School Safety and Preparedness Protocols

This past week situations for the Meade School District and our neighboring districts have reinforced our continued need for safety preparedness.

This year, we are expanding our partnership with the I Love U Guys Foundation, a leader in school safety training. The foundation has developed a well-recognized framework called the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), which has been adopted by schools across the country. This framework outlines clear, easily understood responses to a range of potential emergencies, helping to ensure that everyone—students and staff —is on the same page when action needs to be taken.

The District Safety Team is in the beginning of our training this year with I Love U Guys materials. We will be doing drills and practices using this language with students and staff. You will see throughout schools and classrooms posters referring to these procedures and communication. Having parents informed what we are doing, and the language used is important as students will tell you about safety drills. We want you to be able to have conversations about how important it is for them to follow the drills.

With any of these situations, the building or the district office will communicate with families via our communication tools via call, text and email to keep you informed.

Understanding the Standard Response Protocols (SRP) – Linked Parent Guide with more details.

The SRP consists of five distinct responses to different types of incidents. These responses are designed to provide clear and concise instructions to ensure the safety of everyone in the building:

1. HOLD: “In Your Classroom or Area”

Students are trained to clear the hallways and remain in their classroom. We continue with classroom instruction until the “All Clear” is given. This is most usually used for medical emergency.

2. SECURE: “Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors” – see linked handout for more details

Secure is called when there is a dangerous outside the school building. In this scenario, students and staff are brought inside, and exterior doors are locked. Classes continue as usual inside the building, but no one is allowed to enter or leave until the situation outside is resolved. Secure setting can be initiated in response to nearby police activity or other external threats.

3. LOCKDOWN: “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” – see linked handout for more details

A lockdown is called when there is something dangerous inside the school. In a lockdown, classroom doors are locked, lights are turned off, and students are instructed to move away from windows and doors, remaining quiet and out of sight. Lockdowns are serious situations and require immediate compliance.

4. EVACUATE: “To a Location”

An evacuation is used when students and staff need to leave the building for safety reasons, such as a fire or other hazard. During an evacuation, everyone is directed to move to a predetermined safe location outside the building. It is important that everyone follows the evacuation routes and procedures quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety of all. Parents will be informed when and where to pick up their children. ID will be required to pick up children in the case of an evacuation.

5. SHELTER: “For Hazard and Safety Strategy”

Sheltering is called for environmental hazards, such as severe weather (tornado) or hazardous material incidents. When sheltering, students and staff will be directed to take refuge in designated areas of the building, such as interior hallways or rooms without windows, where they will be safest. Specific sheltering strategies will depend on the type of hazard present.

Introducing the Standard Reunification Method (SRM)

In addition to the SRP, we will also be implementing the I Love U Guys Foundation's Standard Reunification Method (SRM). The SRM is a critical part of our emergency planning, as it provides an organized and structured process for reuniting students with their families after an emergency. The SRM helps ensure that reunification happens safely, efficiently, and with as little confusion as possible. Should an emergency occur that requires a reunification process, families will receive clear instructions on where and how to pick up their children.

What You Can Do to Help

While our staff is training and practicing with students to be prepared to implement these protocols, school safety is a community effort. We ask that you talk with your children about the importance of these drills and protocols. Make sure they understand that their safety is the priority, and following directions during drills and real emergencies is essential. Please also ensure that your contact information is up to date in our school records so that you can receive timely notifications through our district communication channels, including our district phone app (Meade School District 46-1) and district or school Facebook pages which all end in 46-1.

I encourage you to remain engaged with our safety efforts and to ask questions if you have concerns. We will be conducting safety drills throughout the year to ensure that both students and staff are prepared, and we will keep you informed every step of the way.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in keeping our schools safe and secure. Together, we can maintain a positive and protective learning environment for every student.

Best regards,

Wayne Wormstadt
Superintendent
Meade School District 46-1

A school board meeting was held Monday, September 9, 2024. Some important topics discussed and/or approved included:

• Special Education Comprehensive Plan
• Amend 2024-25 Academic School Calendars
• Amend FY25 Capital Outlay Budget
• Preliminary Fall Enrollment
  
• Strategic Planning

Take a moment to read the unofficial minutes or review the agenda for more details.

All students who will be riding the bus MUST be registered. If your child is not registered to ride the bus, then transportation from school after the first week will not be provided until we receive a transportation form.

NOTE: There are no bus services in the city limits of Sturgis. If you have specific bus route questions, it's best to reach out to Harlow's directly by emailing Kelli Werlinger or 605-347-5066.

For other bus information, visit the Meade School District website.

DOWNLOAD THE MEADE SCHOOL DISTRICT APP TO RECEIVE ALERTS & NOTIFICATIONS through the IOS App Store or Android Play Store.

With the launch of the new website and app, our key priority is ensuring the accuracy of school notifications. To receive timely updates on school closures, student absences, activity changes, and other important information, it's essential that we have your most up-to-date contact details, including your phone number and email address.

“Scoopers in Hawaii” is the theme of this year’s Sturgis Brown High School homecoming to be held Monday, Monday, Sept. 23, - Friday, Sept. 27. Spirit Week kicks off Monday with coronation, which begins at 7 pm at Woodle Field. Each day of Spirit Week, students and staff will dress according to that day’s theme. The parade will be held at 2:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 beginning from Ball Park Road near Sturgis Elementary School.

Homecoming week concludes Friday with the football game against Aberdeen Central at 6 pm at Woodle Field followed by a dance at the high school.

The activities department has upgraded the activities calendar to Bound, an online software that handles all aspects of managing statewide athletics and activities.

We have certificated, support staff and extra-curricular activity positions available for 2024-25 school year. Here are just a few, please go to the link to see all positions.

• Food Service
• Several coaching positions
• General Education Paraprofessional
• Special Education Paraprofessional
• 2024-25 Behavior Analyst
  

Did you know that you can volunteer to work in schools throughout the district? Fill out the volunteer form now!

Educating youth takes a community effort, and because of that the Meade School Board is encouraging parents, guardians and other interested patrons to volunteer their time, knowledge and talents.

Members of the community bring new energies and resources into the schools and expand the walls of the classrooms. School volunteers enrich the educational program and strengthen the schools’ relationships with homes, businesses, public agencies and private institutions. All volunteers in the Meade School District do so without pay or employee benefits, except for workers’ compensation. For those interested in volunteering.

If you have a student that attends the Meade School District 46-1, and would like to receive a QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test Kit for a family member, please let your building principal know that you would like to receive one as we have them available for you. They are fast, easy and you can receive rapid results in 10 minutes. Each kit comes with two (2) tests and instructions.

Parents/guardians and staff members now have access to review and request changes to contact and demographic information. If you have had an address change, phone number change or email change, log in to your parent portal through Infinite Campus and request a change now. If you do not have a parent portal account, contact your building secretary and they will create one for you.

The Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program provides free online tutoring to K-12 students in South Dakota in the subjects of English/Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.

Whitewood Elementary offers a FREE after-school program to our district students and families. The after-school program runs from 3 pm to 6 pm Monday - Friday and hosts sports camps, science clubs, robotics group, a video-game design team, and so much more.

*Class sizes are limited, please call (605) 269-2264 for more information.

Any child in KG - Fourth grade is eligible to participate on a first come first serve basis. Capable Kids runs from 2:35 pm - 6:00 pm. Monday - Friday. Please call (605) 787-5295 to check on availability. All necessary forms required will need to be COMPLETED IN ADVANCE before your child can attend.

The After-School Program will be available starting Tuesday, September 10 in the library from 3:15 pm-5:15 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Three teachers will be available to help students with homework. Students should arrive by 3:30 p.m. but can leave whenever they complete their work if they have their own ride. Students who need a late bus pass are required to stay until 5:15 p.m. Any questions, contact Mrs. Buchholz at sandra.buchholz@k12.sd.us.

In a move to broaden its outreach, Meade 46-1 is enhancing its support for homeschool families, enabling them to opt for their children's participation in our programs.

The Homeschool Connection Program is dedicated to serving the students and families residing in Meade School District 46-1, offering flexible enrollment options for Kindergarten - 8th grade only that range from part-time to full-time online, as well as the opportunity for partial in-person enrollment.

To see if your student is eligible, apply here or for questions, contact Brit Porterfield.

All Meade School District middle and high school student technology fee's ($25/student or $50/family) will be waived if families complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application, regardless of whether you qualify for the program or not. Unfortunately, the number of applications has dropped since COVID-19 and this puts our Title I funding at risk for our district.

By having more families complete the application, the district can demonstrate a higher level of need to secure and maintain Title I federal funding.

The information provided on the application is confidential, and staff will not have access to the specific details of your application.

Help out your district and fill those applications out now PRIOR to Open House!

Titan Family Portal is now LINQ Connect! Parents can deposit money directly into their child's meal account and can receive emails by clicking on the link "LINQConnect Family Portal" website and setting up an account.

September 23-27: Homecoming (early release Friday, Sept 27)

September 30, Oct. 1 & 3: Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 4: Teacher In-Service (No School)

October 14: Native American Day (No School)

October 15: School Board Meeting

Sturgis Chamber of Commerce Events & Facebook

Sturgis Community Center website & Facebook

Foothills Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook

Whitewood Chamber of Commerce Facebook

Don't forget to LIKE us on Facebook, TWEET us on Twitter and FOLLOW Us on Instagram! It's a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest school events, cancellations, staff and student spotlights plus so much more! Our website is also full of informative information.