Safe Schools Website

District 54 has a standardized crisis plan that is reviewed annually with the police and fire departments from Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park and Roselle. Changes are made to our plans as necessary to comply with current best practices and emergency protocols. School principals also review the plan annually for any site-specific updates.

• If a school is placed in a Hold, students and staff would clear the hallways and hold in their classroom or area. Students outside for recess or PE would stay outside. Students and staff would continue their normal routine in their location. We would call a Hold when we need to keep the hallways clear to attend to an individual, such as a medical emergency. In these instances, we would only be contacting the families of the students affected.
• If a school is in Secure, there is a situation in the community where the police or school officials believe it is safer to move all students inside the school. During Secure, students would continue learning but visitors would not be admitted to the school. Students would not be dismissed at the end of the day until law enforcement has determined it is safe to do so. All families would be notified if a building is in Secure and when Secure has been lifted.
• A  Lockdown is called when there is an armed or dangerous individual in the building or a serious situation exists that could jeopardize the safety of students and staff. District 54 would call, text and email parents and guardians. We promise to communicate with you as soon as possible. Please be patient as our first priority will be the safety of our students and staff.

• Shelter is used during a weather situation, such as a tornado warning. Staff would bring students to their designated shelter locations inside the school. All families would be notified if a building is in Shelter and when Shelter has been lifted. 

• An Evacuation may be necessary when conditions outside the school are safer than those inside the building, such as a fire or gas leak. All families would be notified, and directions would be shared to a reunification site if students are taken to another location.

The crisis plan is reviewed with all District 54 employees before students return to school in August. Every school in Illinois is required by the Illinois School Safety Drill Act to conduct three fire drills, one bus evacuation drill, one tornado drill and one lockdown drill. District 54 requires two lockdown drills, the first is for staff-only with local police departments so that our staff are prepared to conduct the drill with students. These help to ensure our students and employees know what to do should an emergency occur. Police and fire officials attend our drills, offering support and preparing themselves in case of a crisis.

District 54 also focuses on prevention by providing all staff with professional development on how to support the whole child, to foster relationships with students and to create a positive climate at school. If students and staff members know they are valued and feel a sense of belonging, it helps establish a safe place of learning.

Establishing relationships with our students also creates a culture where they feel comfortable communicating with us about potential issues. We promote the national safety motto “If You See Something, Say Something” and have created our own Safety and Bullying Form where individuals can report unsafe or concerning behaviors. Please reinforce this with your children at home by letting them know that they can also come to you whenever they feel unsafe and remind them that they should report any suspicions and concerns about school safety.

All District 54 schools practice PBIS, a proactive approach that has been found to improve the behavior outcomes of students. Staff members work together to consistently teach, model and reinforce appropriate behaviors that students are expected to use at school. PBIS teaches students to be responsible for their own behaviors and provides interventions when needed. Typical expectations include: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

The District 54 threat assessment procedures connect the work we are doing to support students with the District 54 Crisis Prevention and Response Plan. The goal is to decrease the risk of students engaging in harm to themselves or to others, by identifying individuals who need support and providing intervention strategies to manage that risk.

District 54 has five full-time resource officers from the Elk Grove, Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates police departments whose primary role is to maintain the safety and security of our schools.

All District 54 exterior and interior doors are closed and locked during the school day. We started locking not just the exterior doors to our schools but also our classroom doors in 2009, when we learned that a locked door is 99% effective in stopping an armed intruder. Visitors must ring a doorbell. School staff can speak to and view the visitor to determine their reason for entering before admitting them to the school.

Once admitted to the secure vestibule, visitors must scan their ID at a kiosk and obtain a visitor’s badge before they will be admitted to the school office. The system runs all visitor contact informaiton against FBI and Interpol lists, predator databases and active court orders to ensure the individuals we are admitting to our buildings are safe. So that our staff can monitor each individual, we ask that visitors not hold the door for others.

We have panic buttons and pull station panic alarms in all of our schools, which send an immediate message to 911.

District 54 installed 3M film on all interior windows without wired glass. 

District 54 installed strobe lights outside of each school near doors that staff use to go outside for recess or PE. While staff already have walkie-talkies when they go outside, the lights added another level of security to ensure students don’t return to a hostile building.

We know the importance of keeping families informed during an emergency. However, please understand our first priority is ensuring the students and staff our safe and notifying emergency personnel. District 54 will use its notification system, ParentSquare, to call, email and text families. Please ensure your cell phone and email address are up to date by checking the information in your parent portal account.

District 54 Communications Page

Based on the severity of the crisis, there may be instances where District 54 needs to activate a reunification process to ensure students are individually reunited with their families. This process takes time as we are diligent about ensuring every child is released to the appropriate adult, and we thank you in advance for your patience. Parents/Guardians will be notified of the reunification site location and given a form to complete while they wait in line. During the check-in process, school staff will check your identification and send another staff member to retrieve your child from the student site. Please remember to bring your ID. If a parent/guardian cannot pick up their child, the child can also be released to any individual listed as an emergency contact on your child’s recrod. Our school staff will remain with all students until they can be reunited with their families.

All District 54 schools have at least one school psychologist and one social worker who are always available to speak with students who need guidance and support. In addition, District 54 has a crisis response team of mental health providers who will respond when additional support is needed at a school. You can find a complete list of these professionals in our District 54 Wellness Space.