FAQ

Dover Public Schools has taken steps to ensure your child's safety while in school. Each school has developed a crisis response plan. Emergency preparedness is basically preparing the steps you will take in the event of an emergency, such as contact information, communications, and evacuation plans.

Dover Public Schools broadcasts emergency messages via various platforms and when necessary, we may use a number of media outlets. General emergency messages, early and late school openings and closings can be found on the DOVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEBSITE. Messages may be transmitted to local media, and parents are encouraged to listen to radio or television.

All Dover Public Schools facilities have an emergency preparedness plan. The specifics of each plan differ for each location. The response to each situation will differ based on the specifics of that situation. The flexibility of the plan is key to the success of the response. In general, each plan involves the designation of a crisis management team; development of evacuation, shelter-in-place, and lockdown procedures; preparation of a portable critical response kit that contains key information and supplies; designation of one or more appropriate evacuation sites; provisions for training personnel and updating the plan; checklists for dealing with specific types of incidents; and resources for help before, during and after an event. All Dover school plans are frequently reviewed and updated.

Dover Public Schools does not release this type of specific information.

An emergency may prevent the safe evacuation of a school building and require steps to isolate students and faculty from danger by instituting a school lockdown. In an interior lockdown situation, all students are kept in classrooms or other designated locations that are away from the danger. Faculty members are responsible for accounting for students and ensuring that no one leaves the safe area. School personnel will also secure building entrances, ensuring that no unauthorized individuals leave or enter the building. Exterior lockdown procedures may also be used to ensure the safety of students when an incident occurs in the community.

The specific actions taken by DOVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS in any emergency situation-both District wide, and at individual schools-will depend on the specifics of the situation. Any action taken would depend on several factors, including the level of threat and the advice of local, state, and federal agencies. The safety of students and staff members will be the primary concern in any decision.

Shelter-in-place, HOLD, SECURE  is a short-term solution to a short-term problem. If an accident or attack that created contaminated air occurred in the nearby area, everyone would be brought indoors, including those in trailers. Building personnel would close all windows and doors and shut down the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC). This would create a neutral pressure in the building, meaning the contaminated air would not be drawn into the building.

Shelter-in-place or SECURE is a short-term measure (measured in minutes or hours, not days) designed to use a facility and its indoor atmosphere to temporarily separate people from a hazardous outdoor environment. The alternative would be to evacuate into a hazardous situation, thereby causing harm to all involved. 

 Shelter-in-place OR HOLD can also be used during medical emergencies or any time when the movement of staff and students should be limited.

Dover Public Schools does not intend to keep children from their parents if a crisis occurs during school hours or school activities. It is the school system's intent to make sure that children are safe inside their schools until such a time that the threat has been reduced or eliminated. Parents will be informed of the parent-student reunification center location via the school emergency messaging system and local media.

If public safety officials require that a school building be evacuated, students and staff members will be safely transported by bus to a designated parent-student reunification center. Parents will be informed of the reunification location via the school emergency messaging system and local media. At the reunification center, students will be released to their parents upon presentation of proper identification.

Public Schools does not release this type of specific information. Also, during emergency situations, circumstances could arise that might force changes to previously designated locations. Parents will be informed of parent-student reunification center locations via the local media and through school resources.

School bus drivers will be contacted by the Office of Transportation for instructions in the event that a crisis occurs while students are in transport. Bus drivers will be informed to use common sense and not travel toward the crisis location. Parents will be informed of the parent-student reunification center location via the school emergency messaging system and local media.

Parents are allowed to pick up their children unless public safety officials have declared a shelter-in-place response, or there is some other reason why access to the facility is restricted. During any emergency, school personnel will maintain as safe and normal an environment for children within the school as is possible. School is not automatically canceled in emergency situations. Remember, school may be the safest place for children to be.

Children will not be released to individuals who are not authorized on the student's emergency care card or who do not have written parent authorization.

If your child takes medication regularly, you, the parent, should make sure that the school has an appropriate amount of additional medication on hand. Talk with your child's school nurse for more information.

Parents are asked not to call the school in emergency situations so phone lines can remain accessible for handling the specific situation. Parents will be kept informed via the Dover Public Schools emergency messaging system.