School security: current Info, feedback and frequently asked questions

When a tragic event happens in a school, our hearts go out to that school community.While the Connecticut tragedy reminds us to reflect on our own safety practices, this is something that is done on a frequent basis in Kyrene. For nearly twenty years, a district-wide Crisis Team has been proactively planning for and responding to crisis situations. We are currently in the process of reviewing the physical buildings and the safety practices at all of our 25 schools.  We will continue to add new information to this page - Please see update below from the Jan. 15th Parent Superintendent Council meeting. 

 

Kyrene has a number of proactive measures in place to ensure the safety and security at all of our schools. Some of these include:

• During the school day all exterior doors to a school building are locked. The only point of entry into our schools is through the school offices.
• All of our schools have a virtual video fence where cameras operate 24 hours a day and act as a deterrent for unauthorized activity.
• All schools follow a comprehensive crisis plan and practice lockdown and fire drills on a regular schedule.
• When a school calls a lockdown, even District badges will not open an exterior door. Crisis personnel at the District office are automatically contacted.
• We regularly review our crisis plans and work closely with all local emergency agencies.

New front office procedures effective Jan. 7, 2013  

We have recently received many suggestions from community and staff members about ideas to improve campus safety. All practices have been reviewed and some new procedures were implemented.

 

As you’ll recall, over the past several years, through our voter-approved bonds and overrides, we have made security improvements that not all other districts currently have in place. The most noticeable examples are the elimination of free-standing portable classrooms, the enclosure of all outside door access to classrooms (corridor project), and the virtual video fence at all schools where cameras operate 24 hours a day to act as a deterrent for unauthorized activity. It is also important for you to know that for many years our schools have followed a comprehensive crisis plan which requires documented practice lockdown and fire drills on a regular schedule. District-wide crisis plans are reviewed frequently by a District Crisis Team that works closely with all local law enforcement and municipal emergency agencies.

 

In order to provide additional security for our students and staff, as of Monday, January 7:

• All visitors will be required to check in at the front desk. 

• All visitors will need to turn in a photo I.D. and be issued a visitor’s badge.

• Employees and vendors must show their badge or will be required to follow the visitor’s procedure.

• Visitors will not be allowed beyond the office doors without signing in, providing a photo ID, getting a visitor’s badge and 

   given permission to enter the school.

• When leaving the school, visitors will return through the office, sign out and retrieve their photo I.D.

 

Frequently Asked Questions - regarding questions we received from community and staff members. If you have questions specifically about your school, please contact your principal.

 

The implementation of additional security measures is not yet complete. A safety committee was 

designated that will include the expertise of law enforcement officials to continue this work on an ongoing basis. It will be important for you to be well informed about this as one of the next topics will address playground procedures that maximize student safety. The strong interest and involvement of parents is recognized and welcome in Kyrene. Many of you may be used to practices that will need to be altered, and I hope you will understand that any such change is to provide the safest environment possible for our students and staff. 

 

Send Feedback - please contact us with your communications. We know you will continue to have ideas, thoughts and questions. We will read, research and post responses on the School Security Q&A page. 

 

 

12-21-12  (updated 01-15-13)