SCHOOL SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES

Do you know what safety procedures and protocols are in place in SVVSD?

For those of you who have not been able to attend any of the “School Safety Meetings”, town hall meetings and meetings held by the school district, I am here to help, so I want to share some information I have gathered from the several I have attended.

Here is a list of some of the safety procedures and protocols that are in place with SVVSD to keep our children safe:

-Every school has a door buzzer to get in the school and has double locked door (vestibule) entry.
-Cameras are on the outside and inside of every school building. (The district is finishing up the elementary schools this year.)
-Counselors are in all schools and available for all grades from PK-12.
-Interventionists are in all middle and high schools (Interventionists are different than counselors because they are there to intervene when students show signs of distress, and spend a lot of time focused on mental health)
-Social workers are available to help.
-Social and emotional support of students is a key element to school safety.
-Due to a lack of parental support, (which Parents Step Up hopes to help change) the teachers and staff work very hard to build strong and lasting relationships with the students, so every student has a trusted adult they can go to for help.
-SROs (School Resource Officers) are in all middle and high schools.
-Campus Supervisors (not armed but patrol and help keep schools safe) are in middle and high schools.
-”Safe 2 Tell” program (https://safe2tell.org/ ) investigates every tip they recieve. Some tips that come in are threats against schools or individuals, or people considering harming themselves or others. It is important the students don’t intentionally report false information; however, if you hear or see something out of place; say something.
-Every school practices Fire Drills, Lockout, Shelter in Place and Lockdown Drills. Schools engage in two ‘Lockdown’ drills, one ‘Lockout’ drill, two ‘Shelter in Place’ drills and ten ‘Fire’ drills each year.
-Lockdown Procedures: Evacuate, Locks Lights Out of Sight, Block and Obstruct, Disperse and Distract ( http://www.svvsd.org/schools/safety-and-security )

-Stacey Gahagan (Head of Security of SVVSD) said at one meeting, “School safety is not just the job of the school but everyone is responsible for school safety and security and it starts at home with the parents.” She also gave an example of students not letting adults/strangers in doors, just as we wouldn’t want our children to open our house door to someone they don’t know.

-Sgt. Doug Ross (Longmont Police Department) is quoted saying, “While it is clear our children are safest when at school, it is important to constantly re-evaluate our safety procedures and keep current on best practices for responding to potential threats.”