A child goes to school. Then an emergency happens and the student has to be taken to another location.
So what happens now?
Albuquerque Public Schools has launched what it thinks will be a more efficient way to handle such emergencies: reunification cards. The new protocol is intended to make the process of connecting students and their families more predictable and less chaotic.
In previous years, parents would go to the reunification site and fill out a form before picking up their child.
“It was a time-consuming process, and that often led to families being frustrated,” APS spokesperson Martín Salazar said.
The reunification cards have barcodes that school officials can scan at a pickup location in order to reduce the time it takes to clear the adult, district officials say. It also eliminates the need to fill out a second form if there’s a later incident requiring reunification.
Albuquerque is one of many communities that has seen gun violence impact students. In 2021, a student was fatally shot at Washington Middle School, and the next year a West Mesa High School student was shot to death near the campus.