EMERGENCY INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES

Sapulpa Public Schools is committed to providing our students Academic Excellence in a Caring Environment. That caring environment includes safety and security for students, teachers, staff, and parents while on our campuses.

HOW YOU CAN HELP US

Parents need to ensure we have the most current contact information in PowerSchool. If you have recently changed your phone number and/or email address, please contact your child’s school and provide the updated information to the administrative assistant. If you have not opted-in to receiving text messages from us, please do so by texting Y or YES to 67587.

Sapulpa Public Schools staff should verify that their information is current. Please contact your site’s PowerSchool administrator to update your phone number.


HOW WE ARE PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES

Sapulpa Public Schools understands how important school safety is to you. It’s important to us. While we cannot divulge all of our security plans, here is what we can tell you:

  • We are required by the state to perform at least two (2) Tornado Drills, two (2) Fire Drills, two (2) Other Drills (these include but are not limited to Earthquake, Reverse Evacuation, Hazardous Material in the School, and School Bus Evacuation), and four (4) Security Drills per school year.

  • We employ a Director of Safety and Security and a full-time school resource officer who is a Sapulpa Police officer. The district also partners with Sapulpa Police and the Creek County Sheriff's Office for additional patrols of our schools while we are in session and at school events. Bus drivers are trained to provide additional security and observation before, after and between their bus routes.

  • We have hundreds of security cameras stationed throughout our schools, buildings, and complexes that are continually monitored and reviewed. All school buses are equipped with cameras.

  • We have secure entrances at our schools that are locked and allow visitors entry only after that person has been seen through the vestibule window or via security camera.

  • All exterior school doors are locked and only those employees who have permissions granted through their employee ID badge may enter.

  • No one is allowed to enter a classroom without knocking as our rooms are locked during class.

  • We have employees who are CPR-trained and go through yearly training to stay fresh on resuscitation procedures.

  • In accordance with a governor's executive order issued in June, 2022, all SPS staff is trained to utilize the Rave Panic Button mobile app for immediate incident reporting and response. SPS utilizes the Rave Panic Button for drills, medical emergencies, fire and police emergencies, or intruder on campus alerts that immediately notify authorities and staff.


HOW WE RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES

First and foremost, we stay calm, rely on our training, and contact the proper authorities. We ask that you remain calm and patient as we navigate the situation with emergency personnel. As soon as we get a handle on the situation we will:

  • Communicate to you what is happening via Phone Call, Email and Text Message through our School Messenger Communicate Broadcast System. Again, it is vital that we have your current contact information in PowerSchool. To sign up for district text messages (should the sender select the text feature), text "Yes" or "Y" to 67587. Standard text messaging rates will apply.

  • Provide you with continual updates via our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Social media will be an important tool for us to let you know what’s happening in the event of an emergency.

  • Provide you with information on our Website and Mobile App. If you are monitoring the page as we are updating the situation, you may need to refresh the page occasionally to access new information.

  • Work our Reunification Plan and alert you where you need to go and how you will be able to pick up your child, should the situation come to that point.

  • In most cases, we will not have all the details about the emergency from the very beginning. We will, however, continue to provide updates as the situation evolves so that you are aware of the latest developments.

  • When the emergency situation has ended, we will alert you via Phone Call, Email, Text Message, social media and the district website.

WHAT YOU CAN DO DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

As we will do, we ask you to remain calm and patient with us. As difficult as that may be, please remember your children are our students and we will do our very best to keep them safe and secure. We also ask that you:

  • Please do not call the school. Please wait for the forthcoming communications via the channels listed above. By the calling the school, you may be tying up a line that could be used by staff to contact district administration or emergency personnel.

  • Please do not go to the school. You may not be allowed on campus if police have a perimeter set up, and you may create traffic congestion thereby inhibiting emergency personnel from reaching the situation in the quickest means possible.

  • Monitor our communications channels for the latest updates.

  • Keep your phone close by in the event we need to get a hold of you.

  • Have photo identification with you.

WHAT IS A REUNIFICATION PLAN?

Reunification is a process that protects both the safety of the student and provides for an accountable change of custody from the school to a recognized custodial parent or guardian.

The Reunification Plan may be necessary due to weather, power outage, or if a crisis occurs at one of our schools. It provides a more predictable process with less chaos to reunite you with your student. Because it is not a typical end-of-day event, reunification may occur at a different school site. It is imperative that you keep your phone nearby and monitor our social media pages and website for communications and instructions from the district.


SEVERE WEATHER

Emergency Weather Procedures

School Closings and Event Cancellations

Sometimes it is necessary to close school because of severe weather. The district makes all attempts to notify you in a timely manner when schools must close due to severe weather. Once the decision to close is made, it will be announced on:

- sapulpaps.org
- The district's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts
- Local media including KTUL Channel 8, KOTV Channel 6, KJRH Channel 2, Fox23, KRMG-740 AM, KQLL-FM, KOOL 106.1, KVOO-98.5FM, K95 FM/KWEN, KHIT/FM 106.9, KBEZ/FM 92.9, KMOD/FM 97.5, and other radio stations.

Sapulpa Public Schools utilizes the Perry Weather Widget sponsored by Ascension St. John Sapulpa to monitor weather conditions around sporting events. We will notify you as soon as possible if weather cancels or delays athletic events or other scheduled events.

Heavy
Rain

Heavy rain occasionally causes bus breakdowns and minor flooding in the district. When a bus "drowns out," a replacement bus will be sent as soon as possible. Obviously, this delays the schedule.

When minor flooding occurs, drivers are instructed to find an alternate route; if none is available, the children will be returned to their schools. Children are permitted to walk around obstruction only when they can do so without going out of sight of the driver.

If heavy rain or hail is occurring at dismissal time, students may be held in the building until the intensity of the storm subsides. This is a judgment decision which is made by each building principal.

Tornadoes

Severe weather is a common occurrence in Oklahoma, especially in the spring. Each of our schools has a tornado procedure, and the faculty and students have required, regular storm drills.

If severe weather is rapidly approaching at the time of dismissal, students will be held at the school in a safe place until the danger has subsided. If there is a tornado watch but no immediate danger, school will be dismissed on schedule.

Snow &
Ice

Snowdrifts and ice often make street conditions too hazardous for early morning travel. Occasionally it is prudent to run the morning bus schedules one hour late. This allows us to avoid dangerous conditions created by congested traffic, snow and ice.

Early dismissal is not common in Sapulpa Public Schools because of the many working parents. Every effort is made to keep a normal afternoon schedule and any change would occur because of unusual circumstances. If early dismissal is warranted, we usually start the bus schedule one hour early. Because snow and ice conditions make travel slow, early dismissal does not necessarily mean students will arrive home early. Working parents with small children should make arrangements to ensure their children know where to go for supervision should it be necessary to dismiss early to avoid hazardous street conditions.