Emergency Response - Hour Zero

In order to provide an effective response to any school crisis or emergency, Black Gold School Division uses the Hour-Zero School Emergency Program in conjunction with other local emergency plans and is also guided by the Leduc and Area Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) and Intervention Protocol.

Training and Drills

All staff is regularly trained on emergency protocols. Throughout the year LPS conducts training and drills to rehearse emergency procedures and help better prepare students and staff for possible emergency situations. These exercises prepare students and staff to act quickly and help to minimize a child’s fear during a real emergency.

Key Protocols

Families should familiarize themselves with some of the common protocols and terms we use during an emergency. When a school is confronted with an emergency, staff will assess the situation and then decide on a course of action.  In addition to the procedures described below, schools also practice protocols such as “Drop-Cover-Hold,” a method of protecting vital body parts during some natural disasters, and conduct fire drills.

Please CLICK ON THIS LINK for a summary guide to Black Gold School Division emergency protocols.

Reuniting with your Child

We recognize that when an emergency occurs parents will be worried and want to be reunited with their child as quickly as possible. It is our intention to make this happen. However, to ensure every child’s safety and the safety of staff, specific procedures have been established for releasing students. These procedures may be modified depending on the circumstance. Parents are asked to adhere to the parent-child reunification procedures as listed in the communication section below.

Staff will work hard to ensure these procedures take place without delay. However, please understand the process will take some time: we ask for your patience when you arrive at the Parent-Child Reunion Area.

Communicating During an Emergency

1. When an emergency occurs, please do not come to the school to pick up your child unless requested to do so. Doing so could impede the response to the situation and also interfere with emergency crews’ and school personnel’s efforts to deal with the emergency. Extra vehicles and people at the site make the task more difficult. **Please follow the instructions provided to you through the communications channels outlined below.
2. If you arrive at the school in the midst of an emergency, please respect the protocol in progress. While we understand personal circumstances or initial reactions might move you to do something contrary to the school’s established procedures, we cannot compromise the safety of students or staff to accommodate individual requests that could put anyone at risk.
3. Do not call the school.  Do not call your child’s cell phone.
4. 1. Phone systems need to remain available for handling the actual emergency.
   2. Overloading the system may mean the school cannot communicate with first responders.
   3. Calling your child’s cell phone during an emergency may be putting them at higher risk by disclosing their location or drawing attention to them during a lock-down.
4. Keeping You Informed: During an emergency, our FIRST PRIORITY is to protect students and staff. Next, we will do everything in our power to keep you informed. Specific procedures must be followed prior to releasing information. We will communicate with you once it is safe and we are able.

PLEASE rely on the School Division and our school for accurate, dependable, firsthand details and updates. We are the credible sources.