References:
Utah Administrative Code R277-400 https://rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r277/r277-400.htm
http://iloveuguys.org/
http://iloveuguys.org/srm/Standard%20Reunification%20Method.pdf

PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to set guidelines for the release of students following an emergency situation. The reunification process involves establishing a secure location for students, notifying parents, and reuniting students with parents in a safe and orderly manner. This procedure may take place after a crisis and evacuation of a school, and could occur at an off-site location.

 ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
Utah Administrative Code R22-400 (School Facility Emergency and Safety) establishes general criteria for both emergency preparedness and emergency response plans of schools and LEAS in the event of school emergencies. A LEA’s plan shall contain measures which assure that school children receive reasonably adequate educational services and supervision during school hours during an emergency and for education services in an extended emergency situation.

R277-400.5 requires evacuation procedures shall assure reasonable care and supervision of children until responsibility has been affirmatively assumed by another responsible party. LEAs or schools shall not release children younger than ninth grade at other than regularly scheduled release times unless the parents or other responsible persons have been notified and have assumed responsibility for the children. LEAs or schools may release older children without such notification if a school official determines that the children are reasonably responsible and notification is not practicable.

Although the provisions in R277-400.5 specify children younger than 9th grade shall not be released unless the parents or other responsible persons have been notified, Weber School District extends this condition to students younger than 10th grade. The purpose for this extension is to provide uniformity at the junior high school level since all junior highs in Weber School District include grades 7th through 9th. High school students (grades 10th through 12th) may be released without such notification according to code. 

DEFINITIONS

• Parents – For the purposes of this section, the term “parents” refers to a student’s parent, guardian, or responsible person who is listed as an emergency contact for the student.
• LEA - Local Education Agency (school district)
• MOU - Formal agreement between two parties to establish official partnerships
• SRM - Standard Response Method
• SRP - Standard Response Protocol
• Student demographic card – A card that contains a student’s name and data, along with the parent or responsible person’s contact information
• WSD Notifier - The notification system used by Weber School District to send information to parents. Parents must “opt-in” in order to receive messages

STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOL
In cooperation with local law enforcement, Weber School District follows established guidelines set forth in the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Weber School District has entered into an agreement with the “I Love U Guys” Foundation for use of licensed materials regarding the SRP.

STANDARD REUNIFICATION METHOD
Part of the SRP is the Standard Reunification Method (SRM) which provides recommendations for the release of students to parents following an emergency situation.

Reunification involves the management of the physical location of students, and the process of safely reuniting students with parents. This procedure is conducted by district and school personnel.

REUNIFICATION TEAM

Weber School District has a designated reunification team comprised of district employees. The team is supervised by the Community Relations and Safety Specialist or his/her designee who will act as the incident commander.

In the event of an emergency and the need to reunify students with parents, the team will be activated and deployed to oversee the reunification process. Once on-scene, the district team will assume command and integrate school personnel into the team. It should be noted that school personnel may be directly affected by the crisis and may not be able to adequately perform in certain roles. The concept behind having a district-level team is to provide an emotionally detached, independent group to oversee operations.

During a large scale catastrophe such as an earthquake where multiple schools are affected, individual school teams may be required to complete the reunification process with minimal or no assistance from the district team. School personnel should be familiar with the SRP and SRM in order to effectively complete all required tasks. The district will provide training to administrators and safety facilitators on the reunification procedure. Each school should also conduct regular drills on the SRP and SRM.

OBJECTIVES

 The core concept of reunification rests upon accountability while maintaining simplicity. This is accomplished by meeting the following objectives:

1. Establishing a safe and secure staging area for students beyond the field of vision of the public.
2. Sending out proper and timely notifications.
3. Establishing check-in and verification stations for parents.
4. Establishing a systematic procedure for retrieving students.
5. Establishing a reunification area where students are released to parents.

EQUIPMENT
The district has an emergency response trailer that is housed in the Tech Services building at BDO. The enclosed trailer contains all supplies and equipment necessary to complete the reunification process. Items include, but are not limited to, student demographic cards, appropriate signage, safety vests, folding tables and chairs, and four large canopies. 

 The trailer is deployed by contacting Tech Services (801) 479-7989. Tech Services employees will then respond to the designated location with the trailer and will assist with the reunification process.

STUDENT STAGING AREA 
Under the SRP, law enforcement is primarily responsible for the evacuation procedure following an emergency. According to each school’s emergency plan, pre-determined evacuation sites should be identified. Law enforcement officials will ultimately have the discretion to designate a safe and proper evacuation site.

The student staging area at the evacuation site should be able to reasonably accommodate students and staff, and should be out of the line of site of parents and the public. The location should also be practicable for the reunification procedure to take place. 

Once students are secure in the staging area, law enforcement will turn command over to school officials to begin reunification. Students should be organized into grades with teachers having the primary responsibility for the safety and well-being of their students. Law enforcement will remain on scene in a secondary role to assist with the process and to provide security.

Nursing and medical personnel should also be in place near the student staging area in case of an emergency.

STAGING AREAS AND PROCEDURES

Independent stations shall be established to ensure the reunification is conducted in a safe and orderly fashion.  

1. Parking – Designated parking areas shall be established for parents. Traffic flow patterns should be identified to allow for easy ingress and egress.
2. Check-in station – Signage will be in place directing parents to the initial check-in station. This area should be highly visible with personnel from the reunification team positioned to act as greeters. At this station, parents will be required to fill-out a demographic card. A designated number of reunification team members will oversee this task. Once the card is complete, parents will be directed to the verification station.
3. Verification station – This station will be broken up alphabetically into different sections according to students’ last names (e.g. A-E). There should also be a section designated as “Special Circumstances.” Parents will present the demographic card to a reunification team member. The information on the card will be verified with the school’s emergency contact records to ensure the person presenting the card is authorized to take custody of the student. This individual must also present a valid form of identification such as a driver’s license. Once verified, the card will be given back to the person and they will be directed to the parent waiting area.
   
   If an individual is not listed on the student’s emergency contact list, they will not be allowed to pick-up the student. They should then be directed to the “Special Circumstances” section where school officials can try to resolve the issue.
   
   If an individual does not have identification, they will be directed to a law enforcement officer at the “Special Circumstances” station to try and verify identity.
   
   The “Special Circumstances” section may also be used for parents with disabilities/ADA access concerns, or language communication barriers. In the tragic event of a student injury or death, parents will be directed to a “Student Services” station. This area will be isolated from the other stations with appropriate support staff on-scene, including crisis counselors. Law enforcement may also designate a portion of this area for investigative purposes where witness interviews could be conducted.
4. Parent waiting area – Once verified, parents will be directed to the parent waiting area. At this station, a designated “runner” from the reunification team will meet with the parent to obtain the bottom portion of the demographic card. The parent will retain the top portion of the card. The parent will then be directed to the reunification station while the runner retrieves the student.
5. Reunification station - Once the runner has retrieved the student from the student staging area, they will take them to the reunification station. The runner will then match the two portions of the demographic card. After the portions of the card are verified, the student will be reunited with their parent as part of a controlled released. They should then be instructed to exit the grounds.
   
   In the event that a parent does not respond to pick-up a student, efforts will be made to contact the parent to make other arrangements. This may include transporting the student home by bus.

NOTIFICATIONS
Typically, notifications should only be sent to parents after students are secure in the student staging area. Messages will be sent out via the WSD Notifier alerting parents of the situation along with providing details on the reunification process. Information should include the nature of the incident, the location of the evacuation site, and other pertinent instructions. Details should include the designated time to pick-up students, and a reminder to bring ID. The WSD Notifier utilizes text messaging, email, Twitter, and school websites. In addition to the WSD Notifier, information may also be sent out using the school’s messaging platforms.

During an emergency, it is strongly discouraged that students and teachers send out individual notifications. Once the scene is secure, school officials may consider having students send a notification to their parents advising them that they are safe and to not respond to the school until directed to do so. Depending on the situation, it may be recommended to keep cellular network usage at a minimum.

School officials should expect to encounter a large number of parents arriving at the scene immediately following a crisis and after receiving notification of the reunification procedure. Some of these parents could be emotional, upset and impatient. It’s extremely important to maintain the integrity of the process and to remember there is no set timeframe for completing reunification. 

TRANSPORTATION
In the event that circumstances require transporting students to an off-site location, contact will be made with the Transportation Department to arrange for busing (801) 476-7930. The Weber County Sheriff’s Office has two pre-determined evacuation sites in the county. Other locations may also be considered.

CONCLUSION
Weber School District has a process in place to safely and systematically reunite parents with students following a crisis situation. This policy sets forth guidelines for establishing a secure location for students, notifying parents of the reunification procedure, and reunifying students with parents in a safe and orderly manner. These protocols are in-line with state administrative code and follow the recommendations set forth in the Standard Reunification Method, a nationally recognized program developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation for dealing with school emergencies. Understanding that no two emergencies are alike, these guidelines may be modified as individual circumstances dictate.

Approved by the Board 03/07/2018