OUR DISTRICT

SCHOOL SAFETY

Crisis Response Plan

Smithville takes steps every day to protect students and staff. Our crisis response plan includes strategies to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from a crisis in our schools.

The Smithville School District Emergency Plan is a comprehensive guide developed to protect the lives of students and staff. The district has measures in place to ensure our students' safety before, during, and after a crisis situation. We view a crisis as an incident that directly or indirectly affects a few or all of our students and staff. A crisis can occur before, during or after regular hours. Our plan is designed to be effective in a number of situations.

Tips/Reminders for Parents

1. Please make sure your contact information (home and cell phone numbers) are up-to-date in our Student Information System. You can change that information through the Parent Portal. Once you've logged in, go to Forms - Enrollment - Guardian Information Update. During an emergency, we will call both home and cell numbers.

2. Please make sure the emergency contacts on file for your student are up-to-date (this can also be updated in the Parent Portal) and we would suggest that those emergency contacts be local so that they can respond and pick up your student if necessary. Older siblings that drive may be listed as emergency contacts.

3. We will use SchoolMessenger, the district's automated calling system, social media, and the district website to communicate with parents during a crisis.

a. A tip - if you miss part of the SchoolMessenger automated call, you can always press "*" and the message will be played again.

b. You can follow Smithville Schools: Twitter - @SmithvilleSD, Facebook - @smithvilleschooldistrict, Instagram - smithvillesd

4. In some cases, we may need to evacuate the school. Evacuation sites have been established, but we do not publicize those locations prior to an emergency to maintain student safety. We will inform you of the time and place to pick up your child through the district communication channels.

5. During the reunification at the evacuation site, parents will be asked to remain in their cars and proceed through the line. Only parents or those listed as emergency contacts will be allowed to pick up a student. All parents and emergency contacts will be required to provide identification in order to pick up a student. This process could take a lot of time and your patience would be required.

6. In an emergency, we ask parents not to come to or call the school. It is important to keep the streets, parking area, and phone lines open for emergency responders and communication. We will provide information to parents through the district communication channels (see #3 above).

7. If your child has a medical condition, please make sure to have two sets of necessary items (medication/testers/etc) available (one with you or at home) in case we cannot re-enter the school to retrieve them.

8. During a lockdown at school, no one will be permitted to enter or leave the building with the exception of district personnel, law enforcement, and first responders. Once it has been determined that the threat has passed (all-clear), the school will resume normal procedures. This also applies to weather-related lockdowns.

Preparation

The district has established the following in preparation for an emergency:

  • Training to help our staff support the mental health of our students

  • Bullying prevention programs, including a curriculum and a bullying reporting tool

  • A District Emergency Plan & Safety Committee

  • Individual Building Plans & Safety Committees

  • Partnerships with local law enforcement, fire departments, hospitals, and other agencies who will respond to emergencies within our schools

  • App for anonymously reporting tips and rumors (download the Scholastic Crime Stoppers app from the Google Play, or Apple store)

Response

District and building-level administrators will determine the response in a crisis based on the guidelines in place.

Student and staff safety is the top priority in any situation. The next priority is communication to parents. Communication will be made through the following channels:

  • District Website

  • SchoolMessenger Automated Calling/Texting/Emailing System

  • Social Media

Prevention

Additional proactive safety measures include:

  • Training to help our staff support the mental health of our students

  • Bullying prevention programs, including a curriculum and a bullying reporting tool

  • Security cameras in and around all facilities

  • Buzz-in entries at all schools

  • Photo ID required for all visitors

  • Safety drills which are practiced regularly

  • Safety and Security Monitor

  • School Resource Officer

  • Education of students and staff regarding safety

  • App for anonymously reporting tips and rumors (download the Scholastic Crime Stoppers app from the Google Play, or Apple store)

Recovery

It is our goal to help students and staff return to a normal school routine as quickly as possible.

Following a crisis, the district will:

  • Provide on-site counseling as needed

  • Continue communication to parents regarding follow-up developments

  • Conduct debriefings with staff and responders to evaluate crisis response