Emergency Procedures

Salem Elementary School is required by NYS to have twelve (12) drills a year of which four (4) must be lockdown drills and eight (8) must be evacuation drills.  Please note that all drills are conducted in an age appropriate way while still implementing best practices. 

 

There are a variety of drills your children may experience in addition to the fire and lockdown drills such as lockout drills, shelter in place drills, hold in place drills and a school evacuation.

 

During the winter months there is always the threat of snow and ice and the resulting harsh conditions that can make getting to and from school hazardous for both students and teachers.  Please note the following procedures and policies that will be in effect in case of such  emergencies. The main district telephone number (516-767-5000) will be programmed no later than 6:00am with a message announcing a delayed opening or a school closing.  The district website will post school closing by 6:00am. (http://www.portnet.org.).  You can also check the district's Instagram and Facebook pages (@PortWashSchools).

The district also activates a message to all homes when school is closed. Class parents keep phone chains for use during emergencies.  Please be sure to keep home and cell phone numbers current with class parents.  Do not expect class phone chains to be activated during school closings or delayed openings.

 

Delayed Opening Policy

In order to avoid losing an entire day of school when the weather is inclement in the early morning, the School Board has adopted the following Delayed Opening Procedures.  If a delayed opening is declared, parents should obtain information from the radio reports and from telephone chains.  The fire department sirens will not sound.

 

A delayed opening means that bus schedules will also be delayed one or two hours.  For example, if the bus pick-up time is normally 7:54am, a one-hour delay will change that time to 8:54am, and a two-hour delay will change that time to 9:54am.

 

When there is a delayed opening, all programs scheduled prior to the regular opening of school will be canceled, e.g. breakfast program, morning clubs.  A delayed school opening decision can be changed to a full-day closing decision if it is judged that the weather and road conditions will still be too hazardous despite the planned delay.  Students attending non-public schools will be equally affected by a delayed opening decision.

 

The School Closing Siren

On days that the superintendent has determined schools should be closed, the fire department will sound its siren at 6:30am.  All three sirens (Nassau Knolls Cemetery, Polish Hall and Manorhaven Park) will sound in unison and the cycle will be five blasts at four seconds each with a two second interval in between for a total of thirty seconds.  This cycle is totally different than any other signal now used by the department and it will only be sounded once, at 6:30am to announce the closing of schools for that day.

 

Public Announcements

The following stations will carry information about Port Washington school closing and delayed openings:  WINS-1010AM and Channel 12 News.  

 

Emergency Bus Stops

When a snowstorm hits during the day, school buses sometimes have trouble getting to bus stops in some areas and do not try to go up certain streets.  On days like that, the schools call parents whenever possible to notify them of the problem so that the children can be met at emergency bus stop locations.  If there are any questions, parents should call the Salem School at 767-5400 for information.