Health and Safety Information

The school office has a physical Emergency Card for each student based on information provided by parents and guardians on the Family Information Form. This card is important to your child's safety and welfare. We understand that any instructions given by parents remain in force until revoked by the parent or guardian. The Family Information Form can be revised at any time and must be confirmed annually during the summer. It is suggested that parents keep track of the information provided and update the information as changes occur.

Each school office is equipped with first aid supplies and is used as an emergency center to give care in case of accident or sudden illness at school.

Children who become ill at school are sent home with parents or other persons authorized on the student’s emergency card. Children should be picked up from the school office.

1. In cases that appear to be of a minor nature, first aid will be administered at school. Medication may not be administered without a completed Medication Waiver and Release from Liability Form, which is part of the Family Information Form.
2. In cases that are apparently serious, the school will make an effort to carry out parent instructions on the Emergency Card on file.
3. Parents are expected to make provisions for taking sick children home. The school does not have facilities to care for children who are ill.

This form is required for all students needing prescription medication during the school day. Note that the school is not obligated to store or administer medication for students. The physician prescribing the medication must sign this form. The form is available from the school office. Unless there are instructions to the contrary on a child’s Emergency Card, they may be given Tylenol upon request for minor aches and pains. Parents bear the responsibility of informing the school of chronic health conditions (asthma, allergies, seizures etc.) and of communicable diseases contracted by the children. Of particular concern are head lice, chicken pox, measles and conjunctivitis.

Head lice cases are relatively common and a nuisance, though not a health hazard. Convent & Stuart Hall has a No Lice and No Nits policy. Your child will have to go home should lice or nits be discovered in his/her hair. Since transmission among a group of children occurs quite easily, it is imperative that you notify the school immediately should you discover lice or nits. Upon receiving this information, the school office will send home a Head Lice Notification form to the parents of all children in your child’s grade. This form requests that parents check their children’s head and sign and return the form to the school the next day. Participation of all parents is necessary and expected. The school will follow up with a head-check of the entire grade and siblings of those in the grade.

• We have contracted with an emergency broadcast system called BlackboardConnect, which can send voice, text and/or email messages to our contacts.
• To the extent possible, updates will also be posted on the homepage of the school website, sacredsf.org.
• To the extent possible, an outgoing message will also be available by calling (415) 563-2900.

• Both campuses are equipped with trauma kits and emergency supplies.
• Most faculty and staff are First Aid certified; all employees are offered a free First Aid course each year to stay current on their certification.
• We have employees on both campuses who have also taken First Responder training, and who have been trained in triage, security, rescue and communications.
• Teams of adults on both campuses are trained to quickly assess the stability of our buildings. These teams will evacuate students and adults out of compromised buildings/areas as soon as they can do so safely.

• Unless the building is compromised or other hazards make the immediate surroundings unsafe, in most situations students and adults will shelter in place.
• Both campuses of Convent & Stuart Hall are equipped with food, water, comfort and waste necessities for every student and adult for five days.
• Faculty and staff will stay with your children until they are picked up by you or an authorized adult named on your emergency form. Please keep your student’s Family Information Form up-to-date at all times.

• Keep your child’s Family Information Form up-to-date.
• Read your Parent Student Handbook for additional health and safety information.
• Talk to your child about the importance of taking fire/earthquake/ lockdown drills seriously.
• Talk to your child about your family’s emergency plan. These resources may help you develop one: 72hours.org or quakequizsf.org

• Students are advised of the serious nature of any action which violates the proper use of fire alarms.
• Students who set off a fire alarm either intentionally or unintentionally will be held accountable for their actions. Unless the alarm has been activated for an emergency, setting off the fire alarm is cause for disciplinary suspension.

Students in Grades 5–8 are eligible to become Morning Escorts every morning, rain or shine. Escorts greet and walk our kindergarten and first grade girls and boys to their before-school gathering places. While the primary purpose of this service is to ensure that everyone arrives safely to the correct location, it also invariably results in a special bond between our oldest and youngest students.

The loading zones on both sides of Broadway are open to all families for morning drop off. If your student requires help, please join the Single Lane Queue and use the loading zone on the north side of Broadway in front of the Flood Mansion. Parents of K and 1 students should display their Traffic Permit to assist Morning Escorts. The loading zone on the south side of Broadway in front of Herbst House does not have adult or escort supervision available.

Parents wishing to accompany their children to school should park legally in the neighborhood and walk with them to school. 

All Lower Form students are to be picked up from the Flood Mansion side of Broadway. Those picking up children in cars should display their Traffic Permit in the front passenger windshield. Move along the single lane traffic queue until your child arrives at your car. Do not cause a back-up by stopping or blocking the white zone. If a child is not ready to get into the car, the driver is expected to circle around the block and re-enter the queue.

Middle Form and High School students may be picked up from both sides of Broadway, either in front of the Flood Mansion or in the white loading zone in front of Herbst House.

Traffic Commissioners are school administrators and staff in yellow vests who are on duty at arrival and pick-up to help the flow of traffic and to get children to and from their cars. They help direct the path of travel for cars in the curbside lane, and help students get in and out of their cars with all of their items so you can remain in your car. Alert them to any disruptions you see so they may address them. Do not approach to talk to them about other business.

Our actions and words as adults model both behavior and vocabulary for our children. Parent consideration, patience and support are essential to assure the safety of all our students.

Field trips are curricular extensions during which teachers and a small group of parental assistants supervise and guide a group of students upon arrival at their destination. It is imperative that parents keep assigned students within visual supervision at all times. Stay with your group. Because supervisory responsibilities require full adult attention, parents are asked not to bring younger siblings with them on field trips.

Always stay with your assigned students until you reconnect them with their teacher(s).

Buses: When traveling to a location that is not within walking distance, students are transported by bus (private or MUNI). When room is available, parents may be asked to ride on the bus with the students; at other times parents may need to drive and meet the class at the field trip destination. The cost of the bus is assumed by the school.

Parents accompanying students on field trips share responsibility for student safety and education. Parents are reminded that they have direct responsibility for the group of students assigned to them, and should focus all their attention on their group. Adult interaction is more appropriately left for another occasion and should never distract attention from the students. A minimum of two faculty members will accompany students on each field trip. Teachers will take roll before the bus leaves the school and again before the bus leaves the site of the trip.

Should an unexpected complication occur regarding the trip:

• The teacher will use a cell phone to contact the front desk.
• The front desk will notify the school office immediately either by telephone or in person (voicemail is unacceptable).
• The front desk will state the nature of the situation, alternate plans, and what assistance from the school may be necessary.
• The school office (administrative assistants) will take responsibility for communicating this information to the appropriate people, making certain that returning students have access to the buildings and proper supervision and will communicate with parents as necessary.

Beginning this fall, any parent volunteer who works on campus in any capacity involving contact with students is required to be trained for Mandated Reporting. Volunteers involved in overnight field trips or coaching must also be fingerprinted in advance in order to be cleared to volunteer. Training must be completed prior to volunteering. If you are being considered for a volunteer position, please complete the Volunteer Information Form in order to initiate the training and fingerprinting. Volunteers must complete the Volunteer Information Form at least 10 business days prior to the volunteer date in order to allow sufficient time to complete the training and be cleared by the Human Resource Department. Parents who have not completed the form and training in advance will not be allowed to volunteer with students or in classrooms.

For our school records, and to assure that parents’ rights as well as those of the child are respected, the school requires a certified copy of any court order that states legal custodianship of the child. The parent with physical custody of the child receives all correspondence and reports concerning the child. The child’s other parent may request that same information. If there are any circumstances likely to affect the child, parents should notify the Head of School immediately.

Section 11166 of the California Penal Code requires teachers, administrators and any employee of any public or private school to report all suspected incidences of child abuse to the appropriate child protective agency as soon as possible. Form 11166PC (Suspected Child Abuse Report) must be completed and submitted by the reporting party within 36 hours of receiving the information.

Child abuse includes: physical abuse (hitting or spanking), physical neglect, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment (verbal assaults, continued threats, humiliating remarks).

This is a very sensitive subject, always handled with utmost confidentiality. If an employee of Convent & Stuart Hall makes known the suspicion of a situation of child abuse, the administration reviews the case immediately, and one person is mandated to make the report. Mandated reporters of suspected child abuse have absolute immunity, both civilly and criminally, for making such reports.

As soon as the school administration is sure that the safety of the child is not in jeopardy, the Head of School may notify the family of the report. It is our belief that supporting the whole family in times of stress benefits the child.

You can obtain additional information on this topic by requesting a copy of Child Abuse: Educators’ Responsibilities from Crime Prevention Center, Office of the Attorney General, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento CA 94244-2550.