School Safety - San Mateo County Office of Education

Schools are Safe Places

Principals, teachers, and other school staff work closely with public safety officials to ensure that all children are safe at school. All schools have detailed emergency plans, and school employees are trained in these protocols.

Your cooperation is necessary in any emergency and in the student release process. Learn your school's student-parent reunification plan as well as the school's parental notification methods. To best support your child's safety in a school emergency, remain calm and follow the plan. Open communication between home and school is critical to the safety and well-being of our students and your children. If you have any questions about school safety policies, please contact your child's teacher or school principal.

The Big Five

The Big Five, a common emergency plan adopted by all San Mateo County School Districts and law enforcement agencies. The Big Five protocol supports high-quality training for school staff and community members and ensures clear channels of communications with schools, first responders, parents and community members should an emergency occur. Be sure to talk with your children about school emergency response plans and review "The Big Five" periodically. Teach your children to follow the lead of school staff in the event of an emergency.

The Big Five Overview (English, Spanish)

The Big Five Community Packet (English) (Chinese) (Spanish) (Tagalog)

Earthquake Preparedness

Is your family prepared for an earthquake? Make sure your home is ready by securing moveable items and by having an earthquake kit prepared. Totally Unprepared shares what should be included in an earthquake kit and the American Red Cross encourages families to create a Family Disaster Plan. Learn about the natural hazards that exist in your neighborhood on the Cal EMA "MyHazards" website.