Safety and Security

While there are many crisis situations that can occur, they generally fall into five categories:  Shelter-in-Place (Severe Weather), Secure and Teach (Outside Hazard); Secure and Teach (Inside Hazard), Evacuation (Fire), and Lockdown (Active Threat).  Below please find a description of each of these categories and how we communicate during them.  

Shelter-in-Place (Severe Weather) procedures are used when severe weather requires relocation within the building for safety (i.e., tornadoes and other severe weather).  Designated shelters are in areas of the building that maximize the safety of occupants.  Designated shelter areas may change depending on the type of emergency.

• During tornado watches, all students must stay indoors, but instruction and bus service will continue. 
• During a tornado warning or other severe weather, all regular school activities will cease, and students move to a designated shelter-in-place area until the warning is lifted.  Students may be asked to face a wall, kneel and be ready to cover their heads with their arms and hands to protect them from debris.  Students and staff will remain at the designated area until an "all clear" is announced.
• The District will send families an email, robocall and text if severe weather alters the school schedule or causes a safety hazard.
• Please see District 20's Inclement Weather Policy for information relating to winter weather/snow day procedures.

Secure Building (Outside Hazard) procedures are used when there is a hazard outside the building that requires individuals to remain inside the school building for safety (i.e., nearby policy activity, a local hazardous waste spill).  Students who are outside (i.e., at recess or physical education) are brought inside.  Students and staff will be asked to remain inside their classrooms or offices and continue normal instruction until told otherwise.  Use of the hallways and restrooms are permitted.  All exterior doors are locked and no one is permitted to enter or exit.  Depending on the situation, the building administrator may permit monitored entry/exit.  If the outside hazard occurs at dismissal time, a delayed or modified dismissal process maybe required.  During these situations, the school will contact families and staff, as soon as information can be coordinated and confirmed with the appropriate emergency responder.  

Hold in Your Room or Area (Inside Hazard) procedures are used when there is a hazardous situation that does not place students and staff in imminent danger but requires containing everyone in place in the building for safety (i.e., a medical emergency, escalating student who is not perceived to be imminently dangerous).  Hallways and restrooms are cleared.  Classroom instruction continues as normal, but change of classroom bells will be ignored and everyone in the building is directed to remain in their current locations until "All Clear" is announced.  During these situations, the school will contact families and staff information as soon as the information can be coordinated and confirmed with the appropriate emergency responder.

Evacuation (Fire) procedures are initiated when a hazard inside the building requires relocating outside the building for safety (i.e., fire, gas leak, or other in-school hazard).  Classrooms will follow evacuation procedures outlined in their emergency classroom action plan to safely transfer students to a designated location outside the building.  An Off-Campus Evacuation may be necessary when circumstances require relocation of students and staff to a remote site for their safety.  In this situation, students will be transported, accounted for, and released to their parent/guardian when safe to do so.  The school will contact families and staff as soon as information can be coordinated and confirmed with the fire department and any other emergency responders.

Lockdown (Active Threat) procedures are implemented when there is a serious or volatile threat to the school that could  jeopardize the physical safety of students and staff (i.e., dangerous intruder in the building).  During a lockdown situation, staff, students, and visitors will have to assess their situation and know their options:  Run - Lockdown/Hide - Fight.  When in lockdown/hide, all students and visitors are brought inside a classroom or office, windows and doors are locked, lights are turned off, and barricades are used.  Everyone should remain quiet and cell phones should be silenced.  If safe evacuation is possible, students, visitors, and staff will quickly and quietly leave the building to a safe area.  If safe escape or hiding is not possible, and if under imminent attack, staff have been trained that taking action to defend themselves and their students is the last resort attempt.  During a lockdown/active threat situation, the district or school will contact families and staff as soon as information can be coordinated and confirmed with the appropriate emergency responder.

Stay Calm and Stay Alert

In the event of a school emergency, please remain calm and know that school staff, district personnel, and law enforcement are working to keep your child safe.  District 20 fully understands the importance of communication during an emergency and we are prepared to provide ongoing updates throughout the situation.  Based on the circumstances, the District may provide information via emails, phone calls, district social media, and the district website.  Please know that the media may not always communicate accurate information.  In addition, we know that during an emergency, many students will try to call or text their parents/guardians.  If this occurs, we ask you to remain calm and reassuring.  Encourage your student to follow the directions of school staff.

Stay Away from the School

We understand that your first instinct will be to go to the school to see your child, especially in a difficult situation.  If there is a crisis, the school may be locked down and you will not have immediate access to your child.  Arriving at school before it is secure can interfere with the emergency response and puts you in danger.  In addition, rushing to school may create chaos and traffic that may block emergency responders from getting to the school or leaving if necessary to transport injured persons to emergency medical facilities.   

Families should not come to pick up their child(ren) unless given the direction to do so from District 20.

Keep Phone Lines Open

We ask that families do not call school or the district office in the event of an emergency.  This allows phone lines to stay open for communication with emergency personnel and school officials.  It also helps school staff to remain focused on the safety of the students.  The school/district will communicate any information with you as soon as possible via Skyward/Skylert, emails, phone calls, district website or district social media.

Please remain vigilant and wait for communication regarding next steps. 

Do Not Call the Police Department or 911

The police department will be dealing with the school emergency and the dispatch line must remain open for any other emergencies that could occur in the community.  Calling to ask what is going on at the school will only take away from the dispatcher being able to handle other emergencies, and also interrupt communication with the police on site at the school.

Be Prepared with your Photo ID

In the event of a school evacuation, District 20 will follow standard reunification plan to ensure students are safely returned to their families.  The District will communication the reunification site and instructions.  Families and/or individuals listed as an authorized person to pick up your child should do the following:

• Bring valid form of identification (ID
• Follow signage and parking directions to the reunification location
• Complete the provided reunification form
• Provide school personnel at the check-in table with a valid form of photo ID and the completed reunification form
• Wait patiently as District 20 staff retrieves and escorts your student to you

District 20 takes a proactive approach to the social-emotional well-being and mental health needs of our students and staff.  We have a variety of programs and resources aimed at creating and maintaining a healthy and safe teaching and learning environment.

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) in all D20 schools teaches students to be responsible for their own behaviors with the expectation to Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible.  Staff members consistently teach, model, and reinforce appropriate behaviors for students.

Social-Emotional Wellness and Mental Health are a priority for District 20 as we recognize that students are unable to engage in learning if they are struggling socially, emotionally, or mentally.  The District 20 Student Services Staff includes social workers and psychologists who help to screen, assess student risk for emotional and behavioral problems, and support student needs in all of our buildings.

Online Safety Platform:  D20 partners with an online safety platform called Gaggle to help support student mental health and safeguard students against violence, predators, and a variety of other issues affecting today's students.  Gaggle helps our district to see the early warning signs of potential danger so that our schools can take action quickly to protect students from harming themselves or others.  Machine learning technology flags concerning content in students' school-issued accounts for review and blocks potentially harmful content. 

In high-risk situations concerning student mental health or safety, district-appointed administrators are immediately notified by phone, text and/or email, even after standard business hours.  If severe concerning student behavior is identified on student-issued accounts between the hours of 11:00pm and 5:00am, Gaggle will contact 9-1-1 to perform an at-home well check, in an abundance of caution.

Relationship Building:  D20 Staff focus on forming relationships with our students so that we are prepared to provide support if they need it and so they feel comfortable reporting to us when they hear or see unsafe or concerning behaviors in themselves or others.  We ask our families to reinforce this message at home by letting them know that they can also come to you whenever they feel unsafe and remind them that they should report any suspicions and concerns about school safety.

Additional Resources:  District 20 also encourages students, parents, and staff to utilize the resources below.

School Safety is a Shared Responsibility

The prevention of violence in our communities and within our schools is a shared responsibility between schools, medical and mental health providers, community service providers, law enforcement, families, and students.  Community safety must involve participation from all members of the community and the institutions that serve the community. The most effective way to best ensure safety is to prevent the conditions that perpetuate it.

District 20 focuses on prevention as the most important aspect of school safety.  The research on underlying contributing factors to violence in schools overwhelming shows the need for supportive learning environments that all students feel connected to.  District 20 emphasizes positive school culture and programs, and encourages initiatives that promote this including equitable environments, sense of belonging and identifiable trusted adults.  When students are in crisis or do not feel safe or connected, our safety reporting mechanisms allow staff to act quickly to respond and allow our student services teams to intervene when students are in need.

SEE Something, SAY Something

The district encourages all of our students, staff, and community to report personal or safety concerns to school, district, or one of our reporting mechanisms.  This year, District 20 has expanded access and visibility of safety reporting, and has partnered with Safe2Help Illinois.  Additional support and reporting helplines include 988 Suicide & Crisis Line, Crisis Text Line, and ReferralGPS. 

For more information on reporting and self-help resources go to D20 Student Supports.

We thank the Keeneyville District 20 Community for helping to keep our schools safe!