Safety

What You Need to Know About School Emergencies

Tucson Unified School District works hand-in-hand with law enforcement agencies in case of potential or real emergencies to ensure the safety of every child.

School Emergency Information Guide and Community Resources (in PDF): English | Spanish

COMMUNICATION

School safety officers typically communicate via Parentlink, an automated call and email service. If an event lasts longer than 30 minutes, parents and guardians will receive periodic updates.

In a potential emergency, please stay away from the school unless instructed to come. Having additional people on site makes it harder for law enforcement to assess situations and find potential threats.

Soft Lockdown

In a soft lockdown, the campus is closed so that no one new can enter the environment. Instruction continues as normal. A soft lockdown is put into place in situations such as police activity in a neighborhood nearby.

Hard Lockdown

In a hard lockdown, the campus is closed, and movement throughout the school is limited. A hard lockdown is put into place when there is a possibility that someone or something harmful could be on campus.

Shelter-in-Place

This term is used when a site may be experiencing a chemical- or weather-induced emergency.

Drop, Cover, and Hold

This is used in case of earthquakes.

Evacuation and Student-Parent/Guardian Reunification Plan

If an evacuation or early release is necessary, School Safety notifies parents and works with law enforcement and school staff to conduct these activities in the best way possible.

Every campus has an evacuation and parent/guardian and student reunification plan.

Reverse Evacuation

All children are moved indoors. This can happen in case of lightning, a bee swarm or someone potentially harmful in the neighborhood.

Maintaining Safe, Secure, Peaceful Environments on our School Campuses

The mission of the Department of School Safety is to create and maintain a safe and secure educational climate for all students and staff members, through the protection of life and property; the resolution of conflict and the proactive reduction of opportunities for the commission of crime on all district property.

The District is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment in all of the District’s schools.

We have several special units to help us meet our goals:

School Safety Officers
Uniformed Security Officers
Dispatchers
Traffic Safety Supervisors
School Crossing Guards

For more information about the roles each of these groups plays, see About Us.

Please use our online School Safety Tip Line to report any concern or call 584-7676.