Safety and Security

Sycamore School District takes the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously.  The District has a safety and security team who works to ensure that the District is prepared and well-equipped to handle emergencies.

 

Training for Faculty & Staff
The Safety and Security Team provides a variety of trainings throughout the school year to faculty and staff. Some of the trainings are partnered with representatives of the Sycamore Police Department and/or the Sycamore Fire Department. These trainings help to improve their crisis management skills and help them gain confidence that if a real situation were to occur they would know what to do.

 

What should parents do in an event of an emergency to best assist their student(s)? 

While every person’s natural instinct in an emergency is to go the school to safeguard his/her child, please understand that doing so may significantly impede the school’s ability to respond to the situation. Please trust in the preparedness of the school staff and community first responders to swiftly and effectively handle the emergency. We kindly ask for your cooperation and assistance and therefore ask you to follow these guidelines: 

 

• Please do not call or rush to your child’s school because the phone lines and staff are needed for emergency response efforts. 

• Please do not phone your child. Staff and students are discouraged from using cell phone communication for safety reasons. 

• Please wait for communication from your child’s school, they will provide you with direction on how to proceed.

 

Communication During an Emergency

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The district has a variety of ways to communicate to parents/guardians during an emergency. One way to communicate during an emergency is by utilizing the School Messenger Parent Notification and Emergency Alert System. This system allows the district to quickly and efficiently deliver messages to the entire school community or to a particular group or building that is affected. Notifications can be delivered via land-line, cellular telephone, email and text. 

Only Rely on Official Communications
Please rely only on official communication from school or public safety officials. Official communication may come through the following avenues: 

• The District’s emergency notification system

• The District’s website, http://www.syc427.org

• The district email distribution lists

• The District's social media accounts

 

Intruder Protocol

Sycamore School District follows the recommendation made by The U.S. Department of Education (2013) & The Illinois School Security and Standards Task Force (2016) regarding intruder situations in school. These two entities stated that traditional “Lockdowns” are insufficient and do not meet the Standard of Care for staff and students. Therefore, Sycamore School District provides staff with training that will allow them to evaluate each situation and determine the best option given the tools they have to implement their decision.

Blue Point Alert System

All of our district buildings are equipped with the Blue Point Alert System. This provides an affordable Rapid Emergency Response System (RERS) that instantly notifies emergency responders and building occupants of an emergency situation, expedites a rapid response, triggers emergency management protocols and ultimately saves lives.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Are your school buildings left unlocked during the school day?

No. All schools are locked during the school day. Visitors will need to come to the main entrance, door E2. Security staff will allow the visitor to enter into the building. Security will ask you for your name and the reason for your visit prior to allowing further entry into the building.

 

Do you use a Visitor Management System in your buildings?

Yes, we utilize the Hall Pass Visitor Management System. Upon entry, visitors must present a government issued ID to the front security desk. The ID is scanned and the information is checked against the National Sex Offender Registry and the District’s Visitor Restricted list. If the visitor is found on either list, the system will display all detailed information related to the offender including photo and will instantly send out alerts via text message and email to appropriate staff and School Resource Officers. Once cleared through the system, a visitor badge is produced that includes a photo. Visitors are required to wear a visitor lanyard and badge while in the building.

What forms of ID are approved? A state license, a state identification card, a consular ID card, a green card, an active military card, and a passport card (not the full passport). 

 

Do you have a Police Liaison in your school buildings?

Our district has two full-time school resource officers (SRO) that assist all buildings within the district.

 

How do you collaborate with your first responders?

Our district works closely with our first responders; we have a great working relationship with both police and fire. It is not uncommon to see officers and firemen in our buildings. It is important for them to get to know our staff and the layout of our buildings under non stressful situations. The district shares our building maps, keys and FOBS, and our emergency response plans with our first responders. It is key that during an emergency that they know how students and staff in a building are going to respond so that they can respond to the emergency and quickly provide help for us.

Collaboration is key and sharing plans with our partners is invaluable. We also conduct training and our drills with our first responders; this is a great way to provide valuable feedback as to what works and what we need to improve on.

 

Does the district have a Safety Team?

Yes, the district has a District Safety Team. The team consists of district administrators, building administrators and law enforcement. The team discusses and makes decisions regarding safety and security along with updating emergency crisis plans.

 

How does the district address threats? 

The district takes all threats seriously. Anyone who becomes aware of a threat should immediately notify the building principal. If school is not in session and you cannot contact the building principal, contact the police immediately. The police department and the school district will work together on all threat assessments. The goal of a threat assessment is to make sure that everyone is safe and that the situation is handled appropriately and effectively.