Ed Pastor Elementary School participates in evacuation drill

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A local school held an exercise Tuesday to have teachers, students, parents and first responders on the same page.

As part of the drill, Ed Pastor Elementary School in San Luis, Arizona evacuated its students from the classrooms to a safe spot a few blocks away.

School officials were informing parents through texts messages about the situation and how to pick up their kids at Eligio Ramirez Park.

"Moving them from location to another the school has to be very prepared in releasing the students in a safe proper manner as well the community and the parents," said Lina Galvan, Gadsden Elementary School District (GESD) associate superintendent.

Associate Superintendent Galvan says it took a lot of effort to coordinate and move more than 500 students to a safe location.

"It took a lot of planning with the city, the police department, the fire department with our staff, our technology department, maintenance and transportation department. It took the collaboration of the whole school district," explained Associate Superintendent Galvan.

A grandparent we spoke to says it’s important to have this kind of drills because everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency.

"This is very important especially nowadays, the kids have to be prepared in case of any problem they could face," expressed Marisol Garcia, a grandmother of a student.

Gadsden Elementary School District is planning to have another emergency drill next school year involving all schools within the district.