School Safety

District 63 welcomes parents, families, and community members to our schools. All D63 facilities have limited and secured entry points for visitors. Those visiting must identify themselves before being allowed to enter the building. If visiting a classroom or other area of the school beyond the main office during school hours, visitors and volunteers must provide government-issued identification and undergo a background check. While in the building, individuals are required to wear a visitor’s badge at all times and abide by Board policy 8:30, Visitor to and Conduct on School Property. When outside organizations use D63 facilities, they must abide by Board policy 8:20, Community Use of School Facilities. Individuals and/or organizations who violate these policies will be banned from future use and/or visits to our facilities.

Other Security measures include:

• Liaisons at each of these Police Departments for our schools, and a School Resource Officer (SRO) based at Gemini. The SRO assists school administration in maintaining a safe, secure environment.

• Secure vestibules. As stated above, prior to being admitted to the building with a visitor lanyard, all visitors must go through security screening. They are then buzzed into the main office and then buzzed out of the office into the rest of the building. Additionally, access to a school must be arranged and approved in advance.

• Locked exterior doors (except the entrance to the lobby). All exterior doors are checked by our custodial staff throughout the day.

• Security cameras at all buildings.

• Law enforcement, emergency preparedness, and lockdown drills.

• Emergency notification systems in each school provide quick contact with first responders, staff, and administrators.

• A web filtering system that flags student content on school devices that might be of concern.

• Social-emotional support. Social workers and psychologists are on-site in every school, and a universal behavior screener helps identify students who may be at risk for behavior challenges like following rules and may need additional support.

We encourage parents who have concerns or seek additional information to contact their child's school.

To keep our schools safe, all visitors are required to have a valid state-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license or a state ID, to check in and ensure the accuracy of the information provided. Valid identification is also used to ensure that the person checking in is the same as the ID holder.

Check-in process
District 63 uses the Visitor Aware Management System to screen all visitors and ensure that only safe visitors are granted access to all locations in the District. This provides an additional layer of security for your children by validating the identities of anyone entering the premises, determining if they are a potential threat, and keeping accurate records of all school visits. Upon arrival, visitors simply scan their ID at a kiosk located in the lobby.  Once approved, the building secretary buzzes them in and provides a visitor pass, which must be worn at all times while visiting classrooms or other building areas. Upon signing out of the school, the ID will be returned to the individual in exchange for the visitor’s pass. Information collected includes ID number and expiration date, name (first/middle/last), birthdate, address, sex, and photograph. 

Visitor Aware: Frequently Asked Questions
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What kind of identification is required?
A valid, non-expired state-issued identification plastic card with a photo of you. Photos of ID and/or screenshots of state IDs will not be accepted.  

Alternative options – accepted, but not recommended - require staff-assisted check-in:

• Green Cards
• Passport
• Mexican Consular ID Card
• Military Identification Card

Without acceptable identification, for the safety of our students and staff, access to the building may be denied.

District 63 uses its ParentSquare notification system to alert families to an emergency situation or to cancel school due to inclement weather. In an emergency, the district will send an automated phone message, text message, and email to parents/guardians.

It’s critical for parents to ensure contact information is kept up-to-date in the Parent Portal. Should contact information change, parents are encouraged to let the school know. Note: If the primary number on file for phone calls is on the “do not call” list, parents/guardians will not receive phone calls. Similarly, parents/ guardians will not receive text messages if they have opted out. Please contact the school if you are not getting the messages you wish to receive.

Emergency information will also be posted as quickly as possible to this website, and, as appropriate, to the District's Facebook and Twitter pages. Depending on circumstances, it may also be posted to Gemini's Instagram page. 

Inclement weather notifications
An emergency weather closing notification usually goes out via automated phone call, text message, and email by 5 a.m. on the day of the closing. When possible, the call will be made the night before. In the case of a snow day, messages will also be posted on the district's website and social media accounts.

District 63 schools conduct a variety of safety drills annually to prepare students and staff in the case of an emergency. 

• Fire drills (3 drills annually; one involving the local fire department)
• Bus evacuation drill (1)
• Lockdown drills (1 drill annually and must be performed within the first 90 days of school.
• Severe weather/shelter-in-place drill (1)

There are two types of responses to potentially dangerous situations and threats - Lockdown Announced and Secure and Teach

• A Lockdown is typically issued when an imminent danger/threat is present INSIDE the building or on or near school property. Students are secured in their classrooms and in locations throughout the building. No one other than emergency personnel may enter or leave the building until the lockdown has been lifted.
• A Secure and Teach is typically issued when a potential danger/threat is present OUTSIDE the building. A Secure and Teach may also apply when school administrators and/or first responders need to keep students and staff in their classrooms and away from an incident or activity. No one is allowed to enter or leave the building except through the front office.

The school administration’s priority is to handle the immediate emergency, including engaging with law enforcement, the fire department, or other medical personnel. Parents/guardians can assist both before and during an emergency by adhering to the following: 

1. Keep contact information up-to-date in the Parent Portal. Regularly check your contact information and emergency contacts in the Parent Portal. Having up-to-date contact information and not opting out of district messages will ensure that you receive messages from the district in the case of an emergency.
2. Adhere to visitor protocols. All visitors and volunteers must undergo a background check and wear a lanyard when visiting the school. Schools may create additional protocols for safety and convenience (i.e., drop-off bins outside the school for forgotten items). By limiting unnecessary visits inside the school during busy times, such as arrival, midday, and dismissal, office staff can remain focused on the immediate needs of students and their building.
3. Monitor your email and phone. Parents will be communicated with regularly in the event of an emergency. If students must leave the school and be transferred to another location to be reunified with parents, a notification about the pick-up location (reunification site) will be sent to families.
4. If there is an emergency, please do not come to the school. While it is natural for parents and guardians to want to go to their child’s school in an emergency, doing so may be counterproductive to emergency response measures. Additional traffic and/or visitors may prevent emergency vehicles from being able to access and/or leave the school property.
5. If there is an emergency, please do not contact the school. Parents/guardians are discouraged from calling the school, as phone lines must be open for communication, and office staff may be needed for emergency response efforts. Throughout the crisis, District 63 will provide regular updates to families and the community via the mass notification system (email, phone, and text).
6. Do not post pictures or information on social media. During emergencies, the proper authorities must be the primary communicators of what is/has occurred and provide the facts. Posting on social media may only cause confusion and/or the spread of misinformation, putting people at risk and/or causing harm.