Safety & Security

The “I Love U Guys” Foundations’ Standard Response Protocol:  Frequently Asked Questions

Should I talk with my child about safety protocol training in advance?

That’s up to each individual parent. You know your child best. Please review the script posted on our website that corresponds with your child’s grade level. It’s important to be calm and keep any information very simple.

Should I talk with my child at home after the training? Again, as a parent, you know your child best. For younger children the most important thing is to listen carefully and remember to follow their teacher’s directions whether it’s during a drill or an actual emergency. Scripts for intermediate and high school students are also posted on this web page. Older students may be interested in talking about what they would do in an emergency situation. Follow your child’s lead and keep the opportunities to talk open. Our schools will be holding drills twice a year as usual, along with fire and tornado drills, so questions or concerns may come up later. Students are accustomed to various drills, so your child may see this discussion as something routine.

What if my child asks a question about the District’s procedures and I don’t know how to answer it? Your child’s teacher, principal, and school psychologist or guidance counselor are good resources. You can say that you’re not sure, but it’s a good question and you’ll help find an answer. You may encourage an older child to ask their teacher because other students may have the same question and ask them to be sure to share the answer with you.

What if my child expresses fears about their safety? It’s important to remember that we talk about ways to stay safe so that we can be prepared if something happens. If your child is worried, your school psychologist or guidance counselor is an excellent resource.
 

This is a basic outline for all staff members to follow so that the students, district-wide, are taught safety procedures in a similar fashion. This will ensure that students have a consistent knowledge base in the future as they move from grade to grade, building to building. This script has been adapted for Early Childhood students.

DIRECTIONS: Below is a script to assist you in teaching your students about safety and security procedures and drills. Please conduct this training in an age-appropriate manner as you would conduct any training regarding school safety such as fire drills and tornado drills.

SCRIPT: (Be prepared; scripts and discussions may vary by classroom depending on age level and student population).
Teacher: Today we are going to talk about being safe. There are a lot of things in our world that keep us safe, like holding your caregiver’s hand when crossing the street or in a parking lot, using your car seat, and wearing a bike helmet. Can you think of anything else that keeps you safe?

Teacher: Good ideas. One of the things we have in our schools is rules about how people get into our building. Everyone who comes to the building needs to check in at the office, and only the teachers open locked doors for people.

Teacher: So, today we are going to talk about ways that we are going to be able to stay safe in school.
We are going to practice how to stay safe in school. Let’s pretend there is an emergency and you need to listen to your teachers to find out what to do. It is very important for you to do what your teacher says during this time. I might tell you to go to a safe place in the classroom. Our safe place is _________________. Let’s all go there and practice sitting quietly. Or I might tell you we need to leave the building. Then we will quickly and quietly line up. We will not pick up our toys or get our backpacks. You should remember to listen to your teacher and follow them to a safe place outside. It is really important you stay with your class and listen to your teacher.

Do you have any questions about what we talked about today?

This is a basic outline for all staff members to follow so that the students, district-wide, are taught safety procedures in a similar fashion. This will ensure that students have a similar knowledge base in the future as they move from grade to grade, building to building.

DIRECTIONS: Below is a script to assist you in teaching your students about safety and security procedures and drills. Please conduct this training in an age appropriate manner as you would conduct any training regarding school safety such as fire drills and tornado drills. 

SCRIPT: (Be prepared; scripts and discussions may vary by classroom depending on age level and student population.)

Teacher: You may have seen some new safety posters around our school. Today we are going to talk about safety. What are some of the things we do to keep you safe? (Student examples could be: Visitors sign in, we practice fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown, exit drill, keep outside doors locked, and stranger danger. You can continue some discussion about how to carry out these drills.)

Teacher: Very good. 

Teacher: You may have seen these posters around our school. (show poster). Every action has directions we follow to keep our students and school safe.

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Hold” that means we are to keep the hallways clear. There is something happening inside our school and we need to be in our classroom. It might be to allow emergency medical staff to assist an ill child or teacher, or maybe something spilled in the hallway that needs to be cleaned up. 

Teacher: When told to “Hold,” we need to stay in our classroom, gym, or lunch room until an adult tells us “all clear.” If you’re in the hallway, you need to move quickly back to your classroom.

Teacher: Does anyone have any questions?

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Secure” that means there is something happening outside of our school so we need to stay inside our school where it is safe. We have to be inside our school because there could be a stray dog on the playground or a fire or even a bank robbery in our neighborhood. If we are outside at recess or phy ed, we need to go inside the school.

Teacher: When told to “Secure,” we stay inside our school until an adult tells us “all clear.” If we are outside, we need to come back into the school and if we are supposed to go outside for phy ed or recess, we have to stay inside. 

Teacher: Does anyone have any questions?

Teacher: Next, let’s talk about how students should never open a door at school to let someone into the building. This is a hard one, because we are taught to be courteous and help others, but in school, all people who come to the building should go through the main office and check in. 

Teacher: How might you recognize someone who does not belong in our building? It could be someone who does not have a visitor’s badge or someone who is walking around the building without someone we know with them, or it could be someone who gives you a funny feeling in your stomach that something doesn’t seem quite right.

Teacher: An intruder could be anyone, couldn’t it? Trust yourself and trust your tummy! If you get that uncomfortable feeling in your tummy when you see someone in the building or on school grounds that does not belong, please tell an adult at school right away. An example of how to do this is to find an adult and tell them “I think there is someone on school grounds or in the school who should not be here.”

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Lockdown” that means there is someone in our school who doesn’t belong here. To keep safe, we lock our classroom door, turn out our lights, and move out of sight.

Here’s what we do when we have a lockdown drill. I will lock our classroom door and we stay out of sight from windows that face the hallway. If we can’t see the windows, then no one in the hall can see us. We will sit on the floor and get low and be absolutely silent. And, we don’t open the door for anyone. You need to listen to my directions.

If you are in a room that cannot be locked such as the gym or if we’re outside for phy ed, we will leave the building and go to the rally point.

Teacher: So, what do we do as a classroom when we have to do a lockdown drill? Student examples: Listen to the teacher; follow directions, get away from the window facing the hallway, sit on the floor, be quiet...what are other things?)

Teacher: Ok, let’s review those steps one more time. When a lockdown drill happens, it is important that you are quiet, listen and do what I say, and remain calm. We will wait for more information from an adult, and I will tell you what to do. If we are outside at recess or phy ed, we will not come back into the school. We will go to a safe location. We would also leave the school if we’re in a room that cannot be locked. (Discussion if necessary.)  

Teacher: Does anyone have any questions?

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Evacuate” we need to move from our classroom, gym, or cafeteria to another room or outside of our school. A fire drill is an example of “evacuate.” We will practice this drill throughout the year.

Teacher: When told to Evacuate, we don’t take any of our things with us. Remember we talked about what we do when there’s an intruder in our school? If there’s an intruder in our school, we may need to leave or evacuate. If police are called to our school, they may ask us to walk hand in hand or with our hands on top of our head. They may want to see our hands and our hands should be empty.

Teacher: Ok, let’s review the steps one more time. When an adult tells us to evacuate, we need to leave our classroom or our school. We don’t take any of our things. And, if the police open our door and tell us to leave, we listen to what they say. We might be asked to walk hand in hand, or with our hands on top of our head.

Teacher: Does anyone have any questions?

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Shelter” there is something dangerous happening. It could be a natural danger, such as a tornado. When we practice our tornado drill, we are following the adult’s order to shelter. We would move to our storm shelter to protect us. We will practice this drill throughout the year. We always listen to the adult for information and you need to listen to me, too, for directions.

Teacher: Does anyone have any questions?
 

This is a basic outline for all staff members to follow so that the students, district-wide, are taught safety procedures in a similar fashion. This will ensure that students have a similar knowledge base in the future as they move from grade to grade, building to building.

DIRECTIONS: Below is a script to assist you in teaching your students about safety and security procedures and drills. Please conduct this training in an age appropriate manner as you would conduct any training regarding schools safety such as fire drills and tornado drills. 

Teacher: Today we are going to view a video on safety in our schools. This information includes safety actions and the directions we need to take to ensure our students and schools are safe.

Teacher: What are some of the things we do to keep you safe? Student examples could be: Visitors sign in, we practice fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown, exit drill, keep outside doors locked, and stranger danger) You can continue some discussion about how to carry out these drills.

Teacher: Very good. So, let’s talk about how students should never open a door at school to let someone into the building. This is a hard one, because we are taught to be courteous and help others, but in school, all people who come to the building should go through the main office and check in. And, what do we do as a classroom when we have to do a lockdown drill? Student examples: Listen to the teacher; follow directions...what are other things?)

Teacher: Ok, let’s review those steps one more time.

Teacher: Students can give answers, you can respond with a positive affirmation, then give the definition: An intruder/stranger is someone who is on school grounds or in the school who does not have permission to be there. How might you recognize someone who does not belong in our building? Student examples could be someone who does not have on a visitors badge or someone who is walking around the building without someone we know with them or it could be someone who gives you a funny feeling in your stomach that something doesn’t seem quite right.

Teacher: Good. An intruder could be anyone, couldn’t it? Trust yourself and trust your tummy! If you get that uncomfortable feeling in your tummy (Second Step language comes in handy here) when you see someone in the building or on school grounds that does not belong, please tell an adult at school right away. An example of how to do this is to find an adult you know, and tell them “I think there is someone on school grounds or in the school who should not be here”.

Teacher: I’m going to play the video for you and then we can discuss the actions and the directions.

(Teacher: Play the Safety Response Protocols video below.)

Safety Response Protocol Video

After students have reviewed the video:

Teacher: Let’s review the actions and directions.

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Hold” that means we are to keep the hallways clear. There is something happening inside our school and we need to be in our classroom. It might be to allow emergency medical staff to assist an ill student or teacher, or maybe something spilled in the hallway that needs to be cleaned up. If you’re in the hallway, you need to move quickly to your classroom. We stay inside our classroom until an adults tells us “all clear.”

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Secure” that means here is something happening outside of our school so we need to stay inside our school where it is safe. There might be danger in our neighborhood. If we are outside for gym, we’ll be brought inside our school. We stay inside until an adult tells us “all clear.”

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Lockdown” that means there is someone in our school who doesn’t belong here. To keep safe, we lock our classroom door, turn out our lights, and move out of sight. And, we don’t open the door for anyone. You need to listen to my directions. If you are in a room that cannot be locked such as the gym or if we’re outside for phy ed, we will leave the building and go to the rally point (X).

Teacher: If an adult tells us to “Evacuate” we need to move from our classroom, gym, or cafeteria to another room or area of our school, or even outside. A fire drill is an example of “evacuate.” We will practice this drill throughout the year. If there’s an intruder in our school, the police may tell us to leave. We may be asked to walk out of the school with our hands on top of our head. We need to keep our hands visible.

Teacher: If an adults tells us to “Shelter” there is something dangerous, most likely a natural danger, such as a tornado. When we practice our tornado drill, we are following the adult’s order to shelter. We will practice this drill throughout the year. We always listen to the adult for information and you need to listen to me, too, for directions.

Teacher: Does anyone have any questions about the safety actions and directions?
 

Students in grades 9-12 will watch a video explaining Safety Response Protocols, which includes a variety of actions and directions based on situations.

Teacher: You may have noticed some new safety posters around our school. Today we are going to view a video on those safety actions and procedures we need to take to ensure we are safe at school. 

The video outlines five actions:

• Hold, stay inside the classroom, clear the halls;
• Secure, get inside the school, no one leaves or enters the building; Lockdown, lock the classroom door, lights out, out of sight, and leave the school grounds and go to the rally point if you’re outside at a practice, in a phy ed class or if you find yourself in a room that doesn’t lock;
• Evacuate, move from one location to another;
• Shelter, move to a shelter area.

Safety Response Protocol video 

For those students trained in A.L.I.C.E., the protocol has shifted now that more case studies, investigations, and research has been performed. The only time you would leave the school and go to the rally point would be if you’re outside for phy ed, or a practice or if you’re in a classroom that cannot be locked (such as the cafeteria, gym). Otherwise, you would remain in your classroom in most situations. It’s important to listen to your teacher and follow directions. Our rally points are  X.
 

The District has a reunification plan in place if a situation arises which would prompt evacuation to an off-site location.

How will parents be notified?
Reunification information would be communicated to families by phone, email and/or text from the District Office depending on the communication preferences you have indicated. If reunification is needed, parents/guardians will need to bring an ID with them to the reunification site.

It is unlikely parents/guardians will be granted access by law enforcement to the building to pick up their student. 

Video: What Families Need to Know about Reunification

In the event of a live incident, below, find information for parents/guardians when one of the Standard Response Protocols are being used.

Secure: This protocol is called when there is something dangerous outside the building. Students and staff are brought inside. The school might display the "Building is Secured" poster on entry doors or nearby windows. Inside, it is business as usual.

Should parents come to the school during a "Secure" event? Probably not. Every effort is made to conduct classes as normal during a "Secure" event. Additionally, parents may be asked to stay outside during this type of event.

What if parents need to pick up their student? Depending on the situation, it may not be safe to release the student. As the situation evolves, "Secure" might change to a "Monitored Entry and/or Controlled Release."

Will parents be notified when a school does into "Secure?" When the event is brief or the hazard is non-violent, there may not be a need to notify parents while the "Secure" is in place.

Lockdown: This protocol is called when there is something dangerous inside the building. Students and staff are trained to enter or remain in a room that can be locked, and maintain silence. This protocol is only initiated when there is an active threat inside or very close to the building.

Should parents come to the school during a lockdown? If there is a threat inside the building, law enforcement will be responding. It is unlikely that parents will be granted access to the building or even the campus. If parents are already in the school, they will be instructed to "Lockdown" as well. In some cases, students may be evacuated and transported off-site for a student-parent/guardian reunification.

Additional Information for Parents on SRP Guidance

What is srp? teen training video