Emergency Preparedness & Safety

As outlined in the Pleasanton Unified School District’s strategic plan, we want every student and staff member to feel safe, supported and to enjoy positive connections while at school. PUSD is a strong partner in the community's efforts to create and maintain a safe and healthy community for all.

The District has built and maintained strong partnerships with the City of Pleasanton, the Pleasanton Police Department and the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. Our schools work collaboratively with all emergency responders in the event of a crisis or emergency. There are many components to creating and maintaining safe schools and we appreciate our parent, student and community support.

Each school site has an emergency plan with specified roles and responsibilities for handling various types of emergencies.

Specific safety procedures will be followed, depending on the type of each emergency. Below is information about what procedures we use in each type of emergency. Every situation is unique, so school staff may adjust their response to address student safety first.

The Pleasanton Unified School District has strong partnerships with the City of Pleasanton including the Pleasanton Police and Fire Departments. We work cooperatively with them in the event of an emergency.

Important information for families to know if there is a disaster during school hours

In the event of an emergency do not call the school or district office, as our first priority is to assist students and staff to safety, and possibly have evacuated. The District's emergency communication system, ParentSquare, will communicate to parents/guardians and staff.
It is important to remember that each emergency presents a unique set of variables, which will be evaluated prior to a decision to use the District's emergency communication system. Those variables include the nature of the emergency, time of emergency, estimated duration of the emergency, direction given by law enforcement and emergency services agencies, and impact on immediate safety of students and staff. The District's highest priority is to first evaluate and respond to the emergency and ensure the immediate safety of students; and then to notify parents/guardians if the individual emergency dictates.
The accuracy of the District's Emergency Communication System (ParentSquare) is dependent on making sure all information is up-to-date in the school district's database (ParentVUE). Any adjustments in your contact information can be made by contacting your local school. It is important to keep your contact information up-to-date at all times, even changes in email addresses.
The caller ID will be the District's main number (925) 462-5500. Please don't hang up. If you pick up the voicemail at a later date, listen to the entire message. Do not call the school or the District office. If it is an emergency notification, it will include instructions.

A school implements one of the following procedures in response to safety issues or emergency:

Evacuation

Shelter In Place

“Secure School”

Secure School is a phrase that will be used when there is police activity in the school area. During a "secure school" staff will lock classroom doors. Exterior windows and blinds will be closed. Gates and/or fences are secured. Administration will keep staff informed as they are monitoring the situation.
During a secure school, teaching continues and students will likely still travel from class to class, use restrooms, etc.
Only known persons will be allowed to enter the campus during a secure school.

Lockdown Procedures and Intruder Alert Protocol

During a lockdown, students and staff remain in classrooms behind locked doors, staying quiet, low and out of sight. Windows and blinds are closed; lights are turned off. A lockdown indicates there is a potential critical threat directly affecting the site. Staff follow the Intruder Alert Protocol, that was developed in collaboration with our Pleasanton Police Department.
Depending on the situation, staff may also be directed to Lock down/Barricade their classrooms, and be prepared to follow the Run-Hide-Fight Guidance as outlined by the Department of Homeland Security. For information about that guidance, see “Run-Hide-Fight.”
As a school system, all staff try to teach these concepts and drills to students in an age appropriate way. As a parent, it might be helpful for you to review some of the informational resources as well as a “how to respond booklet,” which are available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website in a variety of languages. We have linked the DHS webpage for easy reference. This guidance is good to follow in any active threat situation.
Each school year, PUSD provides the dates of the scheduled intruder drills to the Pleasanton Police Department and they try to observe at least one of the three scheduled drills at each school site. They provide feedback to the administrative team following the drill.
The School District and PUSD also hold quarterly "Police liaison meetings" together, where we review and discuss various trends, procedures and updates. One administrator from each school site attends, as do various District staff, School Social Workers and Child Welfare and Attendance Liaisons (CWA's).

Off-Site Reunification

In the rare instance that students are transported or move to an off-site location due to an emergency, families will be notified of where and when to pick up their child/children. PUSD will notify parents of the pick up location by using our emergency communication systems through the contact information parents provided in the annual registration process.

School Site Emergency Container

Each school site has an "Emergency Container" on their campus. Basic supplies for search and rescue, as well as water and first aide supplies are stored in the container in case there is a true emergency. Staff are prepared to stay with students, in the event of an emergency, until they are picked up/released to parents/guardians or adults listed on their child's emergency card. It is extremely important that emergency contact information be updated each school year, or throughout the year, if a change is needed. Please talk with your child in advance about who is on their emergency card and what the plan would be, if there was an emergency.

Communication in an Emergency

In the event of an emergency, PUSD will communicate information with parents using:

Automated phone calls
Email notifications
Text messages
Announcements on the district website
Announcements on social media. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Comprehensive School Safety Plans

Each year, all school sites develop and update their comprehensive school safety plan. This plan is discussed, reviewed and approved by the school site council. These plans are detailed and describe the schools response to various events. If you are interested in being part of the school site council or learning more about your school's site plan, please contact your school site administration.

District Safety Committee

PUSD also has a District Safety Committee. The committee meets monthly and includes a variety of stakeholders, including parents and students. If you are interested in being a part of this monthly committee, please contact Amos Nugent. The committee reviews district safety protocols, procedures, supplies and requests from school sites.

Emergency Alerts from Local Agencies

The City of Pleasanton has an emergency text messaging notification system in place to provide information when it is needed most. To register for alerts, visit the Nixle website or simply text your zip code(s) to 888777.

Injury and Illness pRevention program

In California, every employer has a legal obligation to provide and maintain a safe and healthful workplace for employees, and a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) is required. Our IIPP, linked here, includes our COVID-19 Prevention Procedures (CPP), Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP), and Heat Illness Prevention Plan (HIPP).

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section