Southern AZ school districts have emergency plans in place

Tucson Unified School District’s Emergency Response Guide (Source: Tucson Unified School... — Tucson Unified School District’s Emergency Response Guide (Source: Tucson Unified School District)

Security monitoring screens as part of Sunnyside's safety plan. (Source: Tucson News Now)

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Southern Arizona's two largest school districts are working to make sure what happened in Los Angeles last week does not happen here.

Many may remember when more than 1,500 schools were shut down last week after terror threats in LA that later were determined to be a hoax.

Leaders with the Tucson and Sunnyside unified school districts want to parents to know they have a plan.

Tucson News Now received Tucson Unified School District's Emergency Response Guide.

The 'Site Emergency Response Quickguide' is laminated and posted in every classroom. It shows school officials what to do if there is an emergency at or near campus. Situations like a fire, bomb threat, gas leak, police lock down, or intruder on campus. TUSD officials said last week's districtwide shutdown in LA has sparked a local conversation.

"I think that that's [LA's shutdown] something that no one is really prepared for. It's a whole different universe right now when we are talking about social media. Would we close our school district? I'm not sure. Our superintendent, our school board would be in communication and they would make those decisions, but we would never make a decision that would put our students in jeopardy," Stefanie Boe, TUSD's PIO said.

Last month, classed were canceled at S.T.A.R. Academic center on Tucson's south side after an online threat. Now Tucson's second-largest school district, Sunnyside, is not taking any chances when it comes to school safety.

During the school day, the district has security monitoring dozens of screens that scroll through 700 cameras on all 20 campuses. SUSD officials say the cameras help curb a threat of crime, keeping the more than 17,000 students safe.

"Even if it is a small threat, we practice, we practice, we drill. We make sure that when that big threat comes in we know exactly what to do, who to put in what position, how to communicate to parents, and what decisions have to be made," Mary Veres, SUSD's PIO said.

Meanwhile, Amphitheater School District, southern Arizona's third largest district gave Tucson News Now this statement:

"Based on the recent events in California and Paris, we know it is important to be prepared for potential threats to our schools. Student safety is always our top priority and we can never be too careful when it comes to our children. We have extensive security protocols in place and work closely with local authorities to ensure safety on all of our campuses. Our staff is trained on how to respond appropriately to various situations and students participate in safety drills throughout the year. We carefully monitor any suspicious activity, both on campus and online, and encourage students and staff to tell someone if they hear about a potential threat."