The safety and well-being of students are always our top priorities. We want to take a moment to share some important updates regarding our ongoing efforts to ensure a secure and nurturing learning environment for students.

We understand the importance of being prepared and proactive when it comes to safety in schools. We have been diligently working to strengthen our safety measures to provide an even safer environment for students, staff, and all who visit our schools. 

The foundational practices we know keep our schools safe are at the forefront of our efforts - trusting relationships between adults and students, mental health supports, strong community partnerships, professional development, safety-awareness of staff and students, and most importantly, engaging curriculum. It also means that we all must be diligent in our safety practices, such as wearing staff badges and visitor stickers, escorting visitors without identification to the office, checking that doors remain secure, actively partaking in drills, speaking up when something doesn’t feel safe, and so much more. A safety-minded school culture means that everyone is empowered to actively contribute to the safety and protection of our school communities. 

Here are some ways you can support our safety initiatives:

• Cooperation with Visitor Procedures: When visiting our school, please follow our visitor sign-in procedures, including wearing visitor badges/stickers. 
• Understanding Increased Vigilance: Our staff are vigilant when it comes to monitoring access points and ensuring that all safety protocols are followed. Please understand that this is a crucial part of maintaining a secure environment.
• Reinforcing Safety Education: At home, you can reinforce the importance of safety with your child. Encourage them to follow school safety guidelines and report any concerns to a trusted adult.

We welcome you to share the SLP student safety checklist with your students. Schools have put up these posters in common spaces at school to help remind students of their role in school safety. We’ve also developed a Staff-Safety Checklist that has been shared with staff in February.

Layers of Safety

St. Louis Park Public Schools has many layers of safety in place, but not everyone is aware of all the important components of a safety minded culture. The physical security of buildings is just one layer of safety, and we need many layers of safety working in tandem to optimize.

How are we preparing for worst-case scenario situations?

Since 2018, there have been more than 100 school shooting incidents per year in our country and those numbers have steadily increased. We understand the prevailing atmosphere of fear and worry concerning safety incidents, in particular school shootings, that has enveloped our nation, and we acknowledge the distress it can cause. Your worries are valid, and we share your commitment to ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for all. 

Approximately three-quarters of perpetrators in school-based active shooter situations acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative. In February, St. Louis Park Public Schools teamed up with Be SMART to share an important message about proper gun storage and safety with SLP families.

Partnership with Police

New St. Louis Park Public Schools Safety Partnership with I Love You Guys

We are proud to announce a new partnership with the I Love U Guys Foundation, which focuses on crisis response and post-crisis reunification. Their programs are used in more than 45,000 school districts and organizations around the world. 

I Love U Guys uses a Standard Response Protocol, similar to the Incident Command safety protocol St. Louis Park Public Schools currently uses, as well as provides support for reunification plans, staff training and safety exercises. A team of St. Louis Park Public Schools staff will attend formal training this spring. We will then implement a “train the trainer” model so staff at every building are trained in the Standard Response Protocol and other emergency preparedness best practices. 

Ultimately, our goal is to have consistent, clear, shared language and actions among all students, staff and first responders for all safety situations The partnership ensures that our district keeps abreast of nationwide best practices in school emergency preparedness and has access to materials and training annually. The resources will develop our muscle memory to respond appropriately in moments of crisis.

We understand that, as parents and caregivers, you entrust us with your child's education and well-being. We appreciate your support as we continue to improve our safety measures. Your feedback is always welcome, and we encourage you to reach out to your school leader with any questions or concerns you may have.

Together, we are building a safer, stronger, and more nurturing educational community.