Palo Alto High School will hold its first disaster drill of the school year tomorrow on the football field.
“The drill will be the morning of Oct. 25 at the end of second period so we can practice finding fourth period teachers,” Assitant Principal Kathie Laurence said.
The drill is a standard practice, according to Laurence.
“The purpose of the drill is to practice our response in the event of a real emergency,” Laurence said.
To accommodate a 35-minute emergency drill period between 9:50 and 10:25 a.m., all classes have been shortened by five minutes.
Students who have a fourth period class should proceed to the football field with their teacher and then find their fourth period teacher, according to the emergency instructions emailed to students tonight. All teachers will be arranged alphabetically by name counterclockwise, and all should have signs with their names on them. Teachers will take attendance.
Students who do not have a fourth period class should go to the south end of the football field along Churchill Avenue, where teachers with fourth period prep will take attendance.
According to the Paly student handbook, “The reason for going to the field instead of going home is that in a real disaster, you do not know if it is safe at your house. You may be going in to danger. Also, your parents will know where you are if you remain on campus.”