The West Shore School District is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all of our students and staff. As a school district, the safety and welfare of our students and staff is our highest priority.
District administrators meet regularly with our local police departments to help ensure effective emergency operations planning for the safety of our students and staff. While nothing is ever fail-safe, we believe the following precautions work to provide a safe environment for our students:
- All building doors are locked during the school day. Visitors must be permitted to enter the buildings after identifying themselves and their purpose to the office personnel. While this may at times seem like an inconvenience, it is essential that we know every person who enters our schools' doors.
- All staff members are required to wear identification badges to ensure that they are easily identifiable. Visitors must also sign in at the office and wear a visitor's identification badge/sticker.
- District and building administrators are visible in schools and at extracurricular events.
- Students and staff practice safety drills throughout the school year to ensure students and staff are prepared to respond in a crisis.
- Teachers and administrators who are part of the crisis team receive professional crisis training.
- The District conducts Risk and Vulnerability Assessments with local police departments to determine areas of needed safety improvement at schools.
- The District maintains an SOS hotline for anyone to report anonymous tips. 932-1840 or [email protected].
- The District recently completed a two-year revision of the District’s Emergency Operations Plan which follows the National Incident Management System model.
- We ask staff to be vigilant in monitoring guests as they walk the halls of our buildings; staff are instructed that, in the event they observe someone without a District-authorized identification, they are to question the individual’s presence and escort them back to the office.