District details multi‑site reunification planning and upcoming drills with state police

Unionville‑Chadds Ford School District Superintendent Dr. Hoffman used the Feb. 18 meeting to give an extensive update on the district’s Safe Schools work, emphasizing reunification planning and coordination with first responders.

Hoffman said the district is mapping a multilayered reunification system — incident command at a site, a central command and a reunification site — and drafting organizational charts to define roles and lines of supervision. He described the work as complex and said administrators spent a recent cabinet meeting reviewing a large flowchart of responsibilities to clarify who would supervise what in an incident that requires reunification.

The district plans practice drills with first responders, including a spontaneous‑type drill with the Pennsylvania State Police in April, to test communications and operational procedures. Hoffman said the district is also examining what recovery looks like in days two through four after an event in order to better plan return‑to‑routine operations.

Hoffman noted discussion at recent conferences about the post‑reunification phase and said the district is drafting a safety coordinator job description related to Act 44 changes in weapons communications and coordinator responsibilities; staff aim to present a job description by year’s end and discuss using available grant funds for related work.

Board members praised the depth of the work and expressed appreciation for staff’s ongoing efforts. No formal action was required at the meeting; the district indicated more specifics will be shared as tabletop and live exercises are completed.