Safety continues to be a top priority

Erica Loiacono
Sep 6, 2018 · 2 min read

School safety continues to be front and center in many of our collective conversations.

As a District, we take a multi-faceted approach to keeping our schools safe. We believe that positive student-staff relationships, the physical infrastructure of a building and collaboration with first responders are key components to keeping our schools a safe and secure learning environment.

Over the summer, we took additional steps to ensuring the safety and security of our schools.

Report a Safety Concern — Tip Line
On the homepage all 21 of our websites, there is now a “Report Safety Concern” button. While it is always best to talk directly to a staff member, since students and parents are not always comfortable doing so, our newly developed Tip Line is tool that can be used to alert district administrators about an issue. Conversations with our children are essential to the safety and security of our buildings. Our schools explicitly teach students that if they ever see something or hear something that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable, they should tell a staff member.

Secure Entry Projects Completed
All 20 District 200 schools have access control — visitors can’t just walk into any of our buildings. Rather, visitors must ring a bell, state the purpose of their visit and then be granted access into the building.

This summer, modifications to eight school entrances were completed to create visitor control. It is best practice for the first point of visitor contact to be the front office, where they can be greeted, sign in and be directed to their destination.

District-wide Safety Committee
Each month, a group of district and school administrators and area first responders meet to review safety and security practices and protocols. It is critical for us to continuously evaluate opportunities for improvement. We will continue these collaborative efforts and thank our first responders for their ongoing partnership in keeping our schools a safe learning environment.

District 200 Newsroom

In District 200, our mission is to inspire, educate, challenge, and support all students to reach their highest level of learning and personal development. These are the stories that drive our mission.

Erica Loiacono

Written by

District 200 Newsroom

In District 200, our mission is to inspire, educate, challenge, and support all students to reach their highest level of learning and personal development. These are the stories that drive our mission.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade