School Safety Forums

Keeping Our Schools Safe - Information and Resources

As part of the effort to inform members of the community about the many ways that Tucson Unified School District works to keep our children safe, we held two School Safety Community Forums in March 2018.

The forums addressed:

Concerns regarding the gun violence that continues to occur on campuses across the United States.
How the district prepares for emergencies.
Questions we receive when school threats occur.
How we engage local agencies threats before/during/after such instances.

Representatives from the district, law enforcement and the community shared information and answer questions and concerns.

We've compiled the information that we presented at the forum here. You can also watch both forums.

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

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.

IMPORTANT

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.