Each year, District 69 schools are required by Illinois School Code to conduct safety drills. The purpose of a fire drill is to teach children to evacuate the building as rapidly and as orderly as possible. The purpose of emergency drills is to teach children where to take cover in the building in case of a pending disaster, such as a tornado or crisis. One of these drills must have law enforcement present to observe. In the case of civil defense alarms or dangerous weather alerts during school hours, you can expect that your child will be kept at school. The District will inform parents or guardians via an emergency notification system of any emergencies taking place in the schools as soon as reasonably possible.
By law, parents/guardians may opt their child out of a lockdown drill when law enforcement is present. In D69 local police officers are present to observe the drill. In most cases, students will not even notice the officer is present for the drill as they are in their locked classrooms when the officer walks through. Lockdown drills are announced in advance to students and staff.
The District utilizes a Standard Response Protocol which is a uniform, planned, and practiced response to any incident is the foundation of a safe school. The SRP is action-based, flexible, and easy to learn. It rationally organizes tactics for response to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders and other threats to personal safety.
The SRP’s development is ever-evolving, created with extensive collaboration between experts such as first responders, public safety, school, districts, and communities. Its tactics are data-driven, researched and based on experience and contemporary practices. Teachers and staff are trained on the SRP and the District utilizes signage in all spaces to reinforce the safety responses.
