School Safety

How are parents notified about school emergencies?

The district will notify families in case of a school-based emergency or disruption to the school day.

Notification may be shared one or more of the following ways:

phone call and/or text message
letter home
electronic flyer posted and emailed via Peachjar
email sent via School Messenger
news update published on rps205.com
social media post
distribution to local media for assistance sharing a message

Are parents notified of planned drills?

What qualifies as a disruption to the school day?

Should parents go to their child's school during an emergency?

What is a lockdown?

Lockdowns are used when there is danger in or near the school and students and staff need to be protected from danger or as part of a safety drill. A lockdown involves securing doors and windows in an attempt to keep intruders from gaining access to staff and students.

Soft Lockdown

In the event of a preventative or soft lockdown, exterior doors are secured and no one is allowed in or out of the building, however; the routine of the school is maintained (or may be restricted) consistent with an external threat (such as, for example, a robbery at a nearby facility, suspicious activity in an area, gas leak at a nearby facility, etc).

Hard Lockdown

In the event of a full or hard lockdown, there is a total cessation of school activity, no teaching, students seek shelter, classrooms are locked or doors closed, silence is maintained in the building, no one is allowed in or out of the building. Hard lockdowns are normally reserved for serious security situations.

Weather-Related School Closure

Here are the ways you’ll be notified of a weather-related school closure:

automated phone call and/or text message to parents/guardians (make sure your school’s main office staff has your most recent phone number on file);
email blast to all RPS 205 staff;
email blast to local media to help us share the news;
social media posts on the RPS 205 Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages;
post on rps205.com under 205 VIBE™ The News
RPS 205 App

Timing

The decision to close schools during extreme weather (typically snow, ice or extreme cold) is made as early as possible, often very early in the morning. The decision is based on the best weather information available and how inclement weather will affect students, staff and parents during travel times.

Temperatures

There’s no official temperature that closes schools. The Superintendent and his leadership team consider several factors, including road conditions. Typically a wind chill of negative 25 will start the conversation about possibly closing schools.

Who decides

Canceling school because of inclement weather is the Superintendent’s decision to make, and he communicates with his leadership team to make the best decision for our students. Please remember that the final decision is up to the parent/guardian. If you decide to keep your child or children home because of the weather, please contact your child’s main office staff to inform them of your decision.