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November 3, 2021
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Safety and Security at IDEA
At IDEA Public Schools, we rely on multi-layered security measures to enhance the safety and security of all students and staff. Nothing is more important than the safety of your child.
Here are our top 5 campus safety practices:
- All IDEA schools maintain a “closed campus,” meaning visitors can only enter through the main office and must first be granted access via a locked and closed gate.
- Our classrooms are safe and secure spaces with locks.
- There is a staff emergency response team on every campus tasked with addressing safety concerns and leading campus emergency response.
- We have emergency plans in place in case of the unlikely event that a threat occurs.
- Our district follows the Standard Response Protocol. This means that we train and practice emergency research and evidence-based response protocols with staff and students throughout the year for effective response during emergencies (executing all required safety drills).
We encourage parents to continuously talk to your students about school safety and the importance of immediately reporting safety concerns to adults in the building. We are stronger together.
Do you have a safety concern? Please contact your campus Assistant Principal of Operations or Academic Counselor or click here to report a safety concern. <link pending>
Have Safety Questions or Feedback?
More about safety and security at IDEA Public Schools
IDEA's Commitment To Safety for 2022-2023
- During this school year, IDEA will invest over $5 million in additional campus safety measures such as ensuring all campus fences, gates, and main entrances have audio and video call boxes. Additionally, this investment will ensure building access points are equipped with external cameras and external door card access systems.
- IDEA’s 3 Safety and Security Commitments:
- 1. Our students and staff must first feel physically and emotionally safe to achieve our mission
- 2. Physical and emotional safety is everyone’s responsibility
- 3. Everything we say and do helps to promote a strong school safety culture
- A minimum of 23 safety drills will be conducted at every instructional and non-instructional facility throughout the year. IDEA has adopted the Standard Response Protocol, research-based actions to prepare students, staff, and parents for response to emergencies. Safety drills will be scheduled before the beginning of the school year aligned to a monthly training and stakeholder communication plan.
Crisis Management
- Our schools have emergency operations plans & resources with guidance for emergency response including:
- A Campus Crisis Team (emergency response team) leads the campus safety strategy.
- Campus Crisis Team members are trained in Crisis Management, Rapid Response, and Behavior Threat Assessment and meet at least once a month to discuss campus safety.
- All staff and students are trained in the Standard Response Protocol
- Each school executes safety drills throughout the year in alignment with local and state requirements.
- We emphasize safety as a shared responsibility among all staff with a focus on situational awareness, vigilance, and immediate reporting of any safety concerns
- Campus safety walkthroughs are conducted throughout the year by national and regional team members to ensure effective implementation of campus safety strategy initiatives.
Mental Health and Bullying Prevention Strategies
- School counselors, social workers, and campus leaders are trained on bullying prevention, suicide prevention, and threat assessment protocols.
- Every IDEA campus has a Behavior Threat Assessment team that follows the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) when assessing situations involving harmful, threatening, or violent behavior.
- Each school partners with first responders in any situation that raises critical safety concerns.
Physical Facility Security
- Perimeter fences prevent unauthorized visitors from accessing our school grounds.
- Visitor gate and front office limited access mechanisms and screening procedures (before granting access to visitors) help ensure we have control of who comes into our school.
- Classroom doors Lockdown magnets allow for immediate locking of doors if a lockdown is activated.
- All exterior doors remain locked during the school day to prevent unauthorized building access.
- Everyone who enters the building must be screened at the front office and wear an ID badge in the building for easy identification. If the individual is not an IDEA staff member, they are accompanied by an IDEA staff member while on campus.
Community Resources
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- Greater Cincinnati Community Resource Guide
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