Safety Procedures for Natural Hazards

Introduction

The safety of students and staff is a priority for AUSD, and, as a school district in the Bay Area, we are aware that we potentially face a number of natural hazards. Those hazards include earthquakes, fires, wildfire smoke, and, increasingly, excessive heat.

AUSD follows all state laws in regards to emergency preparation and drilling for earthquakes and fires and has consulted with public health agencies and the Alameda County Office of Education in setting up protocols for smoke and heat.

AUSD Responses to Air Quality Issues

Monitoring

AUSD tracks several sources for determining local air quality, including:

AIRNow website (US EPA - brings up Oakland only
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Weather Underground

When the air is particularly bad, district staff check these sites on the hour so as to be able to communicate accurate information to schools and families. District staff also consult with surrounding districts and the Alameda County Office of Education to determine what steps to take to minimize the risk for students and staff.

Communication

All staff and families will receive a notification about pending school closures due to high AQI levels on ParentSquare and staff emails. Closure information will be posted on all school websites and the district will post notifications on social media.

Air Quality Protocols

to acUsing state guidance developed by a working group of leaders from education, air quality, and public health agencies, AUSD has developed protocols for responding to air quality issues in our region. Those protocols are below.

AUSD also provides HEPA air purifiers to all classrooms, which should be turned on during smoky conditions.

AQI 0-50

Good

AQI 51-100 Moderate

AQI 101-150

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

AQI 151-200 Unhealthy

AQI 201-300

Very Unhealthy

Normal school operations

Normal school operations but:

doors and windows should be closed in classrooms

All teachers turn on HEPA air purifiers in the classroom

Sensitive individuals exercise extra caution and refrain from vigorous outdoor activity, including in games and practices

Sensitive individuals eat lunch and spend PE indoors

Families actively manage sensitive students' medical conditions

athletic practice Less strenuous activity and more breaks during

All persons avoid vigorous outdoor activities OR exercise indoors.

cLASSROOM DOORS AND WINDOWS STAY CLOSED.

School lunches moved indoors

Excused absences available for families who want to keep students at home

Athletic practices and games cancelled

School cancelled

ATHLETIC Practices and games cancelled

Excessive Heat

How Does AUSD Monitor Excessive Heat?

Although Alameda’s average temperature is around 68 degrees, we have about a dozen days per year where temperatures rise into the 80s, 90s, or occasionally low 100s. Because most AUSD schools are not air conditioned, this can result in uncomfortable and, in rare circumstances, unsafe circumstances. AUSD follows the protocols below in determining how best to proceed during excessively hot days.

Monitoring the “Heat Index”

The temperature inside or outside a classroom is not the only measure that matters on hot days. More important to understanding how students and staff are experiencing the heat is the “heat index,” which is a combination of heat and humidity.

Example: If the air temperature is 94 F and the relative humidity is 60%, the heat index – or how hot it feels – is 110 F.

AUSD staff use the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool to get instant readouts of the heat index and level of risk. This easy-to-use app also includes information on heat disorder symptoms and first aid. AUSD staff also montitor other apps with temperature readings, including weather.com and the NWS HeatRisk Forecast (which is recommended by the California Department of Education).

Considering micro conditions

We are aware that depending on orientation and ventilation, some classrooms heat up faster than others and that teachers and students in those classrooms may get uncomfortable faster than those in other classrooms. We are actively looking for solutions to that issue.

Staying alert to the potential for heat disorders

Heat and humidity can result in two health issues:

Heat Exhaustion – characterized by symptoms such as heavy sweating, cool or clammy skin, confusion, nausea, vomiting, headache, fainting, slow heartbeat, and weakness/fatigue.
Heat Stroke – characterized by symptoms such as decreased sweating, hot skin, confusion, convulsions, loss of consciousness, fast heartbeat, shortness of breath.

Both conditions are serious but heat stroke is a medical emergency.

A few notes:

Younger children and children and adults with acute and chronic health problems are more prone to heat issues than older children.
The higher the heat index, the greater the health danger.

Communications During Periods of Excessive Heat

AUSD will start communicating with site administrators when the temperature reaches 80 F, so that principals can begin to monitor conditions and adjust activities, such as:

Modifying Classroom Conditions

Reminding staff to set up the fans that have been provided.
Keeping blinds closed to minimize sunlight heating the classroom.
Removing teachers and students from the hottest classrooms on campus and having them work in a cooler classroom, media center, MPR, or shaded outside area when classroom temperatures each 80 degrees or more.
Making water available to students who don’t have water bottles.

Modifying PE, Recess, and Competitive Sports

Outdoor activities will be modified when the heat index is over 80 F.
Water will be provided in readily accessible areas.
Water breaks will be provided every 15 to 30 minutes.
All students complaining of the heat will be allowed to rest.
Observing students with known health problems carefully; restricting their activity if needed.
Providing proper cool down periods after exercise.
Athletic practices should be canceled when the temperature and/or heat index reaches 90 degrees.

Communication with families

During periods of hot weather, district and site staff will communicate with families on ways to keep their students cool during the school day and what the district and site response will be. Those communications will come via robocalls, text, ParentSquare messages, websites, and social media.

Heat Resources

Earthquake and Fire

All AUSD schools have uniform emergency procedures for earthquakes and fires. These procedures were created in collaboration with local law enforcement and are based on best practices. Fire drill procedures are practiced once a month at elementary schools, four times a year at middle schools, and two times a year at high schools. The district as a whole participates in the "Great Shakeout" every October to practice earthquake protocols.