At Menlo-Atherton High School, staff and students evacuate the school monthly and do duck-and-cover earthquake drills once a year, said Matthew Zito, one of the school’s two administrative vice principals responsible for disaster preparedness. Twice a year, firefighters drill on campus.
“We’ll certainly be able to handle most (situations),” said Mr. Zito.
In a major earthquake, students would be told to gather in the two gyms in anticipation of orderly dismissal, he said. Some students might be allowed to walk home, but most would have to wait for parents.
Both the gyms and the administration building have emergency power generators and there should be enough food and water on campus for an overnight stay, if necessary, he said. “Past one night, I think it’d be a real stretch,” he said.
To minimize student phone calls in or out and to encourage staff to focus on the tasks at hand, Mr. Zito said he would like to be able to scramble cell phone calls. “I’m not sure how realistic that is,” he said. “(But) you have hysterical parents who try to get on campus. That’s actually more challenging than dealing with kids.”
To drill in anticipation of an intruder on campus, M-A is planning a full lock-down in May that would include police on campus and perhaps a police helicopter overhead. Classroom doors would be locked with students and teachers inside, he said.
The Almanac attempted to talk about preparedness with Woodside High School officials, but no one had returned the calls by press time.
