AJUSD Emergency Response Plan

In 1999 the Apache Junction Unified School District (AJUSD) in cooperation with the local police and fire authorities developed a comprehensive plan to respond to various emergencies. This plan is reviewed and revised by the District Emergency Response Team regularly. The team consists of representatives from each school and department, the local fire and police departments and other local agencies.

The goal of the District Emergency Response Plan is to enable the staff, students and parents of the Apache Junction Unified School District to handle an unexpected crisis safely and with confidence.

To ensure all students and staff know what to do in the event of an actual emergency, fire drills and Code Red (Lock Down) Drills are a major part of the plan. For information on how Code Red Drills are conducted, scroll down to CODE RED DRILL PROCEDURE.

When news breaks of an emergency at school, every parent's first reaction is to rush to the school to pick up his or her child. A large number of parents arriving at school can increase the risk to students. Also, there may be a need for the District to transport your child to an alternate location. Please do not drive to your child's school until you learn it is clear to do so.

Following are some tips for parents if an emergency should occur on or near Apache Junction school grounds.

- Call the District Emergency Hotline at 1-866-346-2653 for information regarding a specific situation. This line will be updated as information is received by the District. You will be provided with all pertinent information including evacuation and parent pick-up sites when necessary. This line is available 24 hours per day and you may leave a message if you wish.

- Log on to this web site often. Information will be continuously updated. Please NOTE: You will need to close this page and reopen it to receive the updates.

- Tune your radio or TV to a local station for the latest information and updates. When we are aware of a station reporting District Emergency information, we will include the TV channel's number or Radio station's call sign in our Emergency Hotline message and at the top of this page.

- Please do not call the school. When a school is in lockdown, they are unable to answer incoming calls. Instead call the Emergency Hotline at 1-866-346-2653 or the District Office at 480-982-1110, ext. 0 or ext. 2047.

How can you help?
Wait for instructions from the District before driving to your child's school.

Emergency vehicles must have the priority and you may impede emergency response personnel. If your child has been moved to another location you will be provided with information concerning where to pick up your child. Information concerning emergency situations will be readily available by calling the District's Emergency Hotline: 1-866-346-2653.

Picking up your child
Stay by your phone. Make sure the school has your current telephone or cell phone number.

Please do not drive to the problem area. The police and other agencies are working to keep the students and staff safe. If large numbers of parents and relatives arrive on scene, it will make the task much more difficult. Please wait for instructions directing you to the site where you may pick up your student. Information will be posted on this site and on the Emergency Hotline as soon as it is available.

Update contact phone numbers
Make sure the District is able to contact you if needed.

In an emergency situation, one of the most important pieces of information schools can have is the most current telephone number for parents. In many scenarios, your child's school may be trying to reach you to advise you of the situation. If they do not have a current home, work or emergency number they will be unable to contact you. Please notify your child's school immediately if your phone number at home or work changes.

Cell Phones
Please try to stay off your cell phone. Instruct your children not to use their cell phones during an emergency.

One of the biggest problems during the Columbine crisis was the number of cell phones in use. So many calls were being placed that the 911 systems crashed and general circuits were jammed adding to the sense of panic in the community. In the event of an emergency, information will be communicated to the media (television, radio) for broadcast and District personnel will be contacting parents.

- Listen carefully to the instructions of the police, fire department or school district officials.

CODE RED DRILL PROCEDURE

Generally each school will conduct 4 Code Red Drills per school year. The schedule for the drills varies from school to school. These Code Red Drills are an integral part of the District Emergency Response plan.

The drill begins with the principal or a representative announcing over the intercom, "Attention Students and Staff, this is a Code Red. All students and staff please go into Lockdown procedure immediately." Everyone should stop what he or she is doing and follow the lockdown procedure.

When a Code Red is announced, everyone is locked into the school. This includes volunteers, visitors and outside vendors.

Office Staff
The office staff will lock all access doors, put a sign on the front door stating that the school is in lockdown and if necessary, they will proceed to a predetermined location away from the office. Some of the office staff initiates calls to the Police Department, District Office, Transportation and related areas. Others will prepare to receive attendance counts and verify that everyone on campus (students, staff, volunteers and visitors) is accounted for.

Students
The students will stay in their rooms and remain quiet to make the room appear empty. If students are outside when the Code Red is called, they will proceed quickly to the nearest classroom regardless of whether it is their classroom or not.

Teachers
The teachers will go to their doors, check nearby for students in the immediate area and close and lock their doors and turn down the lights. Teachers are to make the room appear as if it is empty by keeping students quiet. Teachers then take attendance and provide the information to the office staff through a predetermined system.

All Other Supervisors
Supervisors will take attendance of all their personnel and vendors in their area.

In Summary
The schools learn from every drill. Information gained from these drills is shared with the Emergency Response Team at regularly scheduled meetings. We learn what worked and what improvements need to be made. This is why the drills are critical to the success and safety of all district students and staff!

The AJUSD Emergency Response Team welcomes any input. Please click on the link below to share any information or suggestions you may have. Thank you.

Click here to email your questions to AJUSD Emergency Response personnel.