New safety protocol being implemented
School safety is our top priority. As a District, we take a multi-faceted approach to keeping our schools safe.
Relationships — Our schools are committed to making sure that each student has a meaningful, positive relationship with a trusted adult at school. We know that when students are connected to school, there is a decrease in emotional distress and an improvement in learning. School-connectedness is the greatest preventative measure to keeping our schools safe.
Physical Infrastructure — The physical infrastructure of our buildings is a key safety component. In the past several years, we’ve made adjustments at all District 200 schools to enhance building entrances and exits.
Community Partnerships — The District continues to collaborate and plan with our District-wide Safety Committee. We meet monthly with representatives from the Wheaton, Warrenville, Winfield and Carol Stream police and fire departments, and other community partners, to evaluate and improve our safety plans and protocols.
Home Partnerships — Conversations with our children are essential. Our schools explicitly teach students that if they ever see something or hear something that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable, they should tell an adult at the school immediately. We ask you, our parents and community members, to continue these conversations with your children at home.
Safety Protocols — Annually, we practice our safety protocols for fire and school evacuation, bus evacuation, severe weather and lockdown. This year, we are adding a new safety protocol, ALICE. ALICE equips teachers and students with response options during an active safety situation. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown (enhanced), Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
New Safety Protocol — ALICE
For the past year, we have been planning the implementation of this important new safety protocol in partnership with our police departments. During this week’s Institute Day on November 8, middle and high school staff will participate in a 3-hour training in ALICE. On December 2 and during the January 17 Institute Day, early childhood and elementary staff will participate in the same training.
March 23–27, 2020, we will host a District 200 Safety Week in which all schools will review all of our safety protocols and students will receive age-appropriate training on the new safety protocol, ALICE. As we get closer to Safety Week, we will share additional information and resources for parents.
The Wheaton Police Department has offered several community presentations on ALICE and you can watch the presentation by following this link. Additionally, we will host two ALICE Information Nights, in partnership with our police departments, for community members who would like additional information or who have questions about ALICE or any of our safety protocols.
Monday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Wheaton North High School
Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Wheaton Warrenville South High School
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school principal or Dr. Charlie Kyle, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, at charles.kyle@cusd200.org or 630–682–2015. Dr. Kyle oversees our District Safety Plans.
Thank you so much for your partnership. The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority.
