Alameda Unified School District’s highest priority is keeping students safe. Because of that, we are constantly reviewing, updating, and practicing our safety protocols, including those for fires, earthquakes, and disturbances on campus. These protocols have been developed in collaboration with local and regional emergency responders and are based on national best practices.
We’re aware, however, that when emergency vehicles are seen at a campus, or temperatures soar, or the island is hit with wildfire smoke, community members often question how AUSD responds. Here is a brief review of AUSD’s emergency protocols.
Drills
All schools practice emergency procedures with their staff and students several times every school year. Those drills cover fires, earthquakes, and lockdowns. All lockdown trainings are age-appropriate and take place in the classroom with the teacher leading the discussion. We do not conduct realistic scenario drills with younger students.
Excessive heat and wildfire smoke
AUSD follows guidelines from two agencies to determine how best to proceed during excessively hot days. We monitor the National Weather Service HeatRisk Forecast to project and respond to heat-related impacts during the school day.
For athletics, we adhere to the California Interscholastic Federation Extreme Heat and Air Quality Policy, which requires all member schools to monitor the WetBulb Globe Temperature. This measurement considers temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover when calculating heat risk for athletes.
On projected smoky days, AUSD tracks the websites of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. If the Air Quality Index is above 101 degrees Fahrenheit, AUSD follows state guidance for protecting student and staff health, including closing doors and windows, keeping students indoors, and turning on HEPA purifiers in classrooms.
Campus intruders
AUSD has developed robust plans and procedures for our schools to respond to intruders on campus. We train staff and students alike, conduct regular drills, and review our plans annually.
In addition, in recent years AUSD has taken a number of steps to improve campus security, including developing district-wide safety and security design standards in partnership with local law enforcement; installing California safety locks on all doors; expanding the number of surveillance cameras on our high school and middle school campuses; building perimeter fencing and gates around our schools; and hiring more middle and high school campus supervisors.
At the same time, we have made considerable investments in our students’ mental health, including contracting with community-based mental and behavioral support services so that practitioners are available to students in our district.
Communications
In the event of an emergency, AUSD sends messages to families via texts and emails. Community members can find information on AUSD social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn), and the AUSD website. These updates are based on information received directly from the AUSD response team, emergency responders, and school site personnel.
Want to learn more? Please visit the AUSD Emergency Procedures webpage.
Susan Davis is the Senior Manager of Community Affairs for the Alameda Unified School District. Reach her at [email protected].
