As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe, we want to share an overview of our safety and preparedness efforts at Grand Isle School. Our goal is to share details to keep you informed and resources to help you feel that you can support your children so that we can be partners in keeping our students and schools safe. Please click on the tabs below for resources and more information about our school safety practices and how to connect with us for any safety concerns:

As caregivers, the most important thing you can do is to connect with your child. Support them in seeking out a trusted adult if they need support or have concerns about another student’s safety. Our principal and counselor can connect with you or your child.

DO:

• Report and encourage your child to report any safety concerns to a trusted school adult. Or submit a concern anonymously through the VT School Safety Tip Line online, by calling 844-723-3488, or by texting Safe4VT to 274637.

• Ensure your contact information with your child(ren) 's school is updated.

• Keep your phone close by for notifications and updates from the district. 

• Rely only on official communication from the superintendent, principal, and/or local emergency professionals.

• Allow first responders to manage an emergency situation. 

DO NOT:

• Call or rush to your child’s school (your presence could interfere with emergency responders).

• Rely on or share unofficial and unconfirmed news reports.

• Phone your child or school staff (this could impact resources, communication, and others' safety).

Everyone has a role in school safety:

• Please report any school safety concerns to a trusted school adult. 

• Anyone can submit an anonymous concern online through the VT School Safety Tip Line, calling 844-723-3488 or texting Safe4VT to 274637.

The purpose of this tip line is to enhance school safety and security by providing students, faculty, staff, and community members with a tool to report concerning behaviors that may have a negative impact on our schools.  These tips will assist law enforcement, human service providers, and school administrators in identifying school threats and coordinating assistance to students and families for services not needing immediate response.

Talking to Your Child(ren) About School Safety

Knowing how to talk to your child about school safety can be hard, but we all need to be informed and have our questions answered. Your guidance counselor is always a resource for supporting your children.  Here are some additional resources that may be helpful to talk to your children about school safety:

• Talking to Your Children About Safety, Johns Hopkins

• Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Families and Educators, National Association of School Psychologists

Prevention Resources

The best prevention to stop school crises is building relationships, increasing communication, and supporting our students daily. Here are some resources to help you support your child and the students in your community and talk to them when issues arise.

• https://www.stopbullying.gov/ 

• https://safeandsoundschools.org/

• https://www.dougy.org/ 

Communication is key to ensuring the safety of our students:

• We will do everything we can to keep parents informed during a school emergency using email, phone, texting, and our website, depending on the situation.

• We do not rely on or reply to social media in school emergencies. 

• Please understand that there are some situations where our school or district does not communicate with you for various reasons. These include situations where it has been determined that a threat is a hoax or unsubstantiated. We understand school community members may be curious about the outcome of a threat, but we ask that you understand that sometimes communication would violate confidentiality or cause more harm.

• If an internal or external event triggers a lockdown, shelter-in-place, or evacuation, families will be informed asap by phone, text, email, and website updates.

• Please make sure our schools have updated your contact information and visit the "Family's Role in School Safety" section for more details about what you can do.

Each safety practice aims to help our students feel safe, calm, and empowered. We will practice various emergency preparedness exercises throughout the year with guidance from the VT Agency of Education (AOE) and the Vermont School Safety Center. 

• The drills we practice include a variety of evacuation and options-based drills each year to help our staff and students prepare for various emergencies.  (Please find the 2024-45 Drill Guidance from the VT Agency of Education below).

• All schools are required, by statute, to conduct a minimum of 2 options-based response drills: 6 egress ("fire") or relocation drills and two bus evacuation drills each year.

• Options-based drills introduce staff and students to various strategies in response to a threat, such as when to evacuate from the school or stay in a classroom. All Options-based drills are trauma-informed and age-appropriate. This means the drills are performed in a way sensitive to our students' emotional well-being. No active threat “simulations” will occur. 

• All Options-based practices will be announced to staff and students in advance.  Families will be notified at least one day in advance to help support children with any questions at home. 

• All employees (including substitute teachers) are required to complete safety training. Training emphasizes situational awareness and empowers adults in the building to use the information around them to make the most appropriate decision based on the nature of the threat. 

• GISU leaders are trained in the Vermont School Crisis Guide. Additionally, in the summer of 2024, the across-district team of ACSD leaders attended a FEMA training to further our knowledge and best practices in school safety.

• Each school has an identified Crisis Team, and we are continually working to improve our Emergency Operations Plan for each school, which is reviewed by our Director of Facilities and shared with local emergency management professionals.

• We communicate and work with emergency responders across the county to support inter-agency leadership in the event of a school crisis.

• Our principal and guidance counselor can always support parents or students with additional questions.

2024/2025 Emergency Drill Schedule Guidance from the VT Agency of Education for Vermont Public Schools.

September:
* Required Egress Drill
* Options-Based Drill (Strongly recommended for Sept, required once in the fall semester)
* Bus Evacuation Drill (Strongly recommended for Sept, required once in the fall semester)

October:
* Required Egress Drill

November:
No drills required

December:
* Required either Egress or Relocation

January: 
* Options-Based Drill (Strongly recommended for January, required once in the spring semester)
* Bus Evacuation Drill (Strongly recommended for Sept, required once in the fall semester)

February: 
* Required either Egress or Relocation

March: 
No drills required

April
* Required either Egress or Relocation

May: 
No drills required

June:
* Required either Egress or Relocation

• Our building has locked entrances that require authorized key fobs or a school employee to open doors for entrance.

• Our building has surveillance cameras; depending on the school, they are in hallways and/or exteriors.

• The school team uses a variety of internal communication systems, including radios and text/phone, to ensure rapid response to any crisis.

• We have a strong relationship with the emergency personnel in Grand Isle County.

• The principal meets regularly with the Director of Facilities to review the physical safety measures and any concerns. 

• We continue to fund safety improvements to our buildings and utilize safety audits to determine areas for future investment.

Emergency Response Protocol Overview:

Each crisis event is unique, and the trainings above are intended to ensure every staff member can respond in the safest method possible after assessing the threat. The responsibility for the safety and security of our schools is a shared responsibility between the School board, administration, faculty, staff, students, families, community responders, and partners. Each party has a role to play in an emergency.

Each school has an Emergency Operating Plan and Risk Assessment Protocol that outlines specific protocols for responding to each type of emergency.  Each Plan includes: 

1. An initial risk assessment

2. A response or safety plan 

3. Connecting with/requesting support from local law enforcement or community partners 

4. Communication about the situation to individuals involved, a portion of our school, or the greater community

5. Reparative and restorative practices with individuals, classrooms, schools, or our entire learning community 

Universal Commands

In an emergency, knowing the reasoning behind the response and the associated terms is important. A school crisis can take several forms, including a weather emergency, an environmental event, a dangerous event in the immediate area, or a safety concern at the school. You may hear your child refer to the following terms, or universal crisis commands, which our schools use in response to many different situations: 

• Clear the Halls: This command is used if something happens in our hallways and staff or outside personnel need space or privacy to resolve the incident. Students may be asked to return to their classroom or go to the nearest room with an adult.

• Secure: This command is used if a hazard or safety concern exists outside of our building. The command brings all students inside the building and into their classrooms. Any instruction and activity in class can proceed.

• Evacuate: This command is used if there is a need to move students from one location to another. Everyone waits for directions to re-enter the building or relocate to an off-site location.

• Lockdown: This command is used if a hazard or threat exists within the building. After the Lockdown command, staff may initiate the options-based protocol based on situational awareness.