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The following was mailed to all Gilmour Families:
March 26, 2003 Dear Parents and Guardians, Current world events have raised the concern of us all about homeland security and the safety of our children. Gilmour Academy has always placed a high priority on your children's safety, as well as our own employees. Several years ago, Gilmour underwent a comprehensive study and developed a campus-wide safety and emergency response plan. Our plan is a guideline intended to limit uncertainty in the event of an adverse action and also to provide specific procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency. The plan itself is reviewed and updated on an annual basis, and also as world and local community events give rise to new and heightened concerns. This plan has been designed with the consultation of the Gates Mills Police and Fire Departments. Details of the plan are unique and specific to Gilmour's campus. Our faculty and staff are well informed of the procedures to be followed, when and if ever necessary. It is important that these details must remain confidential to the general public so as to insure its effectiveness. The safety of your children is our primary concern. In the event of an emergency, it is essential that Gilmour Academy have up-to-date emergency contact information for each student. If you feel you need to update your medical/emergency contact information currently on file, please call the Upper, Middle or Lower School Offices for a new form. In the remote chance of a biological or chemical attack, the campus will immediately move to a lockdown status. When local safety authorities issue an "all-clear" directive, you will be able to come to campus and pick up your children. Directives by civil authorities must be honored by all of us in such an unprecedented situation.
If Gilmour receives a Threat Level Red, the following will be immediately implemented:
We are all concerned during this time of uncertainty. As we cross the threshold of national insecurity, we enter an experience new to all of us, which may require adjustment of the best-made plans. Our prayers and exercising our faith in God give us hope that world peace is achievable. While we are not in control of the issues being addressed in the Mid-East, we are committed to providing all possible safety measures for your children. We realize that you have many questions. Attached is a summary that we feel will address many of your concerns. As we journey forward, our mutual understanding, support, flexibility and calm vigilance will nurture the resiliency necessary in these troubled times. May God's blessings be with all of us now and in the days ahead.
Sincerely, Frequently Asked Questions:
What types of crises have Gilmour Academy addressed in its Safety Plan? We are hopeful that adverse events will not arise on our campus, but we are prepared to respond as necessary to protect our community of students and staff. Our Safety Plan has established policies for the emergencies, should they ever occur. Each building on campus has an assigned Crisis Management Team well informed to expedite the required response. Examples of such emergencies include but are not limited to:
Who is involved in the design of the Safety Plan? Faculty and Administration from all areas of the campus are involved in the routine review process of our Safety Plan. The plan was initially reviewed with Gates Mills Police and Fire Departments. Currently we are collaborating with both departments to insure we have up-to-date adaptations to our plan, including the event of a "Red Alert" or terrorist action, including biological or chemical hazards. First-hand notification of such an event would come directly from civil authorities, along with specific instructions for the event. What guidelines did Gilmour use in designing their Safety Plan? Gilmour's campus design is unique, as most schools are. There is no universal Safety Plan that could address all of our needs. Therefore, we have researched many educational sources, as well as web sites, and adapted policies and procedures that we think best meet our needs. Some of the sources include: National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) guidelines, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Ohio Association of Independent Schools (OAIS), and the Ohio Department of Education. Most of the suggestions from these organizations were already included in our Safety Plan. The Village of Gates Mills Police and Fire Departments serve as our liaisons to the regional safety authorities. What happens if the national terror alert level is raised to "red" or "severe alert"? A "red" or "severe alert" level is critical and intended to cover only a brief period of time. If a "red" alert is issued nationally during the school day, Gilmour Academy will immediately comply with State of Ohio standards recommending the immediate securing of all building entrances and exits. Entrances and exits of all buildings on campus will be limited to one designated entrance/exit area for each building. In the event a "red alert" level is announced, Gilmour will act in accordance with the emergency directives given by local civil authorities. Pending their directives, children will only be released to their parents, guardians or other pre-authorized persons with proper identification. Please make sure that all emergency contact information, including the names and phone numbers for non-parents and non-guardians, is up-to-date with the School Office. We believe that our response to a "red alert" event provides for your children to be in a safe and secure environment. What happens in the remote chance of a biological or chemical attack in our region? Should there be a biological or chemical attack in our region, we will respond accordingly. If such an event were to occur, we will place the entire campus in a "lockdown." No one will be permitted to enter or leave our buildings and campus until clearance is given from our local security authorities. We understand that parents will be very anxious to get to their children and a situation like this would be very stressful for both you and your children. However, in the event of a lockdown occurrence, the danger of cross-contamination from harmful biological or chemical agents is too great to risk the safety of the general population. Our students and staff will be in designated locations and under the continuous care of our staff. A lockdown status will only be downgraded when civil authorities have downgraded their alert and given an "all clear" directive. Parent and guardian cooperation is essential to maintaining safety for all. If a lockdown were to occur, when the danger has passed, how will students be released? If an event were to occur, the general traffic for our region may be gridlocked. If this were to be the case, students that have driven to our campus will only be permitted to leave campus once it is assessed as being prudent and safe. All other students that have arrived on our campus by either local school district bus or dropped off by their parents will remain on our campus, under the direct supervision of our staff, until their parents arrive on campus to pick them up. Again, it is essential that your emergency authorization forms are up-to-date in order to allow other parents or persons to pick up your children in your absence. We will assume that local school district buses will not be able to accommodate transporting your children until further notice. Are we prepared to meet students' needs in the event of a lockdown? It is assumed that the probability of a lockdown is remote. All secured areas are being reviewed and assessed for their ability to meet the needs of students and staff. While supplies are limited in many areas of our campus, our Food Service maintains a significant inventory of food and food-related items that will be made available as accessible. If your children are currently taking any medications that we are not aware of or that you have not stocked our clinics with, we will not be able to meet this need. (e.g., the student only takes certain medications at home, outside the normal school day hours). We suggest that you consider a small supply to keep on hand at school in the event it is needed. If your children have any life threatening medical issues, it is essential that you properly inform our nursing staff. A lockdown seems to be a very strong measure. Is it warranted? How are other schools responding to alert level? Student and staff safety is our primary concern and will be the guiding factor in all responses. While there is not a national guideline for either public or private school districts, we are following the same protocol of our neighboring schools. These policies and procedures have been adapted from neighboring public and private schools. What procedures are in place for resident students? As is the case with our day students, the Residence Hall building has been reviewed carefully and policies and procedures have been adapted to meet the safety needs of the student residents, inclusive of weekends and after school hours. Who are "civil authorities"? The group collectively referred to as "civil authorities" includes but is not limited to: Gate Mill Police and Fire Departments, and Cuyahoga County Emergency Management Task Force. We believe that we have been proactive in designing our Safety Plan. While we have provided scenarios and responses for most foreseeable emergencies, we are also very aware that we cannot provide for every possibility and the reality of a crisis may very well require adjustments. We do feel that our plan limits the uncertainty that currently exists and provides for the safety of your children.
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