Bement CUSD Plans School Evacuation, Reunification Drill, Wednesday, March 27
Bement Community Unit District #5 announced its upcoming School Evacuation/Reunification drill, which will educate students, faculty, staff, parents, first responders, area schools and community members about how to conduct an Evacuation/Reunification drill. This is the first time the district has conducted a reunification drill.
The drill is being planned and conducted in cooperation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Piatt County Emergency Management Agency, Macon County Emergency Management Agency, Piatt County 9-1-1, Piatt County Sheriff’s Department, Bement Police Department, Monticello Police Department, Kirby Ambulance, Monticello Fire, Bement Fire, Cerro Gordo Fire, Mid-Piatt Fire, Monticello Christian Church, Village of Bement, Bement Lions Club, Monticello Township, Monticello Street Department, Dewitt-Piatt Health Department, and Piatt County Mental Health Department. Although schools are not required to conduct reunification drills, Bement CUSD #5 feels it is extremely important to conduct such a drill as part of an all-hazards crisis response plan.
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students remains our top priority,” emphasizes Superintendent Mary Vogt. “While conducting this drill entails significant planning and may disrupt our parents’ usual routines, it is important for our community to grasp our procedures for reuniting students with their caregivers during a real emergency. Whether it’s a gas leak, tornado, fire, or any other crisis, our readiness to reunite students with their parents or guardians is an important part of the process.
Through this practice, our aim is to reduce the confusion, stress, and anxiety that may arise for all parties involved in the event of an actual emergency.”
On the morning of Wednesday, March 27, an evacuation of Bement schools will take place. Students will be signaled to exit the building by sounding the fire alarm. They will go to the Bement Lions Club as the initial rally point and then be taken to the Monticello Christian Church by bus. After evacuation of the schools, communication will be sent out to parents/guardians using social media and the school mass communication system, announcing that they need to reunite with their children at the Monticello Christian Church. Students will be dismissed from the church when a parent/guardian picks them up by showing proper identification. If a parent/guardian is unable to participate in the drill their student will be brought back to school at the end of the drill and dismissed from there. The reunification site is out of town to minimize the amount of traffic from parents arriving to pick up children at the same time that first responders need access to the roadways to respond to an incident at the school.
“While we sincerely hope to never have to implement our Reunification plan, conducting this drill will better prepare us for situations requiring the evacuation and reunification of our students with their guardians,” says Superintendent Vogt.
