Tips for Parents

Lakewood School District takes the safety of our students seriously. Schools routinely practice safety drills and we have procedures in place both for keeping students on campus for long periods of time and for reunification of students with their families. We understand that an emergency situation is a stressful and emotional time for both parents and students. By reading and practicing the tips below, you can help us make sure that families are reunited as quickly and safely as possible.

• Please do not come to the schools unless instructed to do so. Roads will likely be blocked. We will notify you when and where you may pick up your student when it is safe to do so.
• Make sure we have your current phone number(s) and email address. Communication will be through our School Messenger system, which will send messages via phone, text, and email. Other pathways of communication from the district include the district’s website, the LWSD phone app, and the district’s official Facebook page.
• Be sure that we have names and numbers of your emergency contacts. Keep them current. We will only release students to those people whom you have identified as your emergency contacts. Do not assume that you will be able to call us to give permission to release your student. Phone lines will likely be jammed or even down.
• Bring your ID when you come to pick up students. Depending on the situation, it may not be the secretary for your student’s school who is in charge of releasing students. It may be someone who does not know you.
• If we have bussed students to an alternate location to be reunited, please do not approach busses as they arrive. Follow our procedures for signing your student out and allowing us to check ID. This allows us to be sure that all students are released to an adult who has permission to take them.
• Follow the directions of the person in charge at the site where you are. Sometimes situations can change quickly. District administrators will be working with emergency responders to make sure that we are proceeding appropriately for the safety of all.
• Understand that you will likely be hearing more information from the media and social media sites than from us. We will only send information when we have been able to verify that it is true and accurate. Please continue referring to the district’s website and official Facebook page for updates.
• If we are in a lockdown or shelter-in-place situation for a long period of time, we will periodically allow middle and high school students to text their parents with information to let you know they are safe.

 Thank you for your cooperation. Keeping our students safe requires all of us working together.