Safety Drills and Procedures

Providing Safe Environments

Our district is committed to providing a safe environment that fosters learning for all students. Our staff is trained and prepared to respond in the event of a safety incident or emergency.

The Standard Response Protocol

The Corvallis School District follows a model recommended by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to respond to a variety of situations including a weather-related emergency, school or building disaster, or another threatening situation.

• All schools participate in emergency drills throughout the year.
• We use the Standard Response Protocol K-12 (SRP) which is part of the overall school district safety plan.
• The main benefits of the SRP are standardized vocabulary and clear directives in the event of an emergency. Learn more about the SRP at the I Love U Guys Foundation website.

The SRP includes five actions: Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter, and Hold.

• Secure – “Get inside. Lock outside doors,” students are brought inside, windows and doors are locked, no outside activities, business as usual inside the building, and increased situational awareness until all clear.
• Lockdown – “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” when a threat or hazard is inside the school building, maintain silence and wait for First Responders to open the locked door.
• Evacuate – “To the Announced Location,” move students to another location within the school or outside the school to the evacuation location.
• Shelter – “For a Hazard using a Safety Strategy,” conditions outside are unsafe due to weather or other hazards and personal protection is necessary.
• Hold – “In Your Classroom” when the hallways need to be cleared. For example, if a student or staff experience a medical emergency while at school, a HOLD would be called to allow emergency personnel to respond.

If you have questions or concerns about safety drills or practices, please contact your child’s school principal.

What is the difference between Secure and a Lockdown?

Secure – Get inside, lock outside doors

Schools are put on Secure to safeguard students and staff within the building based on activity in the surrounding area, not in the school or on school grounds. School staff move all students and activities inside and ensure the building is locked while learning continues inside the school with minimal classroom interruption or distractions.

Lockdown – Locks, lights, out of sight

During a Lockdown, all students and staff are trained to get behind a locked door in the building. The expectation is that classroom doors are locked and secured, lights are turned off, and students and staff move to a location away from hallway windows and doors. Students are encouraged to remain quiet. Students and staff are released by district or emergency personnel only.

What You Can Expect in an Emergency

Our goal is to respond quickly in order to minimize the impact of an emergency situation and to provide accurate information to parents and if necessary, emergency personnel. The school district’s response will be determined by what will keep students and staff most safe.

• An initial emergency alert will be posted on the district web page and via social media.
• Once a school-based incident/emergency is determined, the response begins.
• Parents and guardians of impacted school(s) will be notified as soon as possible.
• In the event of a school evacuation, parents and guardians will be provided instructions about alternate routes for buses or reunification instructions.
• School closures and emergency updates will also be recorded on the district emergency hotline: 541-757-4555.

In a crisis, please keep school district telephone lines available for emergency communications.