The following message is from Giffen Memorial Elementary School Principal Jasmine N. Brown. It will be emailed to families and sent home in student backpacks, as well.
Dear Families:
Giffen Memorial Elementary School will hold three different safety drills over the next several days to practice our reaction to emergencies that may happen in our building.
This Friday, we will hold a “lockdown” drill, which will simulate what we would do during an incident that might pose a threat in or around our school. During the lockdown, students and staff will remain in their classrooms and are not allowed to move throughout the building.
Also on Friday, we will hold a “Go Home Early” emergency preparedness drill. The State Education Department requires all schools to conduct this test each year. Students will be dismissed from school 15 minutes earlier than usual – at 3:15 p.m. Please note that all after-school programs will be cancelled Friday.
And on Oct. 12, next Thursday, we will hold an “evacuation” drill, where all students are moved to a safe location off school property.
You may want to consider talking about these drills with your child, emphasizing that practicing how to react will help the school respond appropriately if a real threat arises. We will hold other emergency preparedness drills during the school year, but they will not be announced beforehand.
As always, the safety of students and staff is a priority for our school and throughout the City School District of Albany. I welcome any questions or concerns you may have regarding this matter.
