School Safety & Security
Maintaining a safe and welcoming school environment is important for students, staff, and community. Lakeview Public Schools implements protocols and practices that strive to maintain a secure school environment.
- Ensuring the Safety of Our Schools
- School Visitor Entry Procedure
- ALICE Training
- School Closing Information
- School Safety Drills
- Crisis Response Protocols
Ensuring the Safety of Our Schools
Secured Entries - At our schools, visitors must check in at the office, and are "buzzed" into an entry point during the school day.
Visitor Check and Badges - Prior to admission to school, visitors must sign in and put on a visitor sticker.
Safety Drills - Each school year, our staff and students practice the following types of drills: Shelter in Place (severe weather), Fire/Evacuation, Lock Down and Active Threat.
Maps and Directions - In each of our classrooms, directions for sheltering in place (severe weather) and evacuation (fire) are displayed graphically near the doorways.
Video Camera Monitoring - Our schools are equipped with video surveillance systems. These systems cover both the inside and outside public spaces. Lakeview does not incorporate monitoring inside of our classrooms, restrooms, offices or other private spaces.
Office "Panic" Buttons - In our schools, there are panic buttons in the office that can be activated and trigger a "silent" alarm which dispatches law enforcement to the school location.
Staff Badges - All of our staff wear Lakeview identification badges.
Mass Phone Notifications - Lakeview utilizes a system to provide phone call notifications to our families and staff.
Locked Exterior Doors - Once students have arrived for the day, all exterior doors are locked and remain locked throughout the school day.
Locked Interior Doors - Interior doors remain locked at all times, and if propped open, the propping device must be able to be removed with a single motion, such as the kicking out of a door stop.
FOB Access System - Over the last several years, Lakeview has reduced the number of key locks on our exterior doors, replacing them with electronic locks. FOBs (the electronic keys) can be activated and deactivated remotely through our management system, reducing the concern about lost keys. Additionally, the FOB system can be accessed to determine who and when our building has been accessed.
School Visitor Entry Procedure
Visitors to our schools can expect the following school entry procedures during the school day:
- Exterior doors will be locked during the school day and visitors must access either the elementary or district office entrance.
- At the office, visitors will have to be “buzzed” into school.
- Visitors who request access to the school, beyond the office, will need to sign in and wear a school-provided identification badge.
- In the unlikely event that a visitor presents themselves as disorderly or potentially dangerous, staff are required to immediately contact law enforcement.
ALICE Training
ALICE website - The website for ALICE (Alert, Lock Down, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) which is the model our schools utilize to prepare for crisis situations.
ALICE Introduction Video - A video used within our ALICE staff training and which would be appropriate for secondary school students.
I'm Not Scared....I'm Prepared! - A video presentation of a children's book that is often used in our elementary classrooms to introduce ALICE concepts.
Talking to Your Child About Safety K-2 - A primer from John Hopkins Children's Hospital regarding talking to children about safety
Talking to Your Child About Safety (3-5) - A primer from John Hopkins Children's Hospital regarding talking to children about safety
School Closing Information
What are the factors considered when school is cancelled? First and foremost, the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and families are paramount in any decision to close schools. When a “snow day” or “inclement weather day” is called, it is done as early as possible (before 5:30 a.m. and often earlier) after much deliberation among District officials who monitor road and building conditions throughout the night; and in consultation with area school superintendents.
The weather conditions and issues taken into consideration in closing schools due to inclement weather include:
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- The amount of snowfall and its impact on road (including side roads and dirt roads) and parking lot conditions and the ability to safely transport students to school.
- The timing of a storm and the ability of local road crews and District personnel to clear roads and parking lots in time for the safe transport of students to school.
- Building problems caused by weather conditions such as loss of heat, power or water service.
Closing Protocol During the School Day
- If inclement weather begins during the school day, conditions are assessed regarding weather predictions before school is released for the day.
- A decision to release school early must consider the ability for parents/guardians to pick up students in a safe manner and to ensure that all parents/guardians are notified of the early closing.
- Emails and phone notifications are sent to families with instructions as to the school closing protocol.
- The amount of snowfall and its impact on road (including side roads and dirt roads) and parking lot conditions and the ability to safely transport students to school.
School Safety Drills
FIRE DRILLS
The school will conduct a fire drill so that each student understands the importance of the drill, and is aware and not afraid when the fire alarm is sounded. By practicing they will know what to do and how to do it.
LOCKDOWN DRILLS
This type of drill will secure the school building and safely shelter all students, staff and visitors inside the building. The purpose of this drill is to keep the students safe from any danger outside or inside the building. During a “lockdown drill” all of the perimeter doors to the school building will be locked and will remain locked until the danger or issue outside or inside the building is removed. To enable everyone to remain safe, no one will be allowed to enter the building or leave the building until the drill is completed.
SECURED BUILDING DRILLS
The Secure Building Drill brings students into a secure building. Classroom activities would continue uninterrupted and movement inside the building is restricted until given clearance by administration. Classes that were held outside, such as phy-ed, would return to the building and continue class inside the building. Staff will ensure that exterior doors are locked and the school perimeter is secured. Students and parents are able to enter and leave the building, but depending on the conditions, this may be delayed until the area is safe.
SHELTER-IN-PLACE DRILLS
The purpose of this drill is to be prepared to move to a safe location within the building in case of severe weather or tornadoes.
EVACUATION DRILLS
During an Evacuation Drill, students will be safely escorted along a designated evacuation route to one of our pre-determined evacuation sites. At the conclusion of the drill, all students will be escorted back to the school.
Crisis Response Protocols
A safe learning environment for all students is the top priority of Lakeview Public Schools. Assessment, planning, development of protocols, training and evaluation are key components in ensuring that a student’s education will not be disrupted by any safety concerns and that staff are properly trained to respond to any emergency situation.
Emergency and Crisis Response
When a traumatic event or crisis occurs within Lakeview Public Schools, the District provides planned, specific intervention. The District does its utmost to be prepared to meet the needs of affected individuals during the time of crisis. Every staff person has the potential to perform a task or take a role in the management of crisis situations. The District has protocols to serve as the guide to the response roles of staff. Training and evaluation are an important part of the response process.
Procedures and Protocols
The District has thorough procedures in place for school emergencies, including individual student medical emergencies.
The District Crisis team coordinates resources and responses to support school-level teams as necessary, and works closely with emergency responders.
Emergency Response Resources
The District has a number of emergency response resources and materials in each school.
- Emergency Response
Every staff member has an emergency response guide via a Crisis Go app on a their phone or iPad. - AEDs
Lakeview has multiple AED units. Staff are trained in the proper use of the units. They are placed in strategic locations at the school. - “To Go” Pail
Each classroom has a pail that contains basic first aid equipment. They are placed in rooms for easy access during an emergency situation.
911
911 calls are made immediately upon the assessment of the emergency situation and it is determined that EMS units are required.
CPR and Emergency Response
School staff & teachers are trained in CPR. The District takes emergency management and response very seriously. We know that we are responsible for students when they are at our schools. Training and drills are all part of the ongoing process for staff to be prepared for an emergency.
Local Law Enforcement Coordination
The District has a very close relationship with local emergency management providers, including EMS, Fire, and Police. We jointly plan and participate in emergency response. Law enforcement and local response personnel also participate in the various drills held throughout the district.