We want all families to know that we are in constant contact with local law enforcement agencies. If ever there is a situation that  poses even the slightest risk to the safety of our schools, we will respond to the incident using our emergency preparedness plans to best protect our students and staff.

Most lockdowns and secure and teach calls are precautionary measures due to incidents and concerns within our district lines, but not directly related to our schools. It is common for us to call secure and teach if there is an incident in our local community that requires police involvement, such as a car chase in the vicinity of our schools. It is also common to call a Secure and teach in the event of a staff or student medical concern to allow emergency responders quick and unobstructed access to the individuals that require assistance.

We know that the term lockdown has many parents concerned the moment they hear it. We also know that communication amongst the district, our schools and our families is essential during unforeseen events that affect our schools. In the event of an issue that provides a risk to the safety of our schools, we respond first to the safety issue at hand. Once we have this incident or concern handled, we will communicate with our families and community. It is also important to remember that, as a school district, we are not allowed to share information that pertains to individual student concerns. We do our best to provide a thorough and helpful description of the reason for our safety response, but it isn’t always possbile for us to share the full details of every situation.

In recent years, one of our largest challenges in communicating accurate information to our families, is the student cell phone. As a parent, you may receive notification of a lockdown from your child before receiving communication from the school and/or District Office. Often we find that this information is partial or based on rumors that circle in those first few moments of an incident and, in many cases, lack factual accuracy. We encourage families and community members to check our websites and social media accounts for the most accurate and up-to-date information.