Provided 6-17-16
1516 RTKL 0181

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Office of School Safety

Directive #31

SUBJECT: DISMISSAL PICKUP/UNATTENDED CHILDREN
I.

POLICY
A.
B.

II.

The policy of the School District is to ensure that any designated student to be
picked up by a parent or an appointed guardian at dismissal is to be attended to
and the task of child pickup is properly completed on a daily basis.
Student safety is paramount in all school facilities. It is the responsibility of the
School Administrator to see that any student is safely picked up at dismissal.

PROCEDURE
A.
B.
C.
D.

E.

If a child is left unattended after school hours, it is the responsibility of the
employee to inform the school administrator.
The administrator will then, using his/her best judgment, decide whether or not
the child needs assistance, based on the student’s age and/or mental/emotional
competency.
If the administrator decides that the student is unable to safely return home on
his/her own, the administrator will attempt to contact the student’s
parent(s)/guardian(s).
If the administrator is unable to contact a parent or guardian:
1.
Administrator will contact School Police Radio Dispatcher (215-4006000) and will request that a school police patrol officer be sent to the
school.
2.
If notification of a guardian is still unsuccessful the administrator will
request the patrol officer to proceed to the home of the parent or
guardian, in an attempt to contact him/her. If a parent or guardian is not
available, the school police patrol officer will leave a SP-16 form in the
door of the home. The SP-16 will state that the child has been left
unattended at the school and that the parent or guardian must contact the
School Police Radio Dispatcher to learn of the status of his/her child.
3.
If the parent/guardian is home, he/she must come to the school
immediately to pick-up his/her child.
*NOTE: Early Dismissal Days - The school administrator is to notify the School
Police Radio Dispatcher only after his/her work day has been exhausted.
The administrator, if after exhausting all resources to contact the parent/guardian
fails to come into contact with him/her, will notify a school police patrol
supervisor for consultation.

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 F.

G.
H.

If it is decided that a school police patrol officer will transport the child:
1.
A supervisor will notify the Department of Human Services that a child
has been left unattended and that school police are transporting the child
to the Human Services Building. The Human Services Building is located
at 1515 Arch Street.
Phone # 215-683-4DHS (215-683-4347).
2.
Prior to transporting the child, the patrol officer will notify the School
Police Radio Dispatcher and inform them of the destination and mileage.
The radio dispatcher will record this information.
3.
If the child is 7 years of age or under 50 pounds, he/she must be
transported in a Child Safety Seat, which will be located in the School
Police Radio Dispatcher’s Office.
4.
A School District employee of the same sex as the student must be
present in the vehicle.
5.
Upon arrival, the patrol officer will again notify the School Police Radio
Dispatcher and alert them to the location and complete mileage.
6.
A SP-16 and a SP-18 will be completed with all pertinent information.
The School Police Patrol Supervisor will notify Philadelphia Police and Support
Services, OSS if known abuse or negligence is founded.
The administrator will prepare an EH-31 report to document the incident.

8-12-04
Revised 6-15-07
JUNE 2015
BY ORDER OF THE CHIEF SAFETY EXECUTIVE
OFFICE of SCHOOL SAFETY

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