Emergencies or Disasters

In the event of a major disaster (fire, earthquake, flood) during school hours, children will be kept at school. They will be released only to previously authorized individuals. The exception would be in the event of a serious injury, when we would send the child for emergency medical care. It is absolutely imperative that the Emergency Card and Student Release Card at school be kept current and accurate. It is the primary document used to locate you or the people you've designated to pick up your child. Your child will NOT be released to anyone who is not on this emergency card.

Telephone systems quickly become overloaded in an emergency, so please do not try to phone the school. Instead, come to school or send a person from your emergency card to pick up your child. Check your local radio and  television stations for information during local disasters and emergencies. Mark your local radio station on your radio's dial. Your child should be made familiar with these stations and their roles in local emergencies.

Emergency Procedures

What to do in an Emergency

While emergencies are not something we expect to happen, it is important to prepare for any eventuality. is dedicated to the safety of our students and is proactive in communicating and upgrading our emergency procedures and policies.

We have included school emergency protocol on our website to keep parents and staff informed and up to date. has also implemented an emergency alert system to notify parents in the event of an emergency during school hours.

What you can do to be prepared:

  • Natural Disasters – Learn what to do in the event of an earthquake or fire
  • Planning – Draft your family’s emergency plan with this PDF template.
  • School Emergencies – Review school emergency protocol and stay on top of updates and changes
  • Emergency Alerts – Sign up for Solvang Elementary School’s emergency alert system and receive emergency information on your cell phone
  • Release Forms – Fill out a Parent Release Form without a visit to the front office.

Solvang Elementary School Emergency Procedures

Be prepared for natural disasters

No one can ever be totally prepared for a natural disaster, but knowing what to do before, during and after can make a crucial difference.  Critical steps to take include creating an emergency plan for your family, conducting emergency drills, being aware of the location of emergency exits and fire extinguishers in your home, and maintaining an emergency preparedness kit to sustain your family for up to a week.

Two of the most common natural disasters in California are earthquakes and fires. Below are some tips to help your family prepare a disaster plan, so that you can prepare for these events as much as possible.
Create a disaster plan

Here are some steps you should take when creating your family’s disaster plan.

  • First, meet with your family to discuss what you need to prepare for earthquakes and fires; explain the dangers of earthquakes and fires to your children, and plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.
  • Locate two “safe spots” inside each room per type of disaster
  • Pick two places to meet. One should be outside of your home in case of fire; the other should be outside of your neighborhood, in case you can’t return home. Every family member should know the address and phone numbers of your meeting places.
  • Designate an out-of-state friend to be a “family contact”. After a disaster, long distance phone service is usually restored before local service, so family members should call the “family contact” to check in with their location.
  • Talk with your family about what to do in an evacuation. Locate two exit routes out of each room; practice evaluating, and plan on how to take care of your pets.
  • Show each family member how to shut off the gas, water, and electricity valves in your house—keep tools near the gas and water shutoff valves. Remember: only turn your utilities off if you suspect lines have been damaged or you have been instructed to by your utility company.
  • Install fire extinguishers (approved for use in both regular and electrical fires) in your home and teach every family how to use them.
  • Inspect your home for potential hazards; secure items that may break, fall, or obstruct an exit during an emergency.
  • Print and fill out an emergency plan and have everyone in the family read and understand it.