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BREADCRUMB

School Safety and Security

What is School Safety?

School safety includes keeping campuses free of crime and violence, improving discipline, and increasing student attendance. Schools that are safe and free of violence, weapons, and drugs are necessary to ensure the well-being of all children and the quality of their education.

All schools are required by Georgia law (OCGA 20-2-1185) to develop school safety plans, to update those plans annually, and to submit them to the local emergency management agency. All Marietta City Schools (MCS) safety plans are designed to provide response to a wide array of school emergencies and are submitted for approval to the Georgia Office of Homeland Security (GEMA).

Continuous MCS School Safety Initiatives include:

  • Marietta City Schools promotes an active school safety and security program in coordination with the City of Marietta Police Department and Marietta Fire Department.
  • All Marietta City schools conduct EVACUATE, LOCKDOWN, SECURE, and SHELTER drills multiple times per year.
  • Tabletop and Field exercises are conducted throughout the school district. Tabletop exercises and Field exercises may include students, staff, school administrators, central office personnel, emergency response personnel (police, fire, and emergency services), a school safety representative from Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), and observers from neighboring educational agencies. These exercises are conducted several times per year and revolve around various emergency scenarios and response protocols.

School Safety Hotline: 1-877-SAY-STOP (1-877-729-7867)

The Georgia School Safety Hotline is a 24-hour hotline designed for crisis prevention. If students know of an unsafe situation in school (such as weapons, bomb threats, gang activity, drugs/alcohol, bullying or other activities), they can anonymously pass on that information through the hotline, initiating immediate and appropriate action.

Depending on the urgency of the call, the hotline operator will contact the appropriate law enforcement agency. Next, the local school system will be notified and will be asked to inform the Georgia Department of Education of the outcome and subsequent actions taken in conjunction with the call. The hotline is also a valuable information resource for students, parents, and educators and anyone who has questions about school safety in Georgia schools.

Standard Response Protocols

The Standard Response Protocol was adopted in collaboration with the Marietta Police Department and other first responders. All Marietta City Schools staff and students will train and respond to appropriate emergency conditions utilizing one or more of the strategies of the Standard Response Protocol:

 

SECURE

 

SECURE is called when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building.

The following are some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for a SECURE.

  • Dangerous animal on school grounds
  • Criminal activity in area
  • Civil disobedience

 

Lockdown

 

LOCKDOWN is called when there is a threat or hazard inside the school building.

The following are some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for a LOCKDOWN:

  • Active shooter
  • Intruder
  • Angry or violent parent or student

 

Evacuate

 

EVACUATE is called to move students and staff from one location to another.

The following are some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for an EVACUATE condition:

  • Fire in the building
  • Bomb threat or Explosion
  • Severe damage to the building as a result from a man-made or natural disaster
  • Biological, Chemical, or other HAZMAT incident inside the building

 

Shelter

 

SHELTER is called when the need for personal protection is necessary.

The following are some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for a SHELTER condition:

  • Severe weather conditions
  • Non-emergency incident isolated to one part of the building
  • Severe damage outside of the building as a result from a man-made or natural disaster
  • Biological, Chemical, or other HAZMAT incident inside the building

 

Standard Reunification Method

Reunify

A REUNIFY condition calls for parents to pick up their students in a formalized, controlled release.

A Reunification process may be necessary due to weather, a power outage, hazmat or if a crisis occurs at the school. Marietta City Schools uses a Standard Reunification Method to make this process more predictable and less chaotic for all involved. Because a reunification is not a typical end of school day event, a reunification may occur at a different location than the school a student attends. If this location is another school, then those students may be subject to a controlled release as well.

The following are some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for a REUNIFY condition:

  • Severe weather conditions>
  • Crisis at a school
  • Power/water outage
  • >Biological, Chemical, or other HAZMAT incident on campus or nearby campus.