Amador County - Pine Grove Elementary was almost completely evacuated Monday morning as part of a Disaster Preparedness Drill. Through a joint effort of the Amador County Office of Emergency Services, Sheriff’s Department, CHP and Pine Grove School, kids in grades 1 through 6 boarded about 5 buses at around 9 AM, and were transported to Jackson Elementary in Jackson. A short time later, a message about the drill went out to all emergency contact numbers and emails stating that “If this had been a real emergency you would have received information about the procedure for picking up your child.” The school tested those pickup procedures by simulating parents picking up their children and not following the correct procedure. “We asked one parent to try to pick up a child that wasn’t theirs,” reported Pine Grove Principal Tom Reed. School personnel “caught” the culprit, who would have been arrested if it had been a real emergency situation. Another test scenario was carried out by a parent attempting to take their child from the school without properly checking them out. Again, school staff responded accordingly, and barred the parent from removing the child from school grounds. Lynne Olson, Director of the Office of Emergency Services says the drill went very well. “It’s the first one that’s been done in the history of the school district, as far as I know.” Reed confirmed that it was the first drill of its type conducted for Pine Grove Elementary. Local mom Tracy Winton, whose son attends Pine Grove school, thought the drill was a great idea. “Now the kids know what to expect in a real emergency. I think it will help them not feel so freaked out (when and if a real disaster happens).” After about a half hour at Jackson Elementary, the kids returned to Pine Grove school at 10:30 AM, and, in short order, were back to their normal schedule. Story by Jen Wilson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).