James Bay Community School
140 Oswego St Victoria BC V8V 2B1
Phone: 250-384-7184
Fax: 250-383-7152
Principal/Vice Principal: Marla Margetts (P), Julia Fellman (VP) Contact Phone Number: School 250-384-7184
Police Department: Non-Emergency 250-995-7654 Alternative Evacuation Site Location: Irving Park, 250 Menzies Street.
Protocols could not possibly be outlined for every emergency situation. The professional judgment of the administrator will always be important in determining actions. The following is a quick reference for some of the processes in place to deal with emergency situations.
Please refer to the following for updated information during an emergency within our district or regarding specific schools: www.sd61.bc.ca, CFAX, 107.3, 100.3, CBC Radio, 100.3 The Q, The Ocean 98.5, Times Colonist, Black Press, CTV, CHEK News
Facebook and Twitter: Updates are also posted on the Greater Victoria School District Facebook account and Twitter account @sd61schools
EMERGENCY DRILLS AND SUPPORT INFORMATION
CIRT
The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) provides support to schools and families in dealing with critical incidents through a provision of expertise, resources and additional counseling. The team will develop an action plan in response to a critical incident and may invite the district CIRT to provide further support.
EARTHQUAKE
In the event of an earthquake, students will be instructed to drop and cover. Drop and cover follows this process: drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it until the shaking stops; evacuation of the building will follow. Earth quake drills are practiced a minimum of twice per year at each grade level.
FIRE
In the event of a fire within a school, the fire alarm will be sounded by the person discovering the fire. Students will be evacuated from the building using the nearest safe exit and will assemble at a predetermined location where attendance will be taken and the names of missing students and their possible location are reported to the Principal. Fire drills are practiced on a regular basis, once per month at elementary and every two months at middle and secondary.
HOLD and SECURE
“Hold and Secure” is a school safety procedure designed to maximize the safety of staff and students when circumstances in the area of the school pose a potential for danger (i.e. chemical spill, downed power lines, cougar sighting). During a hold and secure, the Principal/Vice Principal will allow the interior of the school to function as normally as possible. However, the Principal/Vice Principal will control access to and from the school until the danger has been remedied. After any Hold and Secure, a communication will go out to parents/guardians briefly outlining the situation and how it was handled.
LOCKDOWN
A “Lockdown” is a school safety procedure designed to maximize the safety of staff and students in circumstances where there is a potential for violence in the school or surrounding area. During a lockdown, staff and students will secure themselves in their immediate area, lock and secure all interior doors when possible, turn off lights, and remain out of sight, in lockdown until released by police. After any lockdown, a communication will go out to parents/guardians briefly outlining the situation and how it was handled. This will ensure that accurate information goes home and that parents/guardians can support their children if they have questions or concerns.
CLASSROOM EVACUATION
From time to time it may be necessary for students to evacuate a classroom in response to a safety concern. Students will be directed by school staff to leave the classroom quickly and quietly out a specific doorway. Students will either line up in the hallway or proceed to an alternate location in the school such as the Library. The office will be contacted for additional support in all cases.
VTRA
Fair Notice for our Parent Community: The Greater Victoria School District is committed to creating and maintaining school environments in which students, staff, parents/guardians/caregivers and others feel safe. From time to time it may be necessary to complete a Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) in response to threatening behavior toward students or staff by students, parents or others. To ensure and promote the emotional and physical safety of students, staff, parents/guardians/caregivers and others, threats must be taken seriously, investigated and responded to. The VTRA will allow the school to plan the interventions necessary to prevent traumatic events in schools and ensure the safety of all.
The school district is subject to personal information privacy laws, and will undertake the collection of information during a VTRA in compliance with the requirement s of such laws, including by limiting collection to information that is relevant and necessary to address a risk of threat and by ensuring that information is collected from publicly available open source social media sites. The school district will not collect information as part of a threat assessment unless there is reason to believe that a risk exists. Information collected as part of a threat assessment may be provided to law enforcement authorities in appropriate circumstances.
PARENT INFORMATION
In the event of an emergency or critical incident, please wait for information from the school district before coming to the school to pick up your child. Information can be found at: www.sd61.bc.ca, CFAX, 107.3, 100.3 The Q, The Ocean 98.5, Times Colonist, Black Press, CTV, CHEK News
Facebook and Twitter: Updates are also posted on the Greater Victoria School District Facebook account and Twitter account @sd61schools
***Students will only be released to the parent/guardians or individual(s) listed as an emergency designate. Please ensure the school has updated information for your child.