in school schedules is routinely disseminated through local radio and television stations.

Picking Up Your Child
Generally, unless evacuation of a particular school is ordered, students will be kept at school until school officials can safely transport them home.

Because the best place for children during a regional crisis may be in school, parents are discouraged from going to school to pick up their children. If a parent goes to school, he or she should be prepared to present identification required by the school system, usually a photo I.D.

Note that if a school is ordered to shelter-in-place, no one will be allowed in or out of the school building until the danger is passed. In that event, parents (for their own safety) should remain indoors.
Relying on the school to transport the children home on normal bus routes will help avoid gridlock in and around schools and help keep roads clear for essential emergency vehicles.