Emergency Communication and Preparedness Information

In the Tigard-Tualatin School District, the safety and security of students, staff, and community members while on school property is the first and most critical element in providing a positive and meaningful school experience. The district emergency response and communication procedures are in place at each of our facilities in order to keep students and staff safe every day and in the event of an emergency situation. Please take a moment to review the information below, outlining important protocol for our parents and community members to know.

How will we communicate with you?
In the event of an emergency, the district will communicate with parents using one or more of the following methods:

• FlashAlert – Free subscription service that alerts subscribers via email, cell phone, or mobile app https://www.flashalert.net/signup/  
• Tigard-Tualatin SD mobile app: Alerts will be sent to the mobile app, which can be downloaded through google play or apple stores.
• District-generated email, text, or calls through Blackboard Connect – the email or phone numbers you provided at your student's enrollment are the contacts we will use to notify you of inclement weather and urgent notifications.
• District and school web pages: Inclement weather and urgent notifications will be posted as an alert on all pages, https://www.ttsdschools.org 
• Social Media – You can find Tigard-Tualatin School District on Twitter and Facebook:
  https://twitter.com/TigardTualSD https://www.facebook.com/TTSDSchools 

In order to receive communication from the District, be sure to give your most updated phone numbers, email addresses, and emergency contact information to the school office staff to be updated in our student information system.

School Closed: All schools will be closed for the day. Students and staff are to remain home. Emergency personnel will report to work.

Two Hour Late Opening: All schools and bus times will begin two hours later than regular starting times. Bus times will be two hours later than the regular pick-up time.
Elementary school              10:00 a.m.
Middle school                     10:30 a.m., including late start Wednesday
High school                        10:55 a.m.

One Hour Late Opening: All schools and bus times will begin one hour later than the regular starting time.
Elementary school              9:00 a.m.
Middle school                     9:30 a.m.
High school                        9:55 a.m.

Two Hour Early Closure: All schools will dismiss two hours early and bus times will begin two hours earlier than regular dismissal times.

One Hour Early Closure: All schools will dismiss one hour early and bus times will begin one hour earlier than regular dismissal times.

Standard Response Protocol
Tigard-Tualatin School District, utilizes the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) for its emergency response procedures, in partnership with Tigard and Tualatin Police departments. The Standard Response Protocol utilizes the following four actions:

• Secure the Perimeter (lockout)
• Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight
• Evacuate!
• Shelter!

All District students and staff will receive training and experience drills of these actions over the course of the school year.

Parent-Student Reunification Process
In the event that we evacuate a building and need to reunite students with their parents at an alternate site, we will follow specific reunification procedures. Parents will be notified of the location and instructions for picking up their student via Flash Alert, the District email/call system, and alerts through the District mobile App and web site.

Parents, guardians, and emergency contacts listed in our student information system will be the only adults allowed to pick up students. Photo identification will be required to pick up a child. Staff will remain with students until an authorized adult arrives to pick them up.

The Tigard-Tualatin School district practices the following drills in all of our facilities:
Fire Drills – practiced once a month. In the event of a real fire, students will be relocated to an alternate safe location and they would be reunited with parents utilizing the reunification process.

Earthquake Drills – conducted annually district-wide and site-specific drills on a scheduled basis. In the event of a real earthquake, students will be reunited with parents utilizing the reunification process. Schools have supplies to care for students for an extended period of time if necessary.  

Lock-Down Drills – lock-down is the instruction given to students and staff to be secured within classrooms and offices with no movement throughout the building. Schools will conduct at least two drills a year. During a lock-down, no one is allowed to enter or leave the building until the drill is completed. In the event of a real lock-down emergency, parents will receive updates and reunification instructions utilizing the reunification process.

Secure (Lockout) Drills – Secure is the instruction given to students and staff to remain inside the building with all exterior doors locked. Secure is a situation that is implemented due to police activity in the neighborhood.  

District Response to Traumatic Events
When a crisis occurs in the Tigard-Tualatin School District or within a district department that affects Tigard-Tualatin School District students or staff, the District Flight Team will evaluate the potential for psychological trauma and prescribe a crisis response. The crisis response will likely involve activation of the District Flight Team. In the event the District Flight Team finds it necessary, the response may include members of the County Wide Tragedy Response Team, which includes Flight Team Members from other school districts in Washington County.

Tigard-Tualatin schools depend upon everyone working together to keep our students safe.  If you have a concern about a possible threat, report it to school authorities, the police or to the Safe Oregon tip line.  Talk to your students about safety and looking out for one another.  If you find you need support--including access to mental health resources--please let us know.  We can connect you to our school district’s counselors and Care Coordinators.