School Safety

The School District of Menomonee Falls is committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for our students, staff, and community. Our safety plans and practices are in place to prepare our school community for a potential crisis, including:

School Resource Officers (SRO) from the Menomonee Falls Police Department are in our buildings.
District and school-level Crisis Teams meet regularly to review our safety plans and procedures for protecting our students and staff from dangers in a crisis.
All external doors at our buildings are locked during school hours.
Safe and secure entrances to all school offices.
Visitors entering our schools are required to present an official ID such as a driver’s license, which will be scanned or manually entered into the Raptor system.
All schools perform emergency drills on a regular basis.

Safety Procedures & Protocols

Communication Expectations During an Emergency

If an emergency should occur during school hours:

Parents/guardians should not call the school. The telephone lines must be open for emergency calls.
Parents/guardians should also not immediately drive to the school. Access to the school will be for emergency personnel only.
SDMF will provide parents/guardians with clear directions about an incident and reunification as accurate information is available

The District will provide families with accurate information about a situation as quickly as possible. This communication will occur when the school emergency occurs and again when the emergency is resolved or information has changed. The District will utilize our phone messaging system, School Messenger, and email to contact families utilizing the phone numbers provided to the school and available in our student information system. For this reason, it is important to always update the school regarding a change in phone number for yourself or anyone listed as an emergency contact. Based on the situation, the District may also utilize its website and social media to provide information. Please know that information shared with families may be limited depending on the situation as directed with Menomonee Falls Police Department, or to protect student privacy.

While it is important for us to quickly update parents, it is also important that the information we send is accurate. Please be aware that emergency situations are fluid and always changing, and that information received from non-District sources such as the news media and social media may be inaccurate.

After Event Parent Communications:

In some instances, the District will send a factual notice to families regarding the day, time, duration and reason for the lockdown or evacuation. The notice may include other information as appropriate such as schedule changes, transportation adjustments and extra-curricular and co-curricular activity modifications.

Evacuation & Reunification

SDMF is prepared for circumstances that may occur at a school. If an incident occurs where students and staff need to evacuate and are unable to return to school, plans are in place that require parents/guardians to pick up their students in a formalized and controlled release. This process is called reunification, and may be necessary due to inclement weather, a power outage, hazmat, or if a crisis occurs at the school.

A reunification process protects both the safety of the student and provides for an accountable change of custody from the school to an approved custodial parent or guardian. If a parent or guardian is notified that a reunification is needed, you must bring identification. There are no exceptions to this rule. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this process.

Internet Safety

At SDMF, Digital Citizenship is addressed at all levels with our students. The lessons vary based on grade level.

The School District of Menomonee Falls offers a platform for parents to stay connected and informed about their child's web activity on their school-issued Chromebook. Through Lightspeed Systems, parents can sign up to receive weekly report emails about their child's web activity.

This service will improve communication between school and home and empower parents and guardians to help keep students safe online. The Lightspeed parent portal also helps establish healthy screen time limits with controls to pause web browsing on their child’s school device while at home and outside of school hours.

To sign up for the Lightspeed report, please click here. Please complete a separate sign-up form for each child. Typically, the report will be emailed each Sunday to the parent/guardian email provided. Once you receive your weekly report, you will have the option to create an additional account to review your child's daily activity.

For parents, we recommend the following resources:

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Department of Public Instruction have launched a program called "Interact!". Interact is an online e-course created for parents and guardians to complete alongside their children with the goal of initiating online safety discussions at home. For more information click here.

In addition, Common Sense Media provides a robust set of resources for parents. Common Sense Media has been around since 2003 and provides parent resources for online activity, movies, tv and more. Click here to learn more.

Resources for Families

Death, Loss & Grief

Addressing Grief in Children: Tips for Parents & Educators - National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

After a Love One Dies - New York Life Foundation

Guiding Adults in Talking to Children About Death and Attending Services - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Helping Children Cope with Loss, Death, and Grief: Tips for Teachers & Parents - National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

How to Help a Grieving Teen - The National Center for Grieving Children & Families

Preparing Your Child to Attend the Memorial Service of a Friend - Speak Up, Speak Out Wisconsin (SUSO)

Supporting Your Child after the Death of a Family Member - Coalition to Support Grieving Students

Tips for Supporting The Grieving Teen - The National Center for Grieving Children & Families

Disaster Support

Parent Tips for Helping Adolescents After Disasters - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Parent Tips for Helping Preschool-Age Children After Disasters - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Parent Tips for Helping School-Age Children After Disasters - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers - Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Trauma

After the Injury - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - contains quick links

Age Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Assisting Parents/Caregivers in Coping with Collective Traumas - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Traumatic Events - National Institute of Mental Health

Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief - Tips for Caregivers - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief - Tips for Caregivers - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

How to Talk to Children About Difficult News - American Psychological Association (APA)

National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope: Tips for Parents and Teachers - National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Understanding Child Traumatic Stress - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Violence

Coping after Mass Violence - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Coping with Stress Following a Mass Shooting - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress

For Teens - Coping after Mass Violence - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Going Back to School After Tragedy - Child Mind Institute

Helping your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting - American Psychological Association (APA)

Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after a Recent Shooting - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Supporting Children & Students - Resource Toolkit (links) - Safe and Sound Schools

Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Families and Educators - National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Talking to Children about School Shootings - American Psychological Association (APA)

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents & Teachers - National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Sexual Abuse & Sexual Behavior

Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet: For Parents, Teachers, and Other Caregivers - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Understanding and Coping with Sexual Behavior Problems in Children - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

What to Do If Your Child Discloses Sexual Abuse - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Resources Related to Teen Sexual Assault - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSD)

Safety Drills

All schools perform emergency drills on a regular basis. In addition to fire and tornado drills, our staff and students practice for additional emergency situations. In these scenarios we may ask students to follow any one, or more, of the following protocol.

LOCKDOWN (locks, lights, & out of sight)
HOLD (stay in your classroom, clear halls)
EVACUATE (fire or other incident requiring evacuation of building)
SHELTER (shelter within building in designated location)
SECURE (bring everyone indoors and lock exterior doors)

Safety Plans

School Counseling

School Resource Officers

The School District of Menomonee Falls has a close relationship with the Menomonee Falls Police Department. We have three school resource officers that partner with us on the day-to-day safety of our schools. Both Menomonee Falls High School and North Middle School have a dedicated officer while our elementary schools share an officer. It is common to see a police vehicle parked in front of our schools for non-emergency reasons (e.g. sporting events).

Secure Entry and Building Access

Secure Entrances
All of our School District of Menomonee Falls schools have locked, secure entrances. External doors are locked during the school day.

Panic Buttons
All our buildings are equipped with direct notification systems allowing members of our staff to connect directly to law enforcement. Imagine a situation where many individuals are calling emergency services at the same time; this system, so to speak, allows us to jump the line, and share the location of the crisis immediately. In testing, we’ve learned that response to our schools is very quick, and we know that Menomonee Falls Police will immediately enter our facilities in a crisis.

Raptor Visitor Management
When entering a school, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which will be scanned or manually entered into the Raptor system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. Raptor checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once approved, a badge will be printed that the visitor can wear. The printed badge identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of the visit. For more information on Raptor Visitor Management, click here.

Speak Up Speak Out Tipline

Created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS), the SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT Resource Center is a comprehensive location to relay your concerns.

SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT allows students and community members to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at school students, school employees, and schools. The SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT Resource Center can respond confidentially and quickly to get help to you or to someone who is hurting or struggling.

Anyone can submit a tip 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week by:

Texting “SUSO” to 738477

Visiting the “SUSO” online tipline (Click here)

Calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 (1-800-697-8761) to speak to a trained “SUSO” analyst

Downloading the mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android users

For more information, please visit the Speak Up, Speak Out Website.

RESOURCES: SDMF Bullying Prevention Webpage

SPEAK UP SPEAK OUT

IOS

Android

The SUSO threat reporting system is available 24/7 and is free to all.

Students, parents, school staff and community members can submit a school safety concern by downloading the SUSO app (Android and iOS), visiting speakup.widoj.gov or by calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 or Text “SUSO” to 738477 to report a tip (Text messages will not be received via 1-800-MY-SUSO-1). To place Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) calls, dial 711.

Resource Center staff work around-the-clock to respond to reports and to deploy a response locally by communicating directly with school administrators, law enforcement and counselors.