Good afternoon Parents/Guardians,
The week of October 18 to October 22 has been designated as “Safety Awareness Week” in all of our schools. This year, the procedures for conducting emergency and crisis response drills (lockdown, hold and secure, fire evacuations, etc.) must be undertaken in compliance with the Ministry of Education and public health measures related to COVID-19, such as physical distancing and masking requirements.
All staff and students at St. Marguerite d’Youville completed the required fire drills during the last week of September. Next week, we will be focusing on Lockdown/Hold and Secure Drills.
A Lockdown is a school emergency response to the presence or suspected presence of an armed intruder or other similar violent threat within the school. When in Lockdown, all students and staff members are behind locked doors, quiet and out of sight as much as possible. Electronic devices may not be used. Exterior entry doors remain open to allow access for emergency response personnel.
A Hold and Secure is a school response to a possibly violent situation outside of the school and not related to it. During a Hold and Secure, outside doors are locked, and staff members and students function normally inside the building. No one may enter or leave the building during a Hold and Secure at any time, including recess, lunch or dismissal.
Both lockdown/hold and secure drills will be conducted while maintaining physical distancing and wearing a face mask; this means that standard procedures, such as huddling in a corner or pulling students in the hallway into the nearest classroom, will only be discussed and explained.
This information has been shared with staff and they will be reviewing with your child next week. The information will also be reviewed during morning announcements.