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Holy Name School students wait for their parents or guardians during a drill Oct. 19 held to prepare the school community for possible emergency lockdowns or evacuations. (Courtesy photo)
November 1, 2018
Christina Gray
Students, parents, teachers and staff of Holy Name School in San Francisco are more prepared for a schoolwide or local emergency than they’ve ever been after the school held its third annual lockdown, evacuation and reunification drill Oct. 19, principal Natalie Cirigliano said.
“Our parents are grateful that we do this type of drill,” Cirigliano told Catholic San Francisco in an email. “It allows teachers to better understand their roles as well as helps parents to know what to expect should there ever be an emergency.”
According to Cirigliano, the Sunset neighborhood K-8 school is the only school in San Francisco to hold an emergency drill at this advanced level.
The drill, which was initiated by the school three years ago, will be held annually to help the school community “rehearse” the steps involved in evacuating, then reuniting students with their parents in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or fire, or of a criminal event such as an active shooter. The school partnered with the San Francisco Police Department in the planning and execution of the drill, and with nearby St. Ignatius College Preparatory High School, which served as the off-site evacuation center.
The drill began in the classrooms at Holy Name School with a lockdown scenario where students hid with their teachers in their classrooms until they were released to evacuate to St. Ignatius High School, the drill evacuation site.
As students arrived to SI, parents were notified via text message, voicemail and email that the reunification drill had begun and were instructed to pick up their children. Upon arrival, parents or guardians filled out reunification identification forms and presented ID for confirmation. Names were cross-referenced with the names listed on the student emergency forms and only those listed were able to pick up the children.
“The drill was an opportunity for the school and parents to partner together to practice various safety protocols,” Cirigliano said.