Dear Parents and Guardians:

 

We want you to be aware that Cocopah Middle School has made extensive preparations to respond effectively should an emergency or disaster situation arise in our area while school is in session. If a major disaster were to occur during school hours, your student(s) will be cared for at this school.

 

The SUSD has developed an Emergency Response Plan (ERP), which has been formulated to safely respond to a major catastrophe/emergency. As part of the ERP, a plan has been developed for each school in the district. In any emergency, your cooperation is required to ensure the safety of everybody involved:

 

1. Do not telephone the school or call cell phones on campus. Telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication and excessive cell phone calls can knock out the emergency responder communication networks.

 

2. In the event of a serious emergency, students will be kept at their schools until they are picked up by an identified, authorized adult who is listed on a School District Emergency Card. This card is required to be filled out by parents/guardians at the beginning of every school year. Please be sure you consider the following criteria when you authorize another person to pick your child up at school:

            - Contact is both aware and able to assume this responsibility

- Contact is 18 years of age or older.

- Contact is usually home or can be contacted during the day.

- Contact could walk to school, if necessary.

- Contact is known to your child.

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3. Until notified, please do not come to the campus or outlying areas. Instead, turn your radio/TV to a news station for emergency announcements. Also, the Website www.az211.gov will have emergency information as will our district Website at www.susd.org. If students are to be kept at school, radio and television stations will be notified. If electrical service is not affected, information will be relayed via the Emergency Messaging System, which will send out calls to the phone numbers you have provided to the school. In addition, we will utilize our APT email system for a “blast email” to every member. Thus, the school will do everything it can to reach the parents through telephone, email, and TV/radio.

 

4. Please let your children know the importance of following directions given by school personnel in times of an emergency. Students will be released only to parents and persons identified on the School District Emergency Card. During an emergency, students will be released at designated locations on school campuses or at nearby sites. Parents should become familiar with the School Emergency Response Plan and be patient with the student release process. Please instruct your child to remain at school until you or a designee arrives.

 

Please contact us at 480-484-4400 with any questions. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Susan Thomas

Principal