School Safety

Our campuses restrict access to and document all guests and visitors within our schools to ensure that only those with legitimate business are granted access. We control access through several measures, including:

• Use of a visitor management system (Raptor)
• Designation of a single point of entry at buildings for visitors during the school day
• Double door locked egress entrances
• Fortified entryways at all schools
• FOB access for all external doors and select internal doors
• Alarm system on select doors
• Safety bollards at key locations

• Compartmentalized security doors
• Video surveillance on all campuses
• Easy locking classroom doors
• Emergency evacuation signage within buildings to identify exits
• Upgraded fire alarm system
• Districtwide lockdown activation system
• AED accessibility

• External audits conducted of district safety and security processes
• National background checks conducted for criminal history and sex offender registry for all employees and volunteers
• Emergency transportation plans in place
• Local law enforcement real-time access to camera footage
• Emergency drills regularly conducted including: fire drills, lockdown, and tornado
• Wisconsin Circuit Court Access alerts for all employees and volunteers
• Communication infrastructure for alerting staff, parents, and administrators via email, SMS (text), phone
• Public Address system for alerting staff and students

• All-hazards training for all employees implemented by a SafePlans, experts in safety and security training
• District Safety Committee meets regularly to review progress (includes internal and external stakeholders)
• FBI Active Shooter training completed with Mequon Police Department
• Dedicated school resource officer through Mequon Police Department
• Designated staff trained in first aid, AED, and CPR annually

The Mequon Police Department assigns a full-time school resource officer to support the Mequon-Thiensville School District. The officer helps prepare our schools to handle crises by

• informing crisis planning and management systems
• developing and coordinating emergency response plans
• creating protocols for handling specific emergencies
• assisting in the facilitation of emergency response exercises

In addition, the officer not only protects our schools, he or she also works to build positive connections with students.

Click here to learn more our School Resource Officers.

Responses in emergencies are a critical part of the district’s safety efforts. Regular practice for staff and students helps ensure that best practices are followed automatically in the case of an actual emergency.

Fire Drills

The school will conduct one fire drill each month that school is in session in keeping with fire code requirements and state statute.

Tornado/Severe Weather Drills

The school will conduct two tornado or severe weather drills annually. Typically tornado drills will be practiced during severe weather awareness week held statewide in spring.

Lockdown Drill

The school will conduct two lockdown drills annually. During a lockdown drill, classroom doors are secured and students remain inside the room until instructed by the teacher to resume their activities. All exterior doors are locked and no one is permitted to enter or leave the building.

In the case of all drills, it is important for students and staff to practice what would happen in such a situation. It is also just as essential that student emotional well-being is considered. Staff members and teachers will talk with students about what to expect and what they should do during each drill using age-appropriate language. It will also be made clear that our school is a safe place and that these drills are only for practice.

This reporting form was created to provide another tool for our awareness of factors that impact our safe, secure, and respectful learning environments. The safety reporting form link may also be found in the footer of each page of the website or at www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/SaySomething. Concerns can be submitted anonymously. Any community member can use this form to report specific concerns about the following:

• bullying
• harassment
• mental health concerns
• safety or security

Safety Reporting Form

Social, emotional, and counseling services can help identify individuals at risk and provide help to those who might be on their way toward causing harm to themselves or others. The district’s social emotional coaches, guidance counselors, and psychologists play different roles in supporting young people in our schools, including conducting student risk assessments.

• Do not call or rush to your child’s school. Telephone lines and staff are needed for emergency response efforts. Emergency personnel need clear access to buildings.
• Do not call your child. Staff and students are discouraged from using mobile phone communication for safety reasons.
• Do not call 911 for information.
• Rely on official communication from the school or public safety officials. Visit the MTSD website for the most updated information.
• Impacted families should watch for official reunification details if reunification is required.

We are committed to keeping our school community informed of critically important matters. We work intentionally to send messages that provide clear and accurate information to our staff and families. Our goal is to provide information in a timely manner, ensuring that the information that we release is accurate.

We use multiple methods of communication. If an emergency situation should occur in any of our schools, families are encouraged to:

• Monitor email, text messages, voicemail
• Visit the district website for updates
• Visit the district’s Facebook or Twitter pages

Important to note: While we recognize that families may want detailed information regarding some situations, it is important to note that, according to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, schools are not allowed to share out with their school community specific details of an incident if it includes any personally identifiable information about a student or information that a reasonable person in the community can use to identify a specific student.

• Listen to and acknowledge your child’s concerns.
• Provide reassurance that your child is safe.
• Seek help from school personnel or a mental health professional if needed.