What Parents and Guardians Need to Know

West Valley School District makes the safety and security of our students and staff one of our top priorities. Throughout the year our schools conduct a variety of drills, including practice for shelter-in-place, lockdown, and evacuation. Every West Valley school site has security cameras and a secure single point of entry.

Parents, if there is an emergency at your child's school, please help us by doing the following:

First check for an email, text, or ParentSquare app communication from the district or your child's school. In certain situations, we may also post alerts to wvsd.org or the district/school social media sites. We will provide credible, accurate, and useful information to families as soon as possible. Messages and posts will be updated as necessary. We will provide updates to local media when necessary, but be aware that emergency situations can change rapidly. Information received from sources other than the school administrator or West Valley Communications Office may be inaccurate.
- - West Valley will use ParentSquare, the district communications system, to send out needed communications. This may come in the form of a phone call, email, text, or app notification. Parents and guardians will receive updates and information in a timely manner. PLEASE make sure your contact information is always up to date at your child's school.

Do not call or go to the school. In an emergency, onsite staff are focused solely on getting everyone to a location. Showing up to the site can create unnecessary traffic, preventing emergency vehicles from responding quickly, and may also put you in danger.
- - If you get a call or text from your students, help them remain calm. Remind your student that school staff know what to do in an emergency, and will work to keep everyone safe.

Familiarize yourself with the terms used during emergencies:
- - Secure and Teach: Used to secure the building from a potential threat that is distanced from the building, such as when an unauthorized person is loitering on school grounds or when there is criminal activity in the neighborhood. Exterior doors are locked, but normal activities continue inside the building.
  - Lockdown: Used when there is a perceived danger inside the building or on campus. Doors are locked and windows are closed and locked. People are directed to move away from windows and doors. Hallways are cleared of student and school staff.
  - Evacuation: When students and staff are moved out of the building to a pre-designated safe location.
  - Shelter-in-place: Used during sever weather or other environmental threats (e.g., air contamination) to keep people safe while remaining indoors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the district handle threats of violence?

School staff follow practiced procedures to ensure that students and the public are safe and secure. The principal and his/her team first contact emergency services and then district administrators who initiate a building crisis team to gather information on the type and degree of threat.

West Valley staff have been trained to react to all threats of violence in a prescribed manner, based on consultation with law enforcement. All threats are treated as real, and we report them to local, regional, and national law enforcement as appropriate for investigation and prosecution.

If a threat is deemed credible, students and staff will evacuate the building and go to a pre-determined safe location. Families will be notified via ParentSquare as soon as students have reached the safe location. Evacuation does not necessarily mean that school is over for the day. West Valley can arrange for buses to keep students safe and warm in the event of poor weather. Notification regarding school being released for the day will ONLY come from the West Valley District Office and will include the reason for the release and pickup instructions.

When are parents notified about a school emergency?

When an incident impacts a school community, we notify parents as soon as possible via ParentSquare, the district's notification platform. PLEASE make sure your contact information is always up to date at your child's school. Also check the wvsd.org website, and the West Valley Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.

Please be aware that emergencies are fluid and we are actively working on providing accurate information, sometimes multiple agencies are involved, and this can cause a delay in notification. We will provide as much credible, accurate, and timely information when it becomes available. Information received from sources other than the school administrator or WVSD communications office may be inaccurate.

What do I do if I see or hear of a threat after school hours?