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Administrative Procedure 170: School Emergency Procedures

Legal References

Education Act: Section 265 (1) (j) Duties of Principal: Care of Pupils; Ministry of Education Policy/Program Memorandum 161 Supporting Children and Students with Prevalent Medical Conditions (anaphylaxis, asthmas, diabetes and/or epilepsy) in Schools; Guideline - Ontario Schools Code of Conduct; Occupational Health and Safety Act

Related References

Administrative Procedure (AP) 160 Access to School Premises; AP 175 Reporting Hazards, Incidents and Occupational Illness; AP 176 Bomb Threats; AP 178 Inclement/Severe Weather; AP 179 Lockdown and Hold/Secure; AP 180 First Aid and Medical Emergencies; AP 182 Tragic Events Response; AP 314 Supporting Students with Prevalent Medical Conditions in Schools; AP 357 Violence Threat and Assessment; AP 359 Police and School Board Protocol; AP 364 Search and Seizure Guidelines; AP 404 Violence Prevention in the Workplace; AP 414 Refusing Unsafe Work; AP 540 Hazardous Materials Disposal; AP 589 Transportation; Form 170 School Emergency Drill Log

1. Guidelines for School Emergency Plans

The Avon Maitland District School Board has developed this administrative procedure to provide guidelines for the development of school emergency plans.

2. Emergency Plans

2.1 Every principal shall develop a School Emergency Plan dealing with:
    1. Bomb Threats - AP 176
    2. School Emergency Procedures - Fire Drills and False Alarms - AP 170
    3. Emergency Evacuation and Relocation – AP 176 and AP 170, Section 5
    4. Inclement/Severe Weather - AP 178
    5. Lockdown and Hold/Secure - Major Incident or Threat of Violence and Hold & Secure Measures - AP 179
    6. Medical Emergencies and First Aid - AP 180
    7. Supporting Students with Prevalent Medical Conditions in Schools - AP 314 Sample School Emergency Plans (Elementary and Secondary) are available from the superintendent responsible for emergency measures.
2.2 Every principal shall maintain an Emergency Measures Binder containing hard copies of the required administrative procedures (see Section 2.1 above) and the
locally developed individual emergency school plan.
 
2.3 Every principal shall ensure that emergency plans, evacuation procedures and routes are posted in all occupied rooms of the school (replacement posters are
available from the Education Centre).

2.4 Every principal shall ensure that emergency plans are updated and reviewed with all staff, shared facility users and students of the school at the beginning of the school year. New or transferred employees must be in-serviced as soon as possible after their start at the school. Principals must also develop a mechanism to share emergency information/plans with occasional staff, volunteers and individuals or groups who make use of the facility.

2.5 Principals must ensure that all community partners, especially parents, know the procedures to be followed in emergencies. School newsletters, parent meetings
school websites, etc. are suitable forums. Such communication shall occur annually, early in the school year. For building security reasons, school floor plans and site plans should not be posted on the internet.

2.6 Schools are community hubs; therefore, accessibility to guests, volunteers/renters need to be considered and communicated. Building evacuation plans should be provided to renters so they know what to consider in evacuating their members who are disabled.

2.7 Principals are to file a current copy of the school emergency plan with the supervisory officer responsible for emergency measures prior to the start of each
school year.

2.8 Emergency Response Bag

2.8.1 Every principal must ensure that an emergency response bag, whose contents are kept up to date, is available in the front office of the school, with
the following contents:
      1. School site plan (that indicates exits, fire extinguishers, eye wash stations, safety showers, first aid kits, pull stations)
      2. Accurate floor plans including command location(s) in the event of a major incident
      3. Location and nature of special education classrooms
      4. Gas and water shut off locations
      5. Staff list
      6. Student list and attendance roster
      7. Location and phone number of emergency relocation site and offsite command post location
      8. Emergency contact numbers
      9. Pictures of school areas (e.g., cafeteria, gymnasium, library)
      10. Individual Medical Management Plans of Care
      11. Master key
      12. Plans for the evacuation of individuals with special needs (students and adults), naming the individuals affected by such plans This bag is to be transferred to the community emergency response leader (police, fire, etc.) in an actual emergency.
2.8.2 The principal shall ensure that the contents of the Emergency Response Bag are updated at the start of each school year.

3. Emergency Drills

3.1. Every principal shall conduct emergency fire drills three times between school opening and December 31st and three times between January 1st and the last school day of the school year.

3.2. Every principal shall conduct emergency Shelter in Place (tornado) drills twice per year.

3.3. Every principal shall conduct at least two Lockdown drills each year, one in September or October and one in February or March.

3.4. Every principal shall conduct at least one Medical Emergency drill each year.

3.5. Every principal shall conduct at least one Bomb Threat drill each year.

3.6. Every person in a school building shall take part in all emergency drills.

3.7. Consideration should be given to involving local police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) in training and/or drills.

3.8. A record of the emergency drills (see Form 170A School Emergency Drill Log), shall be maintained by the principal, including date and time of drill, length of time to evacuate and any problems. This record will be recorded in the School Emergency Measures binder and forwarded to the superintendent of operations at the end of each school year.

4. Emergency Response Team

4.1. Each school will have an emergency response team (ERT) that will consist of the principal, vice-principal (if applicable) and two to four staff members. It is understood that the latter are volunteers. Principals may consider adding additional staff to this team given the size of their student population.

4.2. It is recommended that members of the emergency response team receive training in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), where appropriate, general first aid, training on the specific response to students with prevalent medical conditions (e.g. reliever inhaler) and non-violent conflict resolution.

4.3. As per the requirements of Administrative Procedure 314: Supporting Students with Prevalent Medical Conditions, all staff must be trained on the manual use of the EpiPen.

4.4. The principal must review the make-up of the emergency response team at the beginning of each school year.

5. Emergency Off-Site Evacuation and Relocation

5.1. In all cases of an emergency requiring off-site evacuation and relocation, the principal or delegate will promptly notify the supervisory officer responsible for
emergency measures and, if appropriate, call 911.

5.2. The emergency off-site evacuation and relocation procedure shall include the name and phone number of the relocation site, procedures for walking or bus
transportation, procedures for the vice-principal or delegate in charge of leading the classes to the site, procedures for the dismissal of students from the relocation site, and follow-up, debriefing and communication requirements.

5.3. Media communication regarding the emergency off-site relocation shall be directed to the Communications Manager.

6. In the Case of Accident or Death

The principal shall follow the procedures outlined in Administrative Procedure 175 Reporting Hazards, Incidents and Occupational Illness and Administrative Procedure 182 Tragic Events Response.
 
Revised June 2025