Dear LCSD Parents & Guardians:
We are very excited to have started another great school year in Lake County! We strive everyday to continue to keep students, teachers and staff safe. Attached is some important information about the tools and strategies we use to promote safe schools. This information is only to keep you informed, not to cause concern. Our goal is to make sure that you are“prepared, not scared”.
Safety & Security
Attached and below is a copy of the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). This is the system we use in all Lake County schools. We use a “Secure” when there is a potential threat outside the school building; the intent of secure is to keep students and staff inside the school building. For students, school continues as normal during secure, with the exception of recess, which is held indoors instead of outdoors. A “Hold” may be called when we need students and staff to remain in their area. This could be for a variety of reasons and would be called via the overhead intercom. A “Lockdown,” on the other hand, is used if there were a potential threat inside the school. Teachers and students secure themselves inside during a lockdown, using the guidelines “locks, lights, out of sight.” We practice lockdowns each year so staff so that students and staff will have the “muscle memory” should we ever need to call one in an emergency.
We will also practice an evacuation at each school annually. This will look different at each school. Information will be sent to you before this drill to give you more information. I have attached information about the Standard Reunification Method (SRM) as well as a Sample Reunification Card, so that you will know what you would be asked to fill out when coming to pick up your student(s) after an evacuation. This background information will be helpful if we ever need to use the SRM. In the case of an emergency, you would receive a phone call and/or text from the schools. This would be sent to the same phone(s) on which you receive other communications from the schools. Please make sure your school’s front office always has your updated contact information.
Another concept that will be introduced to students grades 6-12 is “Evacuate, Evade, Defend”. These are personal safety concepts that are integrated within our Standard Response Protocol. The introduction of these concepts will encourage your student to be thinking and make the smartest choice for their personal safety. We encourage you to have a family conversation regarding these concepts.
A copy of our “Threat Assessment Fair Notice” is also attached. This form explains the process LCSD uses to assess threatening behaviors.
One way you can help keep our schools’ safe is to encourage your student to please share any concerns they have about safety with an adult, preferably at school, but also at home. We will be reinforcing with students that speaking to an administrator or teacher about a concern they have, or about something they have overheard, is an important step to make sure that all of our schools are as safe as they can possibly be. Another option to anonymously report a safety concern is to report it at www.safe2tell.org or call 877-542-SAFE (877-542-7233); some additional information is also attached. We would also ask that you talk to your student about using this platform in the correct way. This is not a site to “tattle” on someone, nor is it a place for false reports. All reports that come in are received by law enforcement and the school district and follow ups are made on all reports.
We have seen “Swatting” in our community and surrounding districts; this is a criminal harassment act intended to deceive an emergency service into sending a police or emergency service response team to a school. While we take all reports seriously and continue to work through all reports that come to our attention, we wanted to share a flier for your information on how you might be able to support your student with understanding these trends. Please see the attached flier on Supporting Students in the Midst of Viral Rumors and Fears about School Violence.
Welcoming Environments
In addition to the steps we take to make our schools safe and secure in the ways described above, we also work hard to make sure our schools are welcoming to all students, families and community members. One of our commitments is that bullying has no place in our schools. I am enclosing a copy of our bullying prevention brochure. This document outlines how we define bullying, and how we respond to a report of bullying behavior in one of our schools. Another commitment we have is to Title IX and Nondiscrimination. It is important that not only staff but students as well understand their rights in this area. We have also attached a flier that will be available at all school buildings and our website https://www.lakecountyschools.net so that those rights are well understood.
We continue to work with students, families and staff to create a welcoming environment. There are many ways to be involved in your students’ school and we hope you will reach out to administrators if you are looking for a way to volunteer or ideas on how to be involved.
Illegal Substances
We want to make sure that parents and visitors to the Lake County School District are aware that we do not permit anyone to engage in tobacco use (smoking, chewing or vaping) while on school property. We also do not permit anyone to engage in alcohol, marijuana or illicit substance use on school property. When we refer to school property, we are referring to the existing buildings, parking lots and land in our district, as well as locations where our students gather to play sports, perform or participate in other competitions. Those locations are considered school property when Lake County School District students are present, and we hold all visitors to the same standards as we would in our local buildings.
Communications
Communications from the schools are an important part of the school engagement and we encourage you to read the weekly newsletters from your school. They share not only current events in their communications, but will also share information on upcoming drills.
The district administration will work with school administration to communicate with you via text and email should there be a safety concern at the school. This communication will inform you if there are any immediate needs, an overview of the event and any additional steps that need to be followed.
Communications are generated from Power School/School Messenger. If you are not receiving the weekly update via email or text, you would also not receive a notification from us in the event of an emergency. Please let the front office know if you may have opted out or need to update your contact information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to myself or an administrator at the schools.
Sincerely,
Bunny Taylor, District Safety
Lake County School District
719-486-6805/719-293-0738 btaylor@lakecountyschools.net
Safety Resources:
Standard Response Protocol Overview – English
Standard Response Protocol Overview – Spanish
SRM (Standard Reunification Method) Parent Handout-English
SRM (Standard Reunification Method) Parent Handout-Spanish
Sample Reunification Card English & Spanish
Safe2Tell Anonymous Reporting Information or visit Safe2Tell.org.
Bullying Prevention Information -English
Bullying Prevention Information-Spanish
Threat Assessment Fair Notice for Parents-English
Threat Assessment Fair Notice for Parents-Spanish
Threat Assessment Fair Notice for Students-English
Threat Assessment Fair Notice for Students-Spanish
Title IX-Students Know your Rights Brochure-English
Title IX-Students Know your Rights Brochure-Spanish
Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) – Annual Notification
Access to Colorado’s Sex Offender Registry is provided at this link. Information may be obtained at this site by selecting the zip code for Lake County (80461).
If you have any questions about safety in our schools, please reach out to us by calling 719-486-6800 or emailing us.