School safety
Our commitment to you

Our district has adopted the I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol (SRP). The SRP provides clear, consistent language that helps guide our actions during emergency situations. This is a research-based, uniform, planned, and practiced response to any incident. It rationally organizes tactics for responding to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders, and other threats to personal safety. Staff are trained on the SRP annually.

The five specific SRP statuses used during incidents are:

• Hold: Students remain in classrooms while a situation, like a medical or behavioral issue, is managed in another part of the building.
• Secure: The building is secured, and students continue their activities inside while outside threats are addressed.
• Lockdown: All classroom and building doors are locked while any threats within the building are addressed.
• Evacuate: Students and staff leave the building due to an emergency inside.
• Shelter: Students and staff seek shelter from severe weather or other hazardous situations.

We understand that it’s important for families to stay informed during any emergency situation at school. Our goal is to provide information in a timely and accurate manner while ensuring we do not create unnecessary alarm. For major emergencies that involve emergency personnel, we will send updates to all families. In less severe situations, such as a Hold, we typically communicate only with the families directly involved to respect privacy.

If an incident directly impacts your child, rest assured that we will always contact you. For any other emergency situations like Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, or Shelter, all families in the impacted school will receive updates as soon as possible, with continual information provided as needed.

We want to remind everyone of the importance of our "Say Something" campaign. If you notice anything that seems suspicious or concerning, we urge you to speak to a trusted adult or make a report by texting @SayIt to 833-769-0372, scanning QR codes on posters, or via a bookmarked link on all District Chromebooks. In emergencies, contact 911.

The "Say Something" reporting tool allows students, staff, and families to anonymously report incidents of bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, and school safety concerns. Reports are emailed directly to the school's principal and designated District Administrators. Your actions, no matter how small they may seem, can play a crucial role in keeping our schools safe.

Our district has adopted the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) for Threat/Care Assessment. Staff are trained on this research-based approach to violence prevention that emphasizes early attention to problems such as bullying, teasing, and other forms of student conflict before they escalate into violent behavior. In the most serious cases, the team conducts a safety evaluation that includes both a mental health assessment and consultation with law enforcement. The culmination of the threat assessment is developing a safety/care plan designed to address the problem or conflict underlying the threat and prevent the act of violence from taking place.

To learn more, visit our Care Assessment webpage.

All buildings have secured entrances with cameras. Exterior doors remain locked during the school day, with one monitored entrance. All visitors must enter through the secure entrance, be screened for the purpose of their visit, sign into an online check-in system, and wear a visible visitor’s badge.

For the safety of our students and staff, classroom doors are required to stay closed and locked at all times while class is in session. This policy is in place to create a secure environment by minimizing unauthorized access to classrooms and providing an extra layer of protection in case of an emergency. Keeping the doors locked helps to ensure that, in the event of a safety concern, classrooms are immediately secured without delay.

Our schools are equipped with security cameras that are strategically placed throughout both the interior and exterior of all buildings. These cameras help monitor key areas such as hallways, entrances, exits, playgrounds, parking lots, and other common spaces. The presence of security cameras serves as an important tool for school administrators and security personnel.

Our schools are equipped with comprehensive security systems designed to protect the buildings during the evening and non-school hours. These systems include alarms that are activated once the school is closed for the day. If any unauthorized entry or movement is detected inside the building, the security system will immediately alert local authorities. These security measures provide an additional layer of protection to keep our facilities safe when students and staff are not present.

Each building in our district is equipped with emergency radios to ensure quick and reliable communication during emergency situations. These radios allow staff to communicate directly with key personnel across the district, including administrators, security teams, and emergency responders. In case of an urgent situation—such as a medical emergency, security concern, or severe weather event—staff can use these radios to relay important information instantly, ensuring a coordinated and timely response. This system is a critical part of our safety protocols, helping us maintain clear and constant communication when it matters most.

The Securly 24 service monitors online activity on District devices and alerts the District when searches or emails suggest a student may be considering self-harm or harm to others. This system provides early notification, allowing families and schools to intervene and offer support. For more information, visit our Securly 24 webpage.

A comprehensive district-level emergency plan is regularly reviewed in collaboration with local law enforcement, fire departments, the Sheriff's Department, Johnson County Dispatch, and Johnson County Emergency Management. Each school develops a detailed school safety plan highlighting District safety features and including unique information regarding its building, students, and staff.

• New staff receive ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training annually.
• Staff participate in two-hour mock violent intruder drills facilitated by the police department. These drills rotate annually between our secondary and elementary schools.
• Principals complete training on school safety features and protocols with their staff at the beginning of each year.
• Each school conducts at least four fire drills and four tornado drills each year.

Our district’s mass notification system is designed to quickly and efficiently keep parents informed about unplanned events and emergencies. In the event of a situation that requires immediate attention, such as a school closure, weather-related delays, or an emergency at the school, the system sends out messages through multiple channels—phone calls, text messages, and emails. This ensures that families receive the information in real time, no matter their preferred method of communication. The system is set up to reach large numbers of parents at once, so updates can be delivered promptly to help keep everyone informed.

Each year, we provide updated floor plans of all school buildings to local emergency personnel, such as police, fire departments, and medical responders. These updated plans ensure that first responders are familiar with the layout of each building, including key details like room locations, exits, stairwells, and any specific areas of concern. Having this information readily available helps emergency personnel act quickly and effectively during emergencies, allowing them to navigate the school efficiently and provide assistance where it is needed most.

We are in the process of installing shatterproof film on several windows in our schools to enhance safety. This specialized film is designed to hold glass together in the event of an impact, reinforcing the windows.

Fire pull stations have been removed from most areas of the school, except for the main office and secured maintenance areas. This change complies with fire safety regulations, as recommended by the state Fire Marshal. The decision to limit the number of pull stations was made to prevent them from being misused in the event of an intruder situation, where someone might try to create chaos by pulling a fire alarm. Even without these pull stations in place, our buildings are fully equipped with sprinkler systems that activate automatically in the event of a fire, ensuring the safety of everyone inside.

The Safety Committee is in the process of developing a comprehensive safety audit that will be used to evaluate how well safety measures are being implemented at each school on an annual basis. This audit will include a detailed review of critical safety features, such as security protocols, emergency procedures, building access controls, and staff training. By conducting this audit every year, the District can identify any gaps or areas for improvement, ensuring that safety practices remain up to date and effective. The goal is to maintain a consistent level of safety across all schools and make sure that the measures in place are working as intended to protect students and staff.