Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are just a few days away from our Reunification Drill. A great deal of planning and preparation has gone into preparing for this drill. I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify a few questions that have come up:
Parents, guardians, or emergency contacts have a window to pick-up their students at the reunification point (the Lutheran Church) beginning at approximately 12:30pm up until 2:45pm. We are making plans (and anticipating) we will be reunifying all students with their appropriate parent, guardians at the church.
If you arrive at the church prior to 12:30pm, please do not park/wait on church property, including the parking areas in front of the church. Our buses will need the entire parking lot area to maneuver. Please be aware of other traffic on the roads.
There will be no “normal” after school pick-up at the school. Please make arrangements to pick-up your student at the reunification point.
Please make sure your information in Family Access is up to date. Only parents, guardians, or emergency contacts listed in Family Access are able to pick up students. This is the information we will be verifying during the reunification process.
There are multiple school activities (HS Boys and Girls Track, HS Softball, JV Baseball) the afternoon and evening of May 5th. Students involved in these activities will be bused from the church back to the school at approximately 1:45pm. This will allow these students time to change and prepare to leave for these activities. JH Track has practice beginning at 4:00pm. At 2:45pm, we will bus any JH Track athlete who has not been picked up back to the school. They can remain here until their practice starts. If a JH Track athlete was picked up by parents prior to 2:45pm, it would be the responsibility of the parent to ensure they are back at the school in time for practice.
The following information is included only as a review of information already shared:
The reunification point will be the Immanuel Lutheran Church, located north of Colfax. The exact address is 34606 E 2450 North Road, Colfax, Illinois (see map below).
There will be no AM or PM Pre-K on May 5th.
All pick-up traffic should approach the church from the east, heading west toward the church. The line will begin forming along 2450 North Road to the east of the church. Traffic is encouraged to access 2450 North road from 3500 East Road. Do not approach the church from the west via 3400 East Road (Weston Blacktop).
The most common question that has been raised is - “What if I am not able to pick up my child?” All students not picked up from the reunification center, will be dismissed at the conclusion of the drill (approximately 3:30 p.m.). Following are categories for dismissal on a normal day and how it will occur for these students at the conclusion of the drill:
My child is a bus rider - Child will be bused home as normal.
My child is a walker - Child will be bused back to the school and dismissed to walk home.
My child drives to school - Child will be bused back to the school and dismissed to drive home.
My child is involved in after school activities - Child will be bused back to school in time to participate in those activities.
I pick my child up from school - There will be no “car pick-up” at school on this day. All “car pick-up” will occur at the reunification point (church).
Parents needing to communicate with the school between 11:30am and 4:00pm on the day of the drill are asked to call (309) 723-5111.
Again, our goal during this event will be to have EVERY CHILD picked up by a parent, guardian, or emergency contact at the designated time (12:30pm-2:45pm). We understand this may cause an inconvenience for some of our families. However, it is essential that we have a solid plan in place in the event of an emergency. We will do our best to help the process run smoothly and proceed in a timely manner. We ask that as many parents as possible participate in this drill. We believe, with the help of our parents, that this event will be extremely successful and help us to more accurately plan for a true emergency situation.
If you have any questions please contact the Ridgeview District Office at (309) 723-5111.
Thank you for your support of Ridgeview Schools!
Erik Young
Superintendent
Ridgeview C.U.S.D. #19
