American School of Guatemala 

General Evacuation Procedures High School Section 2019-20 

(Last updated September 2016)
In the event of an emergency in which students must move away from the classroom areas, the following procedures should
be followed to evacuate any of the designated areas.

Preparation:​ In each classroom, there is a poster with the HS map and a red folder with HS advisory lists to take
attendance. Each teacher will receive information about the evacuation procedures and evacuation map. It is the
responsibility of each teacher to review the emergency procedure information. Additional red folders will be
available in the HS office, teacher work rooms, teacher lounge.

Duck and cover​: Teachers and students should take cover underneath tables/desks and count to 60 before leaving the
room.

Encourage your students to take the drill very seriously.

Practice a ​“Drop, Cover, and Hold On” drill, ​having students ​Hold​ their position for 60 seconds. You may count together:
one-one hundred, two one hundred, etc.
Drop​ down to knees and make yourselves small.
Cover ​your face, head and neck, closing your eyes. Keep your body under or below level of desk/table/chairs, with your
back to windows.

Signal to leave rooms:​ An alarm will sound to indicate that teachers must lead students in the procedures above and exit
the rooms. However, when there is no electricity, either a whistle will be blown or verbal announcements made to
signal the need to exit the rooms.

Leaving the room: ​Teachers will ask that students quietly and orderly stand up and in single file leave the classroom. The
teacher in charge of the group is responsible for ensuring that the doors remain closed, but not locked. Any
teachers with planning periods or in meetings must participate in the evacuation as well. Students must walk in
single file lines, according to the evacuation route, to the designated location. Everyone must cover their heads with
their hands while walking. Students should leave their belongings inside the classroom.

Evacuation Routes:​ specific evacuation routes have been established. Students at the swimming pool, auditorium, music
rooms, library, medical clinic, counseling department, should follow the teachers’ instructions to the designated
area.

Designated meeting area:  ​Softball Field

All teachers will take the red emergency folder found in the classroom and lead the group of students they are with to the
softball field at the time of the emergency. The students will line up by grade level and advisory in front of the
corresponding signs on the fence behind the softball field. All should assemble away from the trees. Teachers
who are not advisors will assist in taking attendance and helping to determine students who are absent/missing on
grade level lists. The grade level coordinators will be responsible for recording (marking), on grade level lists that
are in alphabetical order, the names of the students who are absent/missing at the time of the drill/emergency. This
means that their advisees will stay with the designated advisor when they move forward to collect and determine
grade level attendance.

Grade 9: Brooke Mangione

Grade 10: César Yumán
Grade 11: Myrna Molina
Grade 12: Dora Agreda
Teachers who are not advisors will help collect the sheets where teachers indicate students are missing/absent, and read
off the names of the students to the grade level coordinators. They may also be asked to help with the preliminary
search of missing students in the section. The grade level coordinators will assist the HS secretary in consolidating
the information from the grade level lists to a master 9-12 list.

Please note that if the emergency occurs during recess or lunch, students and staff will go to the softball field and line up by
grade level and advisory. The HS secretaries will bring extra copies of advisory lists to the softball field to share with
advisors.

Attendance:​ The secretaries will file a copy of the staff and student attendance summaries on a daily basis in the
emergency folder found in the HS Office.

When you arrive to the softball field or designated meeting area, take attendance. Put a check mark next to the names of
the students who are present and ​circle the names​ of the students who are absent/missing.
If you have absent/missing students, raise the red folder above your head so that the grade level coordinators can confirm
where students are absent/missing and collect the lists.

One of the HS secretaries will check staff attendance. Teachers who are free will assist the HS secretary in transferring
information of absent/missing students to the master roster.

Counselors will help with the groups, to maintain calm and orderly behavior. Should a student or staff member begin to
overreact, the counselors will be responsible for isolating the individual from the group and beginning crisis
management procedures.

Teachers and students should wait in SILENCE for instructions from the Principal. Once attendance has been taken and
students are waiting for further instructions, they may be asked to sit down.

At the end of any drill, the MS students will be dismissed first and then the HS students will be dismissed by grade level.
The students need to walk back to their classes in an orderly manner.
Injured students or staff will be assisted by the doctor and other staff in the designated area near the flags.

Individual  Responsibilities​:

Aura Ramos Office radio and emergency folder (including daily attendance summary sheets, list of students who
left early, complete HS section list, list of students on free periods and staff list)
Thelma de Juarez Megaphone, Emergency contacts binder
Norma Ochoa wheel chair
Leydy Arias teachers lounge, library, boys and girls restrooms in the library wing
Erika Hardy CE 12, CE13, CE14, CE15, Innovation Lab
Katie Thorleifson CE25, CE41, auditorium restrooms, CE3, CE4, CE5, CE8, Cafeteria
Jenbli Miranda rooms 1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-S, 6-S, 7-S, restroom 13S, 14S-17S
Magda de Pérez 8S-12S, 18S-24S
Mario Sánchez 8-S, 9-S, 10-S, 11-S, 12-S
Gloria Brolo 25S, 26S, 27S
Danika Nowak ​ 1S-7S, 14S-17S
Chip Phillips CE3-8, 18S-24S
Amada de Moreno art rooms
Jaime Pustis immediately to the softball field
Maria Hirst immediately to the softball field
The Emergency Committee has established various phases to the school’s emergency
procedures.

Phase 1​: Evacuation from buildings

Phase 2: Students meet at a specific area
Phase 3: School evacuation with parents help

General Instructions for Emergency Procedure:

a. General instructions will be given at all times in Spanish and afterwards in English.
b. During the evacuation drills, all people located inside the school at that time are required to participate.

           ​Procedures for phase 1: Evacuation​ from buildings

a. The drill or emergency will begin when the designated signal sounds or in a real situation the ground is moving.
b. The school community will follow the established emergency procedure:
c. Duck and cover for 60 seconds
1. Evacuate the areas quickly with hands protecting your head
2. Walk to your designated area:
Middle School and High School: Softball field
d. Once you have arrived to the designated area:
e.Take attendance of the students of the class you were with at the time of the emergency and report any absent/missing
students by means of class lists to the section secretaries.
f.Remain silent while receiving instructions.
g.The Decision Making and Area Revision Committees will convene and proceed according to the emergency.

Procedures for phase 2:  Students​ meet at a specific area

The green area beside the gym has been assigned as the site for phase 2, considering that it is an ample space, and that
there is no risk of fallen trees, there is a covered area (gym) and restrooms.
Students will be lined up by grade and advisory. The advisor will remain with the students.
During phase 2, LS students will move to the “papi-fut” field, near the gym.
MS and HS students will remain in the areas near the softball field.
a. Phase 2 procedures will only be practiced when indicated by the General Director or the assigned substitute.
b. The school community will remain silent during the whole practice.
c. While LS students move to phase 2, CAG staff will join their assigned committees (e.g. Medical Committee, Doors
Committee, etc.)
d. If the Decision Making Committees consider that evacuation of the school is necessary, an SMS message will be
sent to the community.

Procedure for evacuation phase 3:  School​ e​ vacuation with parents help

a. CAG personnel will be prepared to receive parents and/or guardians, who will enter through the Front Gate and
North Gate, and they will be directed to the area where students are located.
b. If there is access to the parking lots, vehicles will be allowed to enter parking lot No.1.
c. When the parents and/or guardians who come to pick up a student enter the school, he/she will receive and fill out
an information form. When leaving the school, the adult must submit the form to a designated person.
d. When the parent or guardian picks up the students, he/she must sign the teacher´s list. Teachers must not receive
any form.
In LS the list will be inside the emergency folder.
In MS and HS, the section secretaries will submit these lists to the teachers when phase 2 begins. The Medical Committee
will attend all emergencies.
a. CAG has enough food supplies (snacks) to cover our community needs for a maximum of 48 hours. Cafeteria
personnel will collaborate with the distribution of food and drinks. However, the teacher in charge of each section is
responsible for maintaining order and supervising that every student gets the corresponding supplies.
f. The secretaries’ team and administrative personnel will be located at the gates. They will have a binder with the
students’ names and their contacts in case of an emergency. They will be responsible for verifying that students leave with
the authorized person.
g. The Decision Making Committee is the only one that can change any procedure.

End of Evacuation Practice

The practice ends when the General Director (or his delegate) indicates the next procedure to return to the classrooms.
Adults return the equipment they used to the committee coordinator and return to their posts.