In a large school, it is inevitable that a frantic parent will call to report that his child has not made it home from school according to the normal schedule. In order to help keep the parent calm while we get to the bottom of the situation, it is important to have a plan.
The Problem:
In my elementary school of more than 900 students, sometimes a child is “misplaced” during the end-of-day dismissal. The child might end up on the wrong bus, or he might have gotten off the bus and gone home with a friend without parent permission. When that happens, no matter what the reason, things can get frightening and tense until the child is located. There is no time to waste.
The Solution:
Because the adult responsible for the lost child is usually frantic -- or angry -- we developed a plan for handling situations such as this. Our plan can be launched as soon as we get word of a missing child. One of us in the school can keep the responsible adult calm while somebody else follows our plan.
We developed the checklist below based on our past experiences with missing students. We keep this checklist in a special red binder by the phone at our main office desk. If someone calls trying to locate a child after school, the staff member has immediate access to the steps that need to be taken, as well as the phone numbers of those who might be called on to help resolve the situation.
LOST STUDENTS - AFTER SCHOOL HOURS
If we receive word that a student has not arrived home safely after school, the person who answers the phone should take the following steps:
Principal Name _____________________
Home Phone: _______________
Cell Phone: _______________
Asst. Principal Name: ____________________
Home Phone: _______________
Cell Phone: _______________
The Reflection:
Our checklist really helps us focus. Having a written plan in place enables staff members to take immediate steps to locate a child even if an administrator is not available at that moment. When parents see that we have a long list of actions we can take, it helps them stay a little calmer.
We encourage the parent/caller to stay put. Parents who are panicked often want to come to the school or start searching the neighborhood; but, if the child is simply on the wrong bus or if someone finds the child, then the parent is not at home when the child arrives late.
When an incident is behind us, we have a written record [the checklist] of the incident. That record enables us to analyze problem areas that might cause these situations to happen. Most of the time, the child went home with a friend, got on the wrong bus, or the "other" parent picked up him/her without telling the spouse or ex-spouse.
About the How I Handled... Team of Principal Problem Solvers
The How I Handled series is intended to be practical resource for all principals and principals-to-be. Each week, members of Education World's How I Handled team share how they solved actual problems relating to school leadership, parent involvement, professional development, and a host of other "principal" responsibilities. How I Handled team members are anonymous; in that way, they can share freely the range of issues/problems they are called on to solve each day.