Roaring News from Mayo!

Mayo Families -

It is unfortunate, but true, that we live in a world today that requires schools to prepare for the unlikely event of an armed intruder. As you know, we have locked exterior doors and other safety features at Mayo to help prevent entry; however, we have seen in other tragedies that this is simply not enough.

WRSD has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Students and staff will be training, practicing, and drilling the protocol.

COMMON LANGUAGE

The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is based on an all-hazards approach as opposed to individual scenarios. Like the Incident Command System (ICS), SRP utilizes clear common language while allowing for flexibility in protocol. The premise is simple - there are five specific actions that can be performed during an incident. When communicating these, the action is labeled with a “Term of Art” and is then followed by a “Directive.” Execution of the action is performed by active participants, including students, staff, teachers and first responders. The SRP is based on the following actions: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter. We will soon be practicing the "lockdown" portion of this system.

To that end, we have developed age-appropriate training modules for students in grades K-2 and grades 3-5. Our goal is to provide students with important safety information balanced with reassurances that Mayo and their homes are safe and adults are there to protect them.

On Friday, October 9th, Mayo K-5 teachers will be training students on this Safety Plan.

Here are some things that are important to know about the training at Mayo:

1. Teachers will first talk about many things we already do to stay safe such as wearing bike helmets, using a crosswalk when we cross the street, wearing seat belts, and practicing drills like fire drills and bus evacuation drills.

2. Teachers will tell students another way to stay safe is to practice Safety Drills. In Safety Drills, there will be an announcement. The first thing to do is to stop, look, and listen to the teacher or grown up for directions about what to do next. Students will learn to “lockdown” -- lock, lights, out of sight and the possibility of "evacuate".

3. Older students will learn that if they are in the hallway/bathroom or without an adult, they should first look for the closest adult. If one is not safely available nearby, they will use the information they hear and see to make their decision to “lockdown” or “evacuate.” If they can safely get back to their classroom, that is the first choice.

4. We will not use terms like “armed intruder” or “gunman” at Mayo. We may use terms like “someone who doesn’t belong in the school,” “stranger,” or “intruder.” For many very young students, none of these terms will be necessary. We will simply say in any emergency, look for the grown up for directions.

The teachers are highly skilled at delivering information in a calm, age-appropriate way. They will talk about how it is unlikely that we have a fire at school, but we practice fire drills so we are ready for that emergency. We practice many drills -- fire drills, safety drills, bus evacuation drills -- to be better prepared.

When talking to your children about the Safety Plan, you may consider emphasizing the following:

1. Reassure children that school is a safe place. School staff members work with parents and community helpers, like police officers and firefighters, to keep everyone safe.

2. The school building is safe. All the exterior doors are locked. All the school staff wear green badges and visitors wear orange badges so you know who is supposed to be in the school. Safety drills and fire drills are practiced.

3. We all play a role in school safety. If you ever hear or see anything that makes you nervous or frightened, tell an adult.

4. Don’t dwell on the worst possibilities. Although there is no absolute guarantee that something bad will never happen, it is important to understand the difference between the possibility of something happening and the probability that it will affect our school.

5. If the child is mature enough, you may talk about how sometimes people do bad things that hurt others. They may be unable to handle their anger or they may be confused. Adults (parents, teachers, police officers, doctors, faith leaders) work very hard to get those people help and keep them from hurting others. If they do act out, it’s good to know the best ways to stay safe.

You may have additional questions. The "I Love U Guys" foundation has prepared this two page information sheets for families. As always, if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed, please reach out to myself, your teacher, or our school adjustment counselors.

Thank you for your support.

Kristin