Learn the new process for APS emergencies

Albuquerque Public Schools is implementing a new safety measure to reunite students with their families in a safer and more efficient way.

Starting this school year, the school district is distributing reunification cards to parents to help them reunite with students in case of what APS calls an “unforeseen incident.”

These cards are unique to each student, containing their names, a special bar code and instructions on the back for family members . Parents are encouraged to take a photo of the front of the card with a barcode. Extra cards will not be printed, for now. Families will receive two cards per student and can determine who should hold the card. Principals will create a system to distribute cards by the end of this month at each APS school.

According to a statement on the APS website, the protocol “makes this process more predictable and less chaotic for all involved.”

District officials say the cards will reduce the stress and wait time in the event of an emergency. They also ensure students are going home with the appropriate guardian. Previously, parents would pick up students from school during an emergency by going to the school office and calling a student out of class.

“Our reunification cards were designed, in conjunction with our current district/school safety plans, to create a more organized and efficient way of reunifying our students with their parents/guardians in the event of an incident/emergency that would call for an emergency action such as an evacuation,” APS said in a statement to the Journal.

Such emergencies could include dangerous weather, power outages or a crisis within the school. The process will also help facilitate reunification outside of typical school hours or locations.

The cards cost the district 16 cents per student.

How it works for parents

If a crisis arises, parents will be notified by the school district or individual school broadcast phone or text message system.

APS will also post important news on its website or social media platforms. According to a statement from APS, these notifications will only come once information has been found to be credible and has been verified. The school will issue a statement to parents letting them know the details of the incident.

In most cases, APS police and school leaders will make the decision to evacuate students depending on situational protocols.

Parents are asked not to go to school until they have been notified to do so.

Issues like threats from social media or shelters in place near but not within the school, like police activity or reports of gunfire, will not prompt the school to alert parents to begin the reunification process.

Once notified to come and get their child, parents will need to present a photo ID and their child’s reunification card. A parent who misplaces the card will need to fill out the reunification form. A form must be filled out per each student being picked up, so if parents have a card for one student and not the other, they will still be required to fill out a form.

Parents will be directed to a waiting room, where staff is notified and will bring the student to parents.

If the reunification site is not on school grounds, students will be taken there by bus and parents will be notified where to find them.

If a parent cannot pick up the child, only previously identified emergency contacts will be allowed to do so. Otherwise, the school will keep students in the building until a parent can pick them up.

How it works for students

Students will remain with school staff until their parents begin the reunification process.

APS said that in some situations, it is best to keep cellular network usage to a minimum.

Students who drive a vehicle to school will be permitted to take their cars off campus with only themselves and immediate family members, but APS calls it a case-by-case situation.