Crisis Response Plans

The North Platte School District is committed to the safety and security of our students, staff and visitors and believes your support and cooperation will assist our efforts in continually improving our school district safety.
Each school within the District has a Crisis Response Plan (CRP) that identifies response team roles and responsibilities. Our school response teams are comprised of school and administration staff, who have been trained in handling emergencies. We have developed procedures for evacuation, shelter-in-place, lock- down and heightened security measures.
Every school has information about designated evacuation sites, checklists for dealing with specific types of incidents and resources for before, during and after an event. The CRP is regularly updated and reviewed and takes into account changes in the district, community and environment. The plan includes procedures to respond to specific emergency situations. School system personnel and students practice emergency drills regularly.
Implementation of our CRP is a cyclical process that involves training staff from various roles i.e. administration, teachers, secretaries, nurses, food services, facilities and transportation. Our staff also participates in drills and exercises which test capabilities in reacting and responding to an emergency situation. Exercises use hypothetical school based scenarios, which require teamwork, communication and rapid decision making skills.
All parents, visitors, vendors and contractors are requested to sign in at the school office immediately upon entering the building. Our school building doors will remain secured throughout the day to control access into the facility. All parents, visitors, vendors and contractors must enter the school through the designated main entrance. Entering the facility through other doors is considered a security breach and may result in a school lockdown and/or a police response.
Our objective in securing buildings is not to inconvenience our parents and community, rather to ensure we protect our students and staff. All parents, visitors, vendors and contractors are requested to sign out at the school office prior to leaving the building. It is very important that the school knows who is in the building at all times for our safety and yours.
The district has pre-determined evacuation and reunification sites identified. Evacuation may be necessary whenever a threat creates a harmful environment for students and staff in a building. Evacuation of a classroom or area may be ordered by a teacher, supervising adult, or principal. An evacuation of a building is used to move students and staff out of the building by a pre-designated route (if usable) to avoid a potentially threatening situation(s) that involves a portion or entire school building.
Depending on the nature of an emergency it may become necessary for the school to shelter- in-place, which means no one will be permitted to enter or leave the building until an “all clear” signal is given. Examples of shelter-in-place events include severe weather warnings.
Unfortunately, lockdowns in schools have become far too common. Our district takes lockdowns very seriously and have taken necessary steps to ensure implementation occurs quickly and quietly. When a school building goes into lockdown no one will be permitted to leave or enter the building. Doors will not be answered under any circumstance and phone calls into the building may not be answered. Building occupants will secure themselves in rooms and stay away from doors and windows and will remain in lockdown until an “all clear” is given.
Our parent reunification plan is used if it becomes necessary to relocate our school population to an alternate site. Relocation to an alternate site would take place when it is determined by school officials that keeping students and staff in the building would be hazardous to their safety. It is critical that all student emergency contact cards be current. This will ensure that the school has correct phone numbers as well as individuals to whom students can be released. Anyone not listed on a student emergency contact card will not be permitted to remove a student from school custody. There are no exceptions to this policy.
In the event of an evacuation and relocation to an alternate site, parents and guardians should not come to the school. It is important that parents await communication as to where reunification will occur. We understand that this may be very difficult and stressful, however in the best interest of students, staff and emergency first responders it is important that this protocol be followed. All individuals picking up students must be positively identified by our staff or provide valid identification. Student safety is our primary concern.

What a parent needs to do:
Make sure your child’s emergency card information is correct. We need to maintain accurate records so that we can ensure appropriate communication with parents/guardians.
Let children know that if an emergency occurs while they are in school, their teacher and principal will provide them with appropriate instructions.

What a parent must not do:
Rush to the school or call the individual schools in emergency situations. Parents will be kept informed through the radio, television, telephone and the district website.
Send brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, etc. not on the emergency card to pick up students.

The School District continues to refine its emergency response planning to be vigilant about the safety of its students and staff. The School District works diligently to ensure our emergency plan is current and that all staff members are prepared for all types of contingencies. When you visit a school, you may notice that our first measure of security is the control of access to the buildings. The Elementary and Intermediate schools require people to be identified prior to being allowed in the building. At the High School and Junior High School all doors with the exception of the main entrance doors will remain locked during school hours.
Remember the North Platte School District is committed to the safety and security of our students, staff and visitors. Your assistance and cooperation will greatly assist us in this most important endeavor.