January 05, 2009 Dear Parents: Should an emergency or disaster occur while school is in session, be assured that there are procedures in place to respond effectively. In fact, public schools in Guam are built to meet stringent construction standards and they may be safer than your own home. If an emergency situation occurs at school, your child/children will be safe. AIJMS has a detailed disaster plan which has been formulated to respond to different types of emergencies (e.g. fires. earthquakes, terroristic conduct, etc.) Your cooperation is necessary in the event of an emergency. The guidelines below are designed to provide you with an understanding of how you can help. 1.Do not telephone the school. Telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication. The school will be in direct contact with GPSS Central Office so you can call them for information (475-0515 or 475-0426). 2.In the event of an emergency, students will be kept at school until they are picked up by an identified, authorized adult who is listed on the school emergency card. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to update Emergency Cards at the beginning of each school year and each time information changes. Please see a clerk in the Main Office or Counseling Office for forms. Please note that students will not be released to a person not authorized on the Emergency Card. Please be sure you consider the following criteria when you authorize a person to pick up your child at school: He/she is 18 years of age or older with picture ID (required to verify identification). He/she is usually home during the day. He/she can walk to school, if necessary. He/she is known to your child. He/she is both aware and able to assume this responsibility. Students will be released only to parents and persons identified on the School Emergency Card. During an emergency, students will be released at Pedestrian Gate outside A5 – across the Police Koban. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with the School Emergency Disaster Plan and student release process. Please instruct your child/children to remain at school until you or a designee arrives. Because local telephone service may be disrupted, also list an off-island contact on the emergency card, as calls may still be made out of the area while incoming calls are affected. The decision to keep students at school will be based on whether or not streets in the area are open. If this occurs, GPSS Central Office and radio stations will be notified. In the event that a natural disaster takes place during the time that students are being transported, students will be kept on the bus and the driver will ask for assistance through radio contact with the school and district personnel. Any child who is home waiting for the bus will not be picked up (if roads are impassable) and remains the responsibility of the parent or guardian. In the event a natural disaster occurs in the afternoon, the driver will make every attempt to continue delivering the students to their homes. Should road conditions prevent the driver from delivering students to their home or to school in the morning, the students will be delivered to the nearest school site and that school will communicate with the home school to inform them of the students’ whereabouts. 3.Turn your radio to various local stations for emergency announcements. If students are kept at school, radio stations will be notified. In addition, information regarding day-to-day school operations will be available by calling the GPSS Central Office. 4.Impress upon your children the need for them to stay calm and follow the directions of school personnel at all times. In case of a hazardous release (e.g. chemical spill, dirty bomb etc.) near the school area, Shelter-in-Place procedures will be implemented to provide in place protection. All students and staff will clear the outside, report to their rooms. All efforts will be made to prevent outside air from entering classrooms during the emergency. “Shelter-in-Place” signs will be placed in classroom windows or hung outside classroom doors and on entrance gates. Students arriving at school during a Shelter-in-Place exercise or event should report to SSO because classrooms will be inaccessible. When the dangerous incident has subsided and the school is authorized to resume normal operations, an all-clear signal will be given (2 minute continuous ring of the bell). Student release procedures are posted on the school’s website at aijms.net. Please visit the site and review them with your immediate family. Planning ahead will help alleviate concern during emergencies. Sincerely, Christopher Anderson Principal | 
