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You send your children to us every day with the expectation that we will not only teach them, but also keep them safe. This is a trust that District 54 does not take lightly. 

Each year the entire District 54 staff is trained on our crisis prevention and response plan, which was developed in coordination with our local police and fire departments. We review these plans annually with all of the fire and police departments that serve our schools because we work cooperatively to keep students safe.  

Crisis Response

In the event a crisis should occur in one of our schools, it is important that you, as parents and guardians, understand our response protocol, starting with the terms we use.
 

• If a school is placed in a Hold , students and staff will clear the hallways and hold in their classroom or area. Students outside for recess or PE will stay outside. Students and staff will continue their normal routine in their location. We will call a Hold when we need to keep the hallways clear to attend to an individual, such as a medical emergency. In these instances, we will only be contacting the families of the students affected.
   

• If a school is in Secure , there is a situation in the community where the police or school officials believe it is safer to move all students inside the school. During Secure, students will continue learning but visitors will not be admitted to the school. Students will not be dismissed at the end of the day until law enforcement has determined it is safe to do so. All families will be notified when the building is in Secure and when Secure has been lifted.

• A  Lockdown  is called when there is an armed or dangerous individual in the building or a serious situation exists that could jeopardize the safety of students and staff. District 54 would call, text and email parents and guardians. We promise to communicate with you as soon as possible. Please be patient as our first priority will be the safety of our students and staff.
   

• Shelter is used during a weather situation, such as a tornado warning. Staff will bring students to their designated shelter locations inside the school. All families will be notified when the building is in Shelter and when Shelter has been lifted. 
   

• An Evacuation  may be necessary when conditions outside the school are safer than those inside the building, such as a fire or gas leak. All families will be notified, and directions will be shared to a reunification site if students are taken to another location.

While your natural instinct as a parent in an emergency is to go to your child’s school or to call the school office in an emergency, please understand that doing so may significantly impede the response capabilities of emergency responders. In addition, it is sometimes necessary to evacuate students to another location. Please know that we will communicate this location, our reunification plan and any other updates as soon as possible. 

The safety of your children is very important to our staff. For more information visit our website at  sd54.org/safe-schools, contact your school principal or contact me at  [email protected]  or 847-357-5028.