School Safety

  • Suffolk Public Schools remains committed to providing a safe learning environment for all of our staff and students. We regularly:

    • conduct drills in each school throughout the year, including fire, severe weather, intruder, and lock-down drills. Drills help prepare students and staff in the event of a true emergency.
    • review and update each school's safety plans. School Safety Plans include specific information on a variety of crisis situations that could occur in a school. To maintain the integrity of these plans, school and division crisis plans are not available for public distribution.
    • maintain close contact with the Suffolk Police Department and the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department.


    PLANS AND PRACTICE: Every Suffolk school has a crisis management plan approved by the Virginia Department of Education. All students, staff and administrators regularly participate in safety and lockdown drills to test their preparedness and understand their roles and responsibilities in the event of a crisis.

    BUILDING SECURITY: All schools have locked access control systems at the front doors.  Every school has safety monitors to bolster building security and visitor authorization. We also use a combination of mobile metal detectors and drug screening dogs at all schools to monitor what is being brought into schools.

    PARTNERSHIP: Suffolk Public Schools has a strong working relationship with the Suffolk Police Department. This partnership allows school administrators and police to work together quickly and efficiently on threat assessments, investigations, and any other safety concerns.

    COMMUNICATION: We commend students and families for coming forward whenever situations make them uncomfortable. We take every piece of information and every cyber threat seriously. Parents, continue to encourage your children to report anything they see, hear or sense that could affect student, staff or school safety.

     

Emergency Codes

  •   Shelter: Initiated when specific proactive actions are needed based on a threat or hazard; May include severe weather conditions or need to evacuate to a shelter area.
    Secure: Get inside,lock outside doors. The “secure” action is called when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building. If possible, classroom activities may continue uninterrupted.
      
    		 Lockdown: Initiated when an incident or emergency is occurring inside the school or near school property. Occupants are kept in rooms or areas that are secured. There is no movement within the building. Lockdown procedures are followed.
    Evacuate: Initiated when there is a need to move people from one location to another for safety reasons.

    Hold: Hold in your room or area; Students and staff are required to stay in their classrooms or stay out of access areas until the all-clear is announced.