Safety and Security
School Emergency and Drill Information for Parents/Guardians
Our student’s safety is our top priority. School routines can be affected by weather related events, national
events and local or on-site emergencies. Twin Cities International Schools utilizes the school phone tree
system to communicate to parents via phone call and/or email/text in the event of an emergency.
Parents/guardians need to keep their contact information current and notify the school if there are any
changes.
The nature of the emergency dictates what sort of response protocol school officials will put in place to
help ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and visitors. When a situation arises at your child’s
school, it is important to know these terms:
Drills
Regular safety drills are conducted throughout the school year. Practice drills include: fire/evacuation,
tornado, and lockdown. The school is required to hold 5 fire drills, 5 lockdown drills, and one tornado
drill annually.
Fire/Evacuation
When the fire alarm sounds, the students and staff leave the building in a quiet, orderly fashion. All
persons will move away from the building to designated areas at least 50 feet from the building. All
students are accounted for prior to returning to the building through the use of a color-coded system.
Tornado
In the event of a tornado or drill, an announcement will be made over the school address system. Students
get in a crouched position in a designated interior safe area free of potentially falling debris and glass. In
the event of an “eminent threat,” if time allows, all students from the 2 nd floor will move to a safe location
on the 1 st floor. In the event this occurs at dismissal time, no students or staff will be permitted to leave
the building until the threat has passed.
Lockdown
Should the need for a lockdown occur, an announcement is made over the school address system. If
known, more information will be provided such as “lockdown with Active Shooter, or lockdown with
intruder, etc…” All students, staff & visitors should find a secure location immediately. Lights should be
turned off and windows covered. All interior and exterior doors will be locked. Remain in the location
until an all clear is called through the school address system or room are cleared by local law
enforcement. Other situations when a lockdown may occur is if there is an outside threat near the school
but may not pertain directly to the school. Students will not be released to a parent during a lockdown and
no visitors or students will be permitted entrance to the school.
Shelter In-Place
During a shelter in-place call, classes proceed as normal within their rooms, however, must remain in
their location until an “all clear” has been called through the school address system. This clears the
hallways and provides privacy and support in the event of needing to get medical attention to a student or
staff or a potentially unsafe situation. There is no danger to other students or staff during this response.
Depending on the scenario, students may not be released to a parent during a lockdown and visitors or
students may not be permitted entrance to the school.
Reunification
In the event of certain emergency situations, student will be moved from the school to a reunification site.
This occurs when reentry to the school on the same day is not possible. If this occurs, the school will
provide this information to parents through the phone tree system, the school’s website and potentially by
our local media outlets. Students will be released only to parent/guardians who are documented as
emergency contacts and who present a picture ID. This procedure is necessary to account for the
whereabouts of all students. The reunification process can be time-consuming, so parents are urged to be
patient.
TCIS reunification site: Metro Schools: 620 Olson Memorial Hwy, Minneapolis, MN 55411
As a parent/guardian, what do I do in an emergency?
In a school emergency, the first instinct as a parent/guardian is to pick up the telephone and start calling
the school or your child or rush up the school to get your child(ren). However, this can often complicate
matters from a safety and security standpoint. Here are some tips for parents/guardians to follow in an
emergency”
DO:
Stay close to your phone and wait for the phone tree call/text
Monitor local radio and TV report for updates and instructions
Rely on official communication from the school
DO NOT:
Rush to the school, as your presence could interfere with emergency responders
Phone your child or your child’s school. For safety reasons, it is important to keep lines of
communication open for emergency response.
Prior to any emergency situation, please assist the school by ensuring the emergency contact information
on file is complete, accurate and current. This will help the school communicate important information to
you in a timely manner and help with a smooth reunification process if necessary.
If you have questions regarding school safety and security, please contact the school administrators, Mr.
Abdirashid W., Mr. Ismail A., and Ms. Kelli W. at (612)821-6470