In the event of an emergency, please call ... In the event of an emergency, please call ... (August 25, 2004)

Schools have difficulty collecting completed contact cards at start of school year

by Alexandria Rocha

L ess than a year ago, Dana Tom received a phone call that is every parent's nightmare. His 6-year-old son, Jasper, had been in a playground collision with another student and was feeling sleepy and nauseous in the nurse's office.

Because Tom gave Duveneck Elementary School his cell phone number as Jasper's emergency contact, the nurse was able to reach Tom mid-afternoon. Tom raced to the school, carried Jasper to the car and drove to a nearby hospital where the boy was treated for a minor concussion.

"If they didn't have my cell phone number, I can't imagine what would have happened. They would have had to send him via ambulance," said Tom, recalling the incident earlier this week. "It was so important for me to be in the loop. I was able to comfort him and provide stability for him."

Each year at the start of school, parents are asked to complete student identification and emergency cards, including contact numbers, and health and allergy information. The cards are used in the event of an emergency, such as an unexpected food allergy, a high fever, sprained ankle, or a playground collision such as Jasper's.

While most parents of elementary-aged children submit the cards at the start of the year, only half submit the cards complete, said Henry Neugass, the school safety coordinator for the Palo Alto PTA Council.

Neugass said the problem is centered in the elementary schools, adding that "older kids either know most of this information, or simply take off on their own an instant after a disaster strikes."

Parents who don't know their neighbors, and those with language barriers, are some of the reasons why the cards aren't filled out, said Neugass. It's a parent's choice as to who they put down as a contact, but someone who lives in San Diego is not ideal, he added.

John Lents, principal of Addison Elementary School, said because so many parents do not submit complete cards, a lot of staff time is used in the fall to track down the right numbers.

"There are times where we need to ask for more information; there are times when (the cards are) forgotten," Lents said. "We've never had anyone refuse to bring them in, it's usually just been an oversight."

School secretaries "ultimately track every case and make sure that every card is filled out properly," Neugass said. "This takes some time -- time that would be much better spent on more important duties and time during which some kids don't have local contacts identified," he added.

To help parents out, some school PTA groups have developed programs where parents have volunteered to be emergency contacts for families who don't know anyone local. At Addison Elementary School, that program is called Helping Hands.

"It's generally just with families new to the community, trying to get them well connected," Lents said.

Staff Writer Alexandria Rocha can be e-mailed at arocha@paweekly.com.

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