November 2019 | Vol. 29 Iss. 11
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By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
O
n Oct. 2, North Star Academy held its first evacuation and off-site reunification drill. Students and staff evacuated the school and relocated to nearby MidValley Bible Church. Personnel and vehicles from the Bluffdale fire department were present to make the drill more realistic. “It was not a convenient situation—it disrupted everyone’s day,” said Jordan Shields, a parent and member of the school’s board of trustees. “But we felt like it was important that we practice something like that, so that if it ever happened in the future, it wouldn’t be complete chaos.” Parents were notified through the school app and emergency response system to pick up their children once the drill began. “Parents had no idea what time the drill would be occurring,” said academy director Tana Archer. “They knew the day, but they did not know the time.” Jayna Hunt said it only took about 40 minutes from the time she got the message to getting her eighth grader home. “It went very smooth—there weren’t any problems,” she said. “I feel that it was very worth it for the school, students and parents to know what to do. Preparing is always worth it.” Most parents left work or home to pick up their student. Others sent an approved family member or neighbor. For a few families, out-of-date landline numbers or emergency contact lists caused a delay. “If they showed up without ID, they could not take the child,” Archer said. “If they were not on the emergency contact list, they could not take the child.” The drill helped work out these kinds of kinks so that a real situation would play out more efficiently. Overall, the drill was a success, and students, staff and parents were patient with the process, said Shields.
NSA students were relocated to a shelter a block away. (Tana Archer/North Star Academy)
“The whole system was so organized and so orderly,” Shields said. “Everyone was just ready to do their part and be helpful to make it successful.” Shields serves as a member of the school’s safety committee, which planned the drill. The committee of parents, school staff and Bluffdale city representatives, has been working since January to update NSA’s emergency plan.
“We tried to anticipate and work through all the small details that we could possibly think of,” said Shields. The committee also hoped the drill would spur some conversations at home to make emergency plans as a family. A parent whose children no longer attend the school remained on the committee this year, as did Shields, who was scheduled to serve on another committee this year. Continued page 5