Safety

Having a sense of personal safety is a foundational need for both adults and students in order for effective teaching and learning to take place. The district understands that personal safety includes both school safety and a person's physical and social-emotional well-being. While it is not possible to guarantee that dangerous situations will never occur in and/or around our schools, District 47 takes a multi-tiered approach to school safety and emergency preparedness. We work proactively with students, staff, and local law enforcement agencies to continuously improve the safety and security of our school buildings. Additionally, we ask our parents to partner with us and their child(ren)'s school and report concerns if they arise.

The district works in collaboration with local police and fire departments to review and update crisis procedures and emergency operations plans annually. Each school has a safety team and a threat assessment team, made up of clinicians and administrators. All staff (including substitutes) are required to watch a safety video annually and a school safety procedures flip chart is kept in every classroom.

While this section serves as a one-stop-shop where families can find answers to broad safety and security questions, it should be noted that the complete scope of District 47's planning and preparedness can't be described publicly in order to maintain the security of our comprehensive safety protocols.

Building Safety: Volunteer & Visitor Procedures

Crisis Reporting & Supports

District 47 is committed to supporting the whole child. When students present with a mental health or safety concern during school hours, clinicians and/or administrators will address the situation and collaborate with parents/guardians to support student needs. If students present with mental health or safety needs outside of school hours, it is important to utilize community resources.

More information on Crisis Reporting & Supports

Drills

District 47 schools conduct a variety of safety drills annually to prepare students and staff in the case of an emergency.

Fire drills (3 drills annually; one involving the local fire department)
Bus evacuation drill (1)
Lockdown drills (3 drills annually; one involving the local police department). Per Board policy 4:170, Safety and Security, one lockdown drill must be performed within the first 30 days of school.
Severe weather/shelter-in-place drill (2)

Mass Notification System

District 47 utilizes the Blackboard notification system to alert families to an emergency situation or to cancel school due to inclement weather. In an emergency, the district will send an automated phone message, text message, and email to parents/guardians.

It’s critical for parents to ensure contact information is kept up-to-date in ParentVue. Should contact information change, parents are encouraged to let the school know. Note: If the primary number on file for phone calls is on the “do not call” list, parents/guardians will not receive phone calls. Similarly, parents/ guardians will not receive text messages if they have opted out. Please contact the school if you are not getting the messages you wish to receive.

Inclement weather notifications: An emergency weather closing notification usually goes out via automated phone call, text message, and email by 5 a.m. on the day of the closing. When possible, the call will be made the night before. In the case of a snow day, messages will also be posted on the district's website and social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

More Information on Emergency Alerts & Closings

Parent Safety Tips

The school administration’s priority is to handle the immediate emergency at hand, including engaging with law enforcement, the fire department or other medical personnel. Parents/guardians can assist both before and during an emergency by adhering to the following:

Keep contact information up-to-date in ParentVue. Regularly check both your contact information and your emergency contacts in ParentVue. Having up-to-date contact information and not opting out of district messages will ensure that you receive messages from the district in the case of an emergency.
Adhere to visitor protocols. All visitors and volunteers must undergo a background check and wear a lanyard when visiting the school. Schools may create additional protocols for safety and convenience (i.e., drop-off bins outside the school for forgotten items). By limiting unnecessary visits inside the school during busy times of the day, such as arrival, midday and dismissal, office staff can remain focused on the immediate needs of students and their building. More information on visitor and volunteer procedures here
Monitor your email and phone. Parents will be communicated with regularly in the event of an emergency. If it is necessary for students to leave the school and be transferred to another location to be reunified with parents, a notification about the pick-up location (reunification site) will be sent to families.
If there is an emergency at the school, please do not come to the school. While it is natural for parents and guardians to want to go to their child’s school in the event of an emergency, doing so may actually be counterproductive to emergency response measures. Additional traffic and/or visitors may prevent emergency vehicles from being able to access and/or leave the school property.
If there is an emergency at the school, please do not contact the school. Parents/guardians are discouraged from calling the school, as phone lines need to be open for communication and office staff may be needed for emergency response efforts. Throughout the crisis, District 47 will provide regular updates to families and the community via the mass notification system (email, phone and text).
Do not call or text your child. It is important during an emergency that students pay attention and listen to the adults in charge. If they are distracted by calls and texts to their phones, students may miss instructions key to their safety.
Do not post pictures or information on social media. During emergencies, it is important that the proper authorities serve as the primary communicators of what is/has occurred and provide the facts. Posting on social media may only cause confusion and/or the spread of misinformation, putting people at risk and/or causing harm.