In an effort to keep parents informed about safety and security updates in our schools, here are some important things Park City School District is doing:
Refresher Safety Training: All school staff completed refresher safety protocol training prior to Winter Break.
December Drill: A lockout drill was held Dec. 15 in all district schools. The purpose of the drill was to practice our safety procedures, test our updated emergency texting system, and to determine additional measures that need to be examined. Following the drill we conducted a debrief with each school and learned what areas we can improve upon.
Student Responsibility: Please remind your students that when they “see something, say something.” They can report incidents to you or any adult at the school. Students should be reminded to text parents they are OK and safe when we are in a lockout or lockdown situation. District officials will share more detailed information with parents as soon as possible.
Emergency Communications: We tested the new updates to our PCSD Chat system during the December drill. We can now text more than 5,200 parents and staff in less than 20 minutes, in both English and Spanish. The text contains a link directing you to the Emergency Update section ofthe district’s Newsroom.
Emergency Procedures: All classrooms and public areas throughout the district now display a copy of the Standard Response Protocol procedures. A pocket-size version is available, in both English and Spanish, in the main office of each school.
Policies Reviewed: The district is reviewing all policies and procedures related to safety and security.
Hardware Updates: All intercoms in schools have been checked and repaired so an all-call can be heard by everyone in our buildings. We are increasing technology in some parts of the high school to allow for better Internet service.
New App Piloted: During our last drill, Park City High School faculty tested “Loop,” a new app created by Loop Communications based in Park City. The app is designed for group messages and allows communications between the administration and staff.
Elementary School Front Offices Update: Thank you for your patience as we upgrade the front offices in our elementary schools. We had planned to have the front office remodels completed during Winter Break, but there has been a delay in some of the materials. We anticipate those offices completed by the end of January. Once they are finished we will begin remodeling and updating the secondary school front offices.
Safety Consultant: At the request of the Board of Education, the district is retaining a safety consultant to review all the district’s safety measures.
Next Drill: Our next safety drill is Thursday, Feb. 1. We plan to hold districtwide drills each month.
Thank you for your support as we continue to work at improving our emergency and safety procedures with students and staff.
Thank you for the texting and the update on all of these items. It’s important and I’m glad the school district is handling this in a manner that I appreciate and think it’s great for our kids
Appreciate the detailed communication on this subject!
Parents love being informed thank you thank you!
The doors of all schools need to be locked at all times with access controlled by the front office.
Need video surveillance of all areas and means to lock inner doors electronically to quickly limit movement inside the school.
Need metal detectors and double entry doors so all who enter can be quickly cordoned off and contained if they don’t belong in the school.
Totally agree with you Gregory.
All these communication enhancements are appreciated but it seems that we are just preparing for the worse instead of 👀 ng at prevention and security messures.
Gregory, I Passionately disagree to the mere thought of electronic lockdown & metal detector entry scanners. My family attends school in America, in Park City. This is not a war zone. On a side note, in general, locking in students to conduct searches of student property isn’t really a safety drill either & may well be a breach of lawful order. Additionally, the lockdowns may endanger children by preventing them from escaping in an actual emergency. As a parent, my given right to access my minor children should not be taken from me. It is highly disturbing that that is happening. I would rather see staff members armed & the doors open at all times.