Safety

The safety of our students and the peace of mind of our parents are of the utmost importance to YC. In the last several years we have closely reviewed and updated our safety programs, empowered our teachers and staff, and created a District Safety Committee and site-based safety teams at each school to ensure that we are doing everything that we can to keep our students and staff safe every day.

Our ongoing goal is to find a proper balance between creating schools that are safe and secure while also maintaining an open and caring environment where students, staff, parents and community members feel welcome at our schools. 

The safety and well-being of your child(ren) is our highest priority. 

Some of these drills are announced, so students and teachers can practice and prepare. Some of these drills are not announced, so students and teachers can react as though the circumstances were real. Drills that are announced allow for students and teachers to practice what to do in the event of a real emergency. Unannounced drills are equally, if not more important. The manner in which students and teachers react to drills that are unannounced, informs our district as to where we can better prepare each school for emergency situations. These drills may be alarming for your child, regardless of whether they are announced or unannounced. Your child may have questions or wish to express their emotions about the potential dangers in the world.

According to the age and level of understanding, answer your child’s question honestly. Try to be sensitive to their desire to communicate, while listening to and accepting their feelings.

We train with the Yamhill Police and prepare for each of these drills. YC Police and administration are the only ones aware of the spontaneous drills. In fact, Yamhill Police agree with us on the need to keep these unannounced for reasons mentioned above. If you need confirmation on that, we encourage you reaching out to them to get their feedback on the matter. 

Ask your children to review the response(s) they were taught during the drill to help them better learn and remember how to respond during these drills. Please help us remind your child to speak to an adult if they ever see or hear of any threat to their school. It is through the work of all that we are able to love, support, and protect our scholars.

Sincerely,

Yamhill Carlton School District

• All schools participate in emergency drills throughout the year.
• We use the Standard Response Protocol K-12 (SRP) which is part of the overall school district safety plan.
• The main benefits of the SRP are standardized vocabulary and clear directives in the event of an emergency.

The SRP includes four actions: lockout, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter.

• Lockout – “Get inside. Lock outside doors,” students are brought inside, windows and doors are locked, no outside activities, business as usual inside the building, and increased situational awareness until all clear.
• Lockdown – “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” when a threat or hazard is inside the school building, maintain silence, and wait for First Responders to open locked door.
• Evacuate – “To the Announced Location,” move students to another location within the school or outside the school to evacuation location.
• Shelter – “For a Hazard using a Safety Strategy,” conditions outside are unsafe due to weather or other hazards and personal protection is necessary.

Hold – “In your Classroom” when the hallways need to be cleared. For example if a student or staff experience a medical emergency while at school, a HOLD would be called to allow emergency personnel to respond.

If you have questions or concerns about safety drills or practices, please contact your child’s school principal.

What is the difference between a LockOUT and a LockDOWN?

While the names are very similar and are sometimes confused, they differ greatly in their meanings, purpose, and severity.

     LockOUT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get inside. Lock outside doors. Schools are put on LockOUT to safeguard students and staff within the building based on activity in the surrounding area, not in the school or on school grounds. During a LockOUT, school staff move all students and activities inside and ensure the building is locked while learning continues inside the school with minimal classroom interruption or distractions.

 

LockDOWN

 

 

 

 

 

Locks, lights, out of sight. During a LockDOWN, all students and staff are trained to get behind a locked door in the building. The expectation is that classroom doors are locked and secured, lights are turned off, and students and staff move to a location away from hallway windows and doors. Student are encouraged to remain quiet. Students and staff are released by district or emergency personnel only.

What You Can Expect in an Emergency

Whenever there is an emergency situation that impacts our schools, an initial emergency alert will be posted on the district web page and via social media. Our goal is to respond quickly in order to minimize the impact of an emergency situation and to provide accurate information to parents and if necessary, emergency personnel. The school district’s response will be determined by what will keep students and staff most safe.

• Parents and guardians will be given instructions about alternate routes for buses or reunification instructions in the event of a school evacuation.
• Once a school based emergency is determined, response begins. A standard response protocol (SRP) is used in all schools depending on the situation.
   
• The school district will relay information to parents/guardians as soon as possible.