Emergency Procedures

While thinking about emergencies on campus can be scary, it’s both important and empowering to be prepared. Mariposa's Comprehensive School Safety Plan is updated annually and reviewed with our School Site Council. The 23-24 Plan can be found here.

Mariposa uses protocols developed by the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities in San Mateo County, called “The Big Five.” Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Big Five Protocols:

If you want to dig a little deeper, take a look at the Big Five Community Packet.  

In full-scale emergencies, teachers are assigned to various emergency response roles, including grade level leaders who stay and supervise students in grade level teams while other teachers are “deployed” to their duty. Our plan also includes entrance security, with staff at each of our entrance and exit areas directing emergency response vehicles and personnel as well as parents. Parents will be directed to park off site allowing for emergency vehicles to have priority. Students will be released individually to parents or authorized adults at the student release station on campus only when law enforcement officers give us permission to do so. It is critical that parents follow our student release protocol so we can make sure all students are safe and accounted for:

1. No one will be allowed to drive on to campus. Please park in the surrounding neighborhoods and walk to the school entrance.  Parents may pick up students from Mariposa and/or Tierra Linda from the same student release station.  Please follow posted signs and/or staff/volunteer directions showing where to go.
2. Ensure you have an ID with you or other identifying information.
3. Please do not text or call your child to come to the front during this time. We need to account for all students by following our process and verifying identities.
4. Students will be released to emergency contacts only.

Our emergency plan also includes communication with parents. We use the SchoolMessenger app to send emails, phone calls and/or texts during emergencies. If you log into the app and go to “preferences,” you’ll be able to check the phone number and email listed for you and make any necessary changes to your notification preferences.

In the event of a true emergency, the best thing you can do as a parent is to stay away from the school (and refrain from calling both the school and your child) until you are notified to come pick up your student.  We understand that this is extremely difficult but it is important for us to focus on keeping all students safe in an emergency.  While keeping parents calm and informed is critical, student safety will be our highest priority and it is best if we can avoid anything that distracts from that. Additionally, during a lockdown/barricade protocol, the chiming or buzzing of notifications on students’ devices could draw the attention of an intruder, putting students in further danger.

None of us want to be involved in a real emergency, but practicing and being prepared will be key in keeping our kids and staff safe. We encourage parents to review these safety conversations with their own families. Have a family plan in the event of an emergency, help your children know the plan and be sure they know how to call 911 on your family phone(s).