School Reunification Plans

An essential component of school emergency response plans is the reunification of students with their families and caregivers. The goal of any reunification process is to minimize anxiety and trauma for students while keeping them comfortable and safe. Each school within Canyons District has created a site-based plan describing the school’s evacuation routes, assembly points, and reunification plans. These plans establish a parent/guardian check-in location and have a system ready for checking out students. School reunification plans take into account designated Areas of Rescue Assistance for evacuating individuals who cannot exit the school building without assistance. School administrators train employees and students on the school’s evacuation plan through regular scenario-based drills throughout the year. Reunification points, and backup sites, are generally within walking distance of a school, though in some circumstances, schools will need to evacuate students further away from the campus. Often, reunification sites are nearby schools or local gathering places, such as churches or recreation centers. During a reunification, the District will enact emergency communications protocols to provide parents and guardians with directions to the reunification site and instructions for retrieving their student(s). In some cases, transportation is provided by the District’s fleet of buses. To minimize chaos and ensure the safety of students, District personnel will often be asked to help check-out students to authorized caregivers through an orderly process. It’s not uncommon to also have counseling teams on hand to provide assistance to anyone struggling with strong emotions. 

Hoax Threats are No Joke

Bomb threats are rare, affecting fewer than 1 percent of the nation’s public schools on any given year, and 90 percent are hoaxes. But hoax threats are no joke. Since 2014, there has been a 33 percent increase in these types of threats against schools, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, disrupting schools and wasting precious law enforcement resources
— and that’s just bomb threats. In the age of social media, schools are witnessing an increase in all types of hoax threats. Every threat is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by school administrators and law enforcement to determine its credibility. If found to be a hoax, those responsible can face serious criminal penalties. According to state legislation enacted in 2020, individuals who disrupt the regular schedule of a school by creating a hoax threat can be held financially responsible to pay for any costs or fees incurred by federal, state, local, private or individual entities in responding to the threat. Minors may be referred to juvenile court for perpetrating hoax threats. Canyons District encourages parents to talk to their children about the risk of posting and sharing hoax threats on social media, and urges anyone who sees something unsafe to report it through official channels: to their school or through the anonymous crisis and safety tipline SafeUT.