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Standard Response Protocol

Posted Date: 1/28/25 (:00 AM)

Dear Orcutt Junior High Parents/Guardians,


The Orcutt Union School District prioritizes student and staff safety and as a district utilizes a Standard Response Protocol (SRP) in partnership with other school districts and law enforcement agencies in Santa Barbara County. 


School districts in Santa Barbara County have adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) K12 from the “I Love U Guys'' Foundation, an organization dedicated to working with local groups to improve school safety. The implementation of an SRP creates a common language across our county to use in any emergency situation. It is based on an all-hazards approach as opposed to individual scenarios. 


Our students and staff train regularly, utilizing the protocol and practicing responses to a variety of emergency situations throughout the school year.  It rationally organizes tactics for response to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders, and other threats to personal safety. Practice of emergency procedures through drills and training can reduce confusion, panic, and even serious injury for both staff and students. 


I have included a parent handout from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation to share the SRP with you so you can discuss it with your student, and also to familiarize you and your family with our procedures. 


In most small emergency events, such as the smell of smoke or a small fire, the students are evacuated out of their classrooms to a central location away from the campus buildings. This procedure works very well for the short duration/minor emergencies that we could experience; and we have practiced this procedure on a regular basis. After the emergency situation has been corrected, the students are released back into the classrooms and our normal school day resumes. However, in a larger event we need to institute a program of evacuation that corresponds with the increased potential threat to the safety of the students. 


In the event of a significant emergency, for example a large fire,a nearby hazardous materials spill, or other emergency that necessitates evacuation from a school, we are going to be moving the students out of harm's way to another nearby location. This action will allow us to safeguard the welfare of the students by removing them to a safer area further away from any dangerous or hazardous incident. 


 By moving the students to another nearby location, we also accomplish two other very important tasks. We will be removing the students from an environment where there could be large numbers of first responding emergency personnel, such as firefighters and police officers, along with their complicated machinery and equipment. We will also be providing a much safer and less confusing area to reunite the students with their parents, or other means of transportation, in the event that we cancel the school day. 



 The off site evacuation sites for our school are:


Evacuation Site #1

Pine Grove Elementary

1050 E. Rice Ranch Rd.

Evacuation Site #2

Coast Hills Baptist Church

650 W. Rice Ranch Rd


 If students are moved to an evacuation site, you will be notified using Parent Square and will be provided with additional information. In some cases, the school day will continue at the evacuation site and in others we may ask you to come to pick up your child. Please wait for further instructions before coming to the evacuation site, and do not respond directly to our campus. This is for your safety, the safety of our students, and the safety of first responders. By responding before instructed to do so, you can greatly increase the confusion and traffic congestion around the campus or evacuation site, especially at a time when emergency personnel are present or equipment or buses are responding to the area. 


Thank you for your continued partnership with our district and for supporting our goal of creating the safest possible environment for our students and staff. If you have any questions about the protocols or our safety procedures, please contact our school office.  


OUSD 1 Standard Response Protocol Parent Handout.pdf

Sincerely,


Joe Schmidt

Principal, OJHS