Our schools have had crisis plans in place for a number of years. Since September 11, 2001, York County School Division staff have reviewed and updated existing safety procedures and ensured the coordination of our efforts with other county officials. Our plans were updated this summer to include biological, chemical or radiological events and terrorist threats. School and division crisis plans are not available for public distribution. Please understand the necessity for us to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of these plans for the safety of our students and staff.

Depending on the type of emergency, our response could include evacuation, lock-down, relocation to previously designated safe havens, or a modification of any of the above options. In every event, our primary objective is to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Our administrators are trained to remain flexible, to make situation-appropriate decisions, and to wisely and effectively use available crisis management tools. Additionally, we maintain close contact with the county Sheriff's Department and Fire and Life Safety Department. They are the experts and we value their advice in addressing emergencies.

Communications

In the event of an emergency at your child's school, YCSD will utilize several methods to communicate with parents. Please do not call the school since all lines may be needed to address the emergency. Tune in to commercial radio or television or the division's cable television station YCSD-TV Channel 47 for announcements. Additionally, this web site will include up-to-date emergency information.

Please call your child's school if you have questions. Or, you can e-mail the division's communications office. Every effort will be made to answer your question with as much detail as possible, but please understand that we cannot release specific plans to the public due to security concerns.

Resources