Reunification Drills: Getting It Right Before Everything Goes Wrong
In an age of increasing threats to student safety, collaboration between school districts and park districts has become a vital part of emergency preparedness. Natural disasters, unforeseen security threats, and shootings are only a few of the possible situations.
Over the past 5 years, school shootings have skyrocketed. In 2023 through October, there were more than 265 shooting incidents across the U.S. The fear of this tragedy occurring in a nearby neighborhood can be felt by students, teachers, and families. School district officials may wonder, “How can we improve our emergency response?” That’s where reunification drills can be utilized.
A Good Process
Ellen and John-Michael Keyes created The “I Love U Guys” Foundation in 2006 after a school shooting took the life of their daughter. Since then, the foundation has spearheaded crisis-response and post-crisis reunification programs around the world. In 2019, using the foundation’s resources as a base, School District 33 in West Chicago partnered with the West Chicago Park District to begin relocation/reunification drills each year.
These drills are structured exercises that simulate the process of reuniting students and parents. The goal is to practice so staff members, students, and their families are prepared during a real event.
“D33 puts safety on top. It’s the most important thing we have,” says Fred Cadena, Director of Facilities & Safety at D33. Cadena is a member of both DuPage County’s Safety Task Force and D33’s Safety Committee. He was the individual to spark this movement.
Although D33 officials had been developing safety procedures for years, they began to consider reunification more recently as the number of incidents rose. The district was familiar with relocation drills but not reunification.
“There’s been a lot of studies out there, and one of the most important things parents remember is when they reunify,” says Cadena. “But the processes—there wasn’t a really good process years back.”
After meeting with Keyes and seeing the impact the organization had on safety preparation, Cadena and his team at D33 utilized the foundation’s resources to create its own Reunification Kit. The process took a year of significant work. The team had to determine how to evacuate students and find a suitable reunification site, as well as address staff training, necessary signage and supplies, and other procedures.
The next step in planning was to collaborate with others in the community. During a time of need, a school district is primarily focused on the impacted school. Cadena asked DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM) to assist in planning and developing the drill. The relationship was mutually beneficial, as county officials wanted to work with school liaisons to observe and test their own emergency systems and processes, such as radio and Wi-Fi set-ups and DuSMART—an agreement between school districts to provide aid during a crisis. West Chicago’s fire, police, and park district also were involved.
Drilling It Down
With the procedures established and a network of collaborators, the final step was to practice.
A typical emergency may look like this:
An incident occurs.
The D33 team assesses the situation with unified command (i.e., fire and police departments).
A joint decision is made to relocate.
Communication is initiated with the reunification site (i.e., the West Chicago Park District), and a perimeter is established.
Sections are set up and supplies are gathered, such as check-in tables.
Children arrive.
Parents arrive.
The reunification process begins.
Immediately following the drill, there is a debriefing to review the process and offer suggestions for improvement. In a real scenario, the team also has to make decisions over the next few days to determine the need for social services, how families and the community were impacted, and how to best assist residents.
Spelling It Out
The following is the Standard Reunification Method:
Step 1: As parents arrive at the reunification site, greeters explain the process and distribute reunification cards.
Step 2: Parents complete the information requested on the card and begin to self-sort into lines.
Step 3: Checkers verify parental custody. The bottom part of the card is returned to the parent. The top is given to the accountant.
Step 4: At the reunification area, parents give their card to a reunifier, who goes to the assembly area to recover the student.
Step 5: The reunifier returns the student to the parents. They note the time, and initial the bottom of the card.
Step 6: The reunifier delivers the bottom of the card to the accountant. The accountant will start sorting the cards.
On the park district side, once D33 notifies staff members, they pause operations, clear the building, and prepare to receive students. Since the park district is committed to community safety, participating in these drills ensures an efficient reunification of families.
Since beginning the drills in 2019, D33 officials have been able to refine the process by addressing various issues. They are as prepared as possible for a real emergency.
Organizing The Chaos
For districts that are interested in beginning this process, Cadena emphasizes the importance of networking. One challenge D33 officials faced initially was obtaining enough staff members. School districts need many people to handle situations. It is important to go into the community and establish relationships so everyone can work together efficiently. Cadena and his team also learned that the county can help if there is a gap in resources to provide busses, radios, Wi-Fi, food, tables, and any other necessary supplies.
“When you don’t have a plan in place, it’s chaos. That’s what we wanted to avoid in West Chicago,” Cadena explains. “Get organized, preplan, then drill. You have to practice it ... You have to go through the motions and figure out what would work. This is why it was so valuable to do it with the park district—we know the building and being able to work together is huge.”
It was this collaboration and practice, along with the work from The “I Love U Guys” Foundation, that helped make everything possible.
Once the process was developed, other leaders at the county level noticed it. Impressed, officials decided to standardize the reunification process for all county school districts. Having a unified front, with the same language and processes, ensures that communication and collaboration will go smoothly during a crisis. D33 ignited a movement that will save lives and keep students, staff members, and families safe.
Story contributed by Danielle Spence, former Marketing & Communications Manager at West Chicago Park District.
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