Adopted: January 1998
Revised: September 2023
Download 506.1AR - Security in District Schools
To help increase the safety and security of district schools for students, staff and visitors, the guidelines described below will be followed in all district schools.
1. Visitors
1.1 All visitors report to the office or visitor's desk must sign in when they first arrive at school during school hours.
1.2 All visitors must be given a name tag or badge to wear while they are in the building during school hours.
1.3 Staff are expected to question people in the building whom they don’t recognize and who are not wearing a name tag or badge.
2. Students and Staff
Students and staff are expected to immediately report to a teacher or administrator any suspicious behavior or situation that makes them uncomfortable.
3. Building Security
3.1 All but one outside door will be locked during the school day.
3.2 Portions of the building that will not be needed after the regular school day will be closed off.
3.3 Signs will be posted on one or more exterior doors welcoming visitors and informing them to sign in.
3.4 Locked exterior doors will be equipped with an audible alarm.
4. After Regular School Hours
Building supervision is provided in schools when most community education and other after-school activities are taking place.
5. High Schools
In district high schools, the following steps will also be taken:
5.1 Require students to identify themselves upon request in school or on school property, and
5.2 Place a person at the main entrance to greet visitors and assist them with signing in.
6. General
6.1 Video cameras are placed in schools as a deterrent for unwanted behavior and to aid investigation of unwanted behavior. Conversations and actions may be recorded on video/audio recordings. Students are subject to discipline and referral to law enforcement for incidents of misconduct caught on video.
6.2 Each school shall conduct the following emergency drills annually:
6.2.1 Five lockdown drills – three with students and two without students;
6.2.2 Five fire drills with students, and
6.2.3 One tornado drill with students.
6.3 Schools shall be available to law enforcement officials, as requested, for practice drills.
6.4 Schools and departments will not display building layouts on websites.
6.5 In the event of a major disaster covered by the media during the school day, in general, high school students should be permitted to see televisions and media throughout the day to observe and discuss the situation; middle school students should be permitted to see televisions and media for a relatively short time, and elementary school students should not be permitted to view television and other media.
6.6 The district and each of its schools have emergency plans that are reviewed annually and revised when appropriate.
7. Communications
All schools shall include security/safety information in student, parent and staff newsletters and handbooks.
8. Background Checks
The school district must perform criminal history background checks on everyone offered employment in the district, including all volunteer athletic and cocurricular coaches. The district exercises discretion when requiring background checks on selected other volunteer student and independent contractors considering such factors as the amount and duration of student contact. The district does not perform background checks on the staff or volunteers of outside clubs and organizations that offer activities for youth in the community that are not organized or operated by the district.
Reference:
- Minnesota Statute 121A.37, School Safety Drills
- Minnesota Statute 123B.03, Background check