Safety Information

The safety of students and staff is our highest priority. To keep everyone safe, we will practice proper safety measures including frequent hand washing/sanitizing, social distancing, and regular cleaning. We will follow all guidelines in the NC Public Health Toolkit and in the WCS plan. Systematic cleaning and sanitizing protocols are being used in all areas of the school. Hand sanitizing stations will be available in every classroom and at every entrance. Any student who becomes symptomatic during the day will be closely monitored by a staff member until a parent arrives. Please send a non-breakable, refillable water bottle that has a spill-proof top to school each day. It is important for students to stay hydrated throughout the day to stay healthy. Only water should be sent in water bottles. Water fountains are available for bottle refill.

Standard Response Protocol: Our school has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Students and staff will be training, practicing, and drilling the protocol. The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is based on an all hazards approach as opposed to individual scenarios. Like the Incident Command System (ICS), SRP utilizes clear common language while allowing for flexibility in protocol. The premise is simple - there are five specific actions that can be performed during an incident. When communicating these, the action is labeled with a “Term of Art” and is then followed by a “Directive.” Execution of the action is performed by active participants, including students, staff, teachers and first responders. The SRP is based on the following actions: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter. 

Emergency Drills

Emergency drill procedures are included in our school’s safety plan.  Procedures are established for fire drills, intruder alerts, evacuation, bomb threats, and severe weather.  These procedures are explained to students and practiced with students periodically during the year.  Students are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate and responsible manner during all emergency drills.  We hope never to have an actual emergency, but no “horseplay or kidding around” will be acceptable during emergency drills.

 

Safety Questions:

 

Should parents come to the school during a SECURE event? Probably not. Every effort is made

to conduct classes as normal during a secure event. Additionally, parents may be asked to stay outside during a Secure event.

 

What if parents need to pick up their student? Depending on the situation, it may

not be safe to release the student. As the situation evolves, SECURE might change to a Monitored Entry

and/or Controlled Release.

Will parents be notified when a school goes into a SECURE event? When a secure event is brief or the hazard is non-violent, like a wild animal on the playground, there may not be a need to notify parents while the Secure is in place. With longer or more dangerous events, the school should notify parents that the school has increased their security.

 

Should parents come to the school during a LOCKDOWN event? The natural inclination for parents is to go to the school during a Lockdown. Understandable, but perhaps problematic. If there is a threat inside the building, law enforcement will be responding. It is unlikely that parents will be granted access to the building or even the campus. If parents are already in the school, they will be instructed to Lockdown as

well. 

 

Should parents text their students? The school recognizes the importance of communication

between parents and students during a Lockdown event. Parents should be aware though, during the initial period of a Lockdown, it may not be safe for students to text their parents. As the situation resolves, students may be asked to update their parents on a regular basis. In some cases, students may be evacuated and transported off-site for a student-parent reunification.

 

What about unannounced drills? The school may conduct unscheduled drills, however it is highly discouraged to conduct one without announcing that it as a drill. That’s called an unannounced drill and can cause undue concern and stress. Parents should recognize that the school will always inform students

that it is a drill during the initial announcement. It’s important to differentiate between a drill and an exercise. A drill is used to create the “Muscle Memory” associated with a practiced action. There is no simulation of an

event; this is simply performing the action. An exercise simulates an actual event to test the capacity of personnel and equipment.