Fayetteville-Manlius Schools > About Us > Required Notifications > School District Safety Plan > Table of Contents / General Guidelines > Biological Agents or Poisonous Substance Threat

Biological Agents or Poisonous Substance Threat

If you receive a letter, package or container claiming to be infected with a Biological Agent (e.g. Anthrax) or Poisonous Substance or phone call saying there is such a threat present at your location, YOUR FIRST ACTION SHOULD BE TO CONTAIN THE THREAT TO AS FEW PEOPLE AND AS SMALL AN AREA AS POSSIBLE.  This is accomplished by the following.

  • Immediately isolate the threat by not moving the letter, package or container from its original location.
  • Move people away from the immediate area and do not allow ANYONE to touch or move the threat.
  • Close doors and windows to the area and lock the room if possible to avoid others accidentally contacting the threat. Those individuals originally present when the threat was discovered should remain nearby and not in contact with uninvolved individuals. They will not receive an additional exposure if the threat remains undisturbed.
  • Call 911 and advise the operator of your situation. Remain on the line until instructed to hang up. Then Notify the Building Principal.
  • It is not necessary to confine students to classrooms, evacuate the building, or directly send students to a predetermined assembly area within the school unless these actions aid the response efforts of the emergency service responders or these efforts will eliminate possible exposure to the threat if it is widely disseminated through the building or its location within the school is unknown. If the potential exists for a distribution through the building, the air circulation system(s) will be shut down and the area or building evacuated.
  • The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems within the building will be shut down if the threat was directed at the HVAC system or the package/container was found within the HVAC system.
  • Individuals who came in direct contact with the threat should be advised not to eat, drink, smoke or chew, rub their eyes, ears, nose or mouth or place their hands near their face.
  • Law enforcement and health officials will advise if any additional precautions need to be undertaken by any potentially exposed individuals or if specific cleanup procedures should be utilized.