School Safety & Security

All York County School Division school buildings are secured throughout the school day. A secured school means the school building remains locked at all times. To gain entrance to a school, visitors must ring the bell at the front door. Once access to the building is gained, visitors must report to the main office and sign in with a valid state-issued ID.

School Emergency Terms

In the event of a school emergency situation, the York County School Division and school staff may use the following terms to ensure a common language. These terms are also used by local law enforcement.

	Hold Action: Hold in your room or area. Clear the halls. Hold is called when the hallways need to be kept clear, even during class changes. This can be initiated for medical and safety reasons.
	Secure Action: Get inside. Lock outside doors. Secure is called when there is a situation OUTSIDE the building that requires everyone to remain inside. Classroom activities continue uninterrupted. When a building is in Secure, students and families will be not be allowed to enter or exit the building and staff access is limited.
	Lockdown Action: Locks, Lights, Out of Sight Lockdown is called when there is an immediate threat to the school requiring the need to secure individual rooms and keep students quiet and in place. Teachers will lock classroom doors and turn lights out. In addition, teachers and students will move away from corridor line of sight and maintain silence.
	Evacuate Action: Follow Directions Evacuate is used when there is an unsafe situation INSIDE the building, such as a fire or gas leak, and students must be moved from one location to another. This could be another location on school grounds or another location away from the school campus.
	Shelter Action: Follow Directions Shelter is used when there is an unsafe situation, such as a tornado or earthquake, requiring everyone in the building to take action for personal and physical safety.

Family Information

Access to school facilities may be limited during an emergency as it may be necessary to keep the streets and parking lot clear for emergency vehicles. If it is hazardous for students to be released, everyone will be kept inside the school until notified by the authorities that it is safe outside. Schools will act with the safety of students in mind, and school officials will always follow the directives of emergency personnel.

Families are asked not to call or come to a school during an emergency. We understand and respect your concern, but it is essential that the telephone system is available for emergency communications and that staff are handling their emergency roles.

Emergency Notification

Families will be notified of emergencies through the division's rapid notification system. Families are encouraged to remain close to their source of communication, whether it is phone or email, to ensure they are receiving accurate and timely updates on the emergency from school division staff.