Bomb Threats at Schools
As dissatisfied students may use "bomb threats" to disrupt classes, it may be inappropriate to evacuate a school on every threat. A prompt decision
of whether or not to evacuate can be made following a search for unknown
devices.
A Bomb is Threatened
Immediately after a bomb threat, the person receiving the
threat can:
- Contact the Principal / Assistant Principal, Police Department and
Fire Department
- Inform the School Superintendent's office of the bomb threat. The
School
Superintendent can inform School Committee members.
- Complete a Bomb Threat Report
immediately. This should be
available to Police and Fire Department, upon their
arrival.
- The Principal / Assistant Principal can alert all staff using an
established code.
- Teachers can make a quick inconspicuous visual
inspection of their rooms using the Search
Guidelines.
- Custodians can inspect boiler rooms, cafeterias,
hallways, and lavatories using the Search Guidelines.
If anything unusual is noticed, the person making the discovery will
notify the administrator in charge BUT DO NOTHING ELSE.
Decision to Evacuate
If the threat seems to warrant it, the Principal or
Assistant Principal may decide to evacuate the building.
Otherwise, the Principal / Assistant Principal, together with the Police
and Fire Department personnel, can evaluate information. (See
Bombs or Suspicious Devices.)
Following reports from all staff members that no
unfamiliar objects have been found, an administrator may decide not to
evacuate the school and can signal an "all clear".
Clearing the School and Surrounding Area
- Notice to clear a school building can be made over a PA system or with the
Fire Alarm. No notice need be given that the call may be a hoax.
- A principal can establish an assembly location for students to wait
during delayed searches in cold or wet weather. That location will be used
at the direction of the principal after it has been determined to be safe.
- Officials can go room to room to evacuate, stating "This
is a drill".
- IMPORTANT: Request
students to take all their belongings (i.e. backpacks,
notebooks, etc.) which they have with them in the classrooms when they
leave the classrooms.
- Do not allow students to take anything from their lockers
- A decision to allow re-entry shall be made jointly by senior on-site
officers from the Fire Department, Police Department and/or School
Administration. Any difference of opinion shall be resolved by decision of
the Principal upon consultation with the Superintendent of Schools.
- A decision to evacuate a school can be conveyed to the school bus
service (see C).
If a school must be evacuated, notify the school bus
service. Students can be walked in an orderly fashion, keeping as far from the building as possible, to their
appropriate
school bus.
BOMB THREAT - Report of Threat
BOMB THREAT - Search Guidelines
BOMB THREAT - Suspicious Device Found
| Martyn Carruthers
was a medical technician and served on Royal Navy nuclear
submarines during the Cold War. He was health physics and
safety officer at English and Canadian nuclear power stations, and Radiation
Protection Officer for the Canadian government, where he worked with Public Health
and Emergency Measures organizations. Martyn also founded
Soulwork
Solutions, a complete system of coaching and mentorship. |
|
