Mike Clements, the district safety coordinator, told the McFarland School District Board that the district has updated its emergency response and reunification plans and is coordinating with nearby districts and county emergency management to handle large incidents.

Clements said the district maintains a two‑tier safety plan—an overall emergency response plan and building‑specific plans—that include floor plans, contact lists, utility shutoffs and assembled standard response protocol procedures. He described monthly drills covering weather, fire and active‑threat scenarios, and said staff and students receive annual training. "I think we have good bones in our planning," Clements said, characterizing the district's exercise and review process.

A key focus of the presentation was the reunification plan used to return students to the correct adult after an evacuation. Clements said the district is updating that plan to account for cooperative work with Oregon, Stoughton and Monona Grove school districts and Stoughton Hospital. He said the reunification process could require roughly 50 to 70 adults to safely manage 700–800 students and accompanying family members, and that the district is identifying secondary sites and traffic plans to reduce the risk of a single‑site failure.

Clements described facility safety assessments and modest facility changes that have been made after inspections, including interior window shades and consolidated safety card packets, and said the district links the plans to maps and other operational documents. He noted the district reviews after‑action reports from events elsewhere and incorporates lessons learned into local planning.

Board members praised Clements’s work and asked about learning from other incidents; Clements said he has reviewed after‑action reports and consulted with local law enforcement and county agencies. Dane County Emergency Management has observed the district’s collaborative reunification planning and indicated interest in recommending the approach to other districts.

The district will continue routine updates to emergency response plans and the reunification checklist, and staff said they will present any significant changes to the board as needed.