Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is hosting a family reunification exercise on Sunday, Oct. 13. The exercise will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is a simulation of how the school system will reunite students with parents/guardians in the event of an emergency at a school or center.

The Charles County Fairgrounds is the official reunification site for CCPS, and the exercise will be staged there. The fairgrounds are located at 8440 Fairground Road in La Plata. There will be signage at the fairgrounds to indicate the activity is part of a simulation, and not a real-life event.

CCPS is seeking 250 student volunteers in Grades 4-12 with parent/guardian permission to participate. The outline of the exercise is below and features what students and parents can expect if they volunteer to participate. Students will be supervised by CCPS staff throughout the exercise. Middle and high school students will earn student service learning (SSL) hours for participating.

• Families will drop off their child at 9 a.m. at one of three designated school locations: La Plata High School, General Smallwood Middle School or Thomas Stone High School.
  • CCPS pupil personnel workers (PPW) and other CCPS staff will check students in upon arrival.
     
• From these three school sites, students will be taken by CCPS buses to the Charles County Fairgrounds – the CCPS established reunification site.
   
• At the fairgrounds, CCPS pupil personal workers and other CCPS staff will greet students, process their contact information (name, school, etc.) and call their identified parent/guardian to pick up their child once the exercise is complete.  
   
• Parents must agree to pick up their participating child from the fairgrounds when contacted, but no later than 1 p.m.
  • Students will not be allowed to leave the exercise through any ride-share programs like Van Go, Uber or Lyft.
     
  • Students may also be released to any person listed in the CCPS student information system as an emergency contact. No other persons will be permitted to pick up a student from this exercise.
     
• This exercise is a simulation of the CCPS reunification process in the event of an emergency.
   
• Students should bring a water bottle.

Parents must opt their child in to participate by completing the form below. The exercise is limited to 250 students total in Grades 4-12. The deadline to sign up for the exercise is 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4. Parents who complete the form will receive confirmation from CCPS of their child’s participation following the deadline.  

Click here to opt in a student to participate. Only a parent/guardian is able to complete the form.

Middle and high school students who are opted in by a parent/guardian to participate will earn student service learning (SSL) hours from CCPS. Information about SSL requirements is posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/departments/student-service-learning.

Parents interested in opting in more than one child must complete the form for each child. Questions about the exercise can be directed to Jason Stoddard, CCPS school safety and security director, at jstoddard@ccboe.com.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.  CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).