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School Safety

520-584-7676 | 1100 W. Fresno St. (Menlo Park), Tucson, AZ 85719 | Map (google.com)

Call 911 for emergencies or incidents that require immediate law enforcement action, including arrests and investigations regarding serious matters.

For an immediate concern, please also call School Safety at 520-584-7676, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Awareity (Report an Incident)
For Employees
About Us

Joseph Hallums
Director

School Safety staff are in place to contribute to a safe school environment, protect and serve as educators and role models for students to promote schools’ visions.

You are not alone. We are here for you.

Maintaining Safe, Secure, Peaceful Environments on our School Campuses

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

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.

Please use our online School Safety Tip Line (Awareity) to report any concern or call: 520-584-7676

What You Need to Know About School Emergencies

We work hand-in hand with law enforcement and other first responding agencies in case of potential or real emergencies to ensure the safety of every TUSD student and staff member.

Site administrators and the TUSD Communications team will typically communicate via Parent link, 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 more difficult for first responders to assess situations and find potential threats.

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

Emergency procedures used by TUSD:

  • DROP, COVER AND HOLD: This is used in case of earthquakes.
  • SHELTER-IN-PLACE: This term is used when a site has a potential safety concern outside of campus, but inside of the campus remains safe. Examples are off property chemical spills or weather-induced emergencies.
  • EVACUATION: This term is used when there is a safety concern inside of the school, but outside of the school remains safe. Examples are gas leaks or fires.
  • SECURE: During Secure operations, the campus is closed so that no one new can enter the school without the permission of a school administrator. Student movement throughout the campus is restricted, but classroom instruction continues as normal. Secure operations are put into place when there is a potential safety concern near the school. Examples are police activity in the neighborhood.
  • LOCKDOWN: In a lockdown, the campus is closed, and no movement throughout the school is authorized. A lockdown is put into place when there is an active threat on the school campus.
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Our offices are open 24/7.

Call 520-584-7676 for immediate assistance.

To report a concern use our Awareity Program.

To accomplish our goals to ensure safety at our schools, we have the following special units and programs:

  1. School Safety Officers work to implement violence prevention measures. Their responsibilities include:
    • Responding to schools during disturbances and student unrest.
    • Investigating student confrontations and allegations of wrongdoing on school campuses or school events and recommending action to solve problem.
    • Investigating reports of missing children, stranger danger (attempted abductions, indecent exposure, etc.)
    • Conducting conflict or crisis resolution/mediation with youth.
    • Conducting staff in-service training programs on various violence/gang recognition and intervention issues.
    • Delivering community presentations on gang awareness and hate crimes. They have given over 1,000 presentations to parents, staff, and community groups. Their services may be requested by district staff, parents, student and community members.
    • Collaborating with law enforcement agencies.
  2. Uniformed Security Officers respond to burglar and fire alarms throughout the district. They are radio-dispatched by our own alarm monitoring service and patrol all school sites and tend to other situations involving the safety and well-being of students and staff. They provide security coverage for an area over 250 square miles for the school district, sharing similar responsibilities of the other units within our department. School Safety takes pride in providing service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year including holidays and weekends. Duties include but are not limited to:
    • Response to on-campus/on-site violent potential circumstances or reported nighttime lockdowns during campus special events.
    • Helping to provide security at Board Meetings (in accordance with Policy BBAB), Back to School assemblies, Town Hall meetings, and other district-wide events or public meetings, and providing dignitary protection.
    • Investigating reported missing/lost children after school or children who reportedly did not arrive at home. This often involves transporting children and home visits, often before law enforcement arrives.
    • Responding to after-school disorderly conduct, assaults, other disturbances on the campus, school bus or other district property.
    • Assisting in resolving district emergency maintenance issues that occur after hours or weekends (i.e. shutting off water valves during irrigation leaks, back flow preventers, boarding of windows, calling in extensive or vulgar graffiti to dispatch for work order log, etc.).
    • Providing after-hour or weekend letter delivery services to employees on home assignment for leadership or letters to public in accordance with Policy KFA, etc.
    • Unlocking doors for employees or contractors who may have locked themselves out after regular hours.

    TUSD Officers are trusted employees with approved access to sensitive information as it pertains to students/parents or staff. This is a vital and necessary element when delivering the multiple services they provide for our stakeholders.

  3. Dispatchers are a key in providing communication with personnel in the field. They provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their duties include:
    • Record staff locations, coordinate back-up of other officers, law enforcement agencies, and requests for emergency help.
    • Night shift dispatchers monitor alarm systems, dispatch Uniformed Security Officers and notify appropriate authorities as needed.
    • Maintain a daily call log recording all calls with case numbers and action taken.
    • Dispatchers working day shift dispatch School Safety Officers to incidents on campuses such as weapons, lost children, violence and truancy.
  4. Traffic Safety Supervisors provide investigative assistance with any safety related issues involving school bus transportation services for the District. This includes traffic safety and control concerns at your site, matters involving serious bus conduct reports, traffic collision investigation involving District vehicles, and neighborhood complaints. They also train district bus drivers and supervise the crossing guards.
  5. School Crossing Guards: The Crossing Guard Coordinator provides all the administrative needs, supervises coordinating control and training for over 200 Adult Crossing Guards. Adult Crossing Guards are hired and trained before being placed with children safety as our priority and in accordance to ARS 28-797 (Arizona Department of Transportation Traffic Safety for School Areas Guidelines). Crossing Guard Absences should be called in to 520-225-4928.
  6. Key Control: Key Control plays a vital role in the safety and security of all district personnel entering a District site. The manner in which keys and control access cards are issued and maintained impact the overall ability of the Department of School Safety to be able to reduce unauthorized access to TUSD sites. The security of sites are compromised when keys are "passed on" or not returned to Key Control. Key Control is located in the Howenstine Building at 555 S. Tucson Blvd., Tucson AZ 85716. For questions or concerns please call 520-232-7380
  7. Parents On Patrol (POP) is a volunteer program designed to involve parents in the safety and security of our schools. The program encourages parents, grandparents, and other relatives to volunteer their time to assist school personnel by observing and listening on the campus and reporting to the school administrator. POP volunteers are the eyes and ears of the school. Interested parents can contact the School Safety Officer assigned to their site or call School Safety at 520-584-7676.
Index of Resources
Please find a list of all pages and documents on our department site listed alphabetically.
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