• Some of Pocono Mountain School District's (PMSD) capital investments in safety and security systems for its schools and campuses are visible to visitors. Other safety and security systems and measures are present, but may not be visible to visitors. PMSD has a layered approach to school safety and security where systems in place build upon and reinforce each other to create a safer school environment for all students and staff.
• The District does not publish detailed lists of the specific safety and security measures it has in place at its schools and on campuses. The District coordinates its safety and security measures with law enforcement agencies and agencies trained in school safety.

• All visitors enter through the main entrance at each school; all other doors remain locked
• All staff and visitors must wear IDs as per District policy
• Installed signage and increased lighting in certain key areas
• Increased staff visibility
• Upgraded and secure vestibules in all schools

The PMSD Safety Team reviews and updates, as needed, the PMSD Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for All Hazards annually. The Basic Plan and the functional and hazard-specific annexes outline an organized, systematic method to mitigate, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from any possible incidents. The plan provides guidelines and procedures for PMSD employees to follow when dealing with existing or potential school incidents. The PMSD EOP is a confidential document. Parents with questions regarding school safety should contact their school principals for more information.

• Prevention
• Protection
• Mitigation
• Response
• Recovery

• Operation Safe Stop
• Click It or Ticket
• SAP (Student Assistance Program)

Pocono Mountain School District uses the Parentlink telephone messaging system, PMSD Alert Text and Email messaging system, the District website and Facebook as part of its ongoing efforts to communicate with students, families and staff.  In an emergency, ParentLink will be used to contact parents directly via telephone as quickly as possible. In addition, PMSD will provide information to local media outlets for dissemination to the PMSD community. A variety of critical situations that impact children, ranging from a bus accident or severe weather and power outages to emergencies that may cause a school to evacuate, shelter, or lockdown, will trigger parent and community emergency notifications.

Watch for a phone call, email, or text message with information sent from PMSD.

Visit the PMSD website at www.pmsd.org
Check the PMSD Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Poconoeast.west

Every parent who has a child attending Pocono Mountain School District is automatically signed up to receive ParentLink telephone messages; however, it is up to you to keep the school informed of any changes to your primary telephone contact number, email address or emergency contacts.  In order for the District to contact you as quickly as possible when an emergency occurs, the District must have accurate contact information for all parents.

Whenever a parent changes a phone number or e-mail address, they need to notify their child’s school as soon as possible so that their information can be updated.

• Ensure your school has accurate emergency contact information for your child and notify the school if it changes.
• Identify who would be authorized to pick up your child if there is a school or community emergency.  Make sure anyone identified is listed as an emergency contact in your child’s student emergency information.

Communicate with your child about being prepared for emergencies. This includes understanding drills, such as fire drills, and taking them seriously.  It also includes recognizing anything that is out of the ordinary or unusual on the school day and reporting it to an adult at school.

• If there is an emergency at one of the Pocono Mountain schools, wait for official instructions to be communicated using the ParentLink telephone message system. LISTEN! This telephone message will inform you of what has happened and what (if anything) you should do.
• Please do not call the school. Phone lines and staff are needed for emergency response efforts and coordination with emergency responders and law enforcement.
• Please do not go to the school unless instructed to do so by school officials. Traffic congestion impedes the movement of emergency vehicles, reduces response times by first responders, and can make a difficult situation much worse.

• Students will be kept in school or at another evacuation site until it is safe to release them. If a normal bus dismissal is not possible, you will be asked to pick up your child. As soon as possible after the emergency has been mitigated, school and/or District officials will provide parents via ParentLink and other communication methods with information regarding a reunification site location and time to meet their child.
• Make sure to monitor all communications from the District.
• When you go to the reunification site, bring a picture I.D. (e.g., driver’s license, passport, etc.) and check in with school officials.
• Students will be released to guardians or emergency contacts who have acceptable identification and who are named in the student information database. If a listed contact cannot pick up a child, the child will remain at the reunification site until confirmation to release the child can be received from a listed contact. MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD’S CONTACT INFORMATION IS UP TO DATE!

• Listen to and acknowledge your child’s feelings and concerns.
• Provide reassurance to your child that they are safe, and that school is safe.
• Seek help from school personnel or a mental health professional if needed.