Safety & Security--Awareness and Prevention
Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan
Our community's responsibility to our children is one of great importance and reward. We are fortunate to live and work in a Village that truly puts the safety well-being of children first. Our long-standing values include attending to our children as unique individuals, knowing that they are young thinkers, feelers, and dreamers with much to contribute now and as they grow into adulthood. I presume that is why many of our former students are now parents with their own children in our schools.
Here are a few examples of ways we seek to protect and care for our students in D36...
- We have a strong partnership with The Winnetka Police and Fire Departments and regularly review our safety procedures and host drills. Police and Fire officials are familiar faces in our buildings and take time to get to know our students, staff, and facilities.
- Staff strive to connect with every child individually and are attuned to the social and emotional well-being of students. This allows us to address needs as they arise and strengthen the sense of belonging students feel when they come to school.
- Parents have a vital commitment to partner with us, ensuring that there is productive engagement and care for the school community.
The District's commitment to continuously improve safety and security practices is a critical priority that involves all members of our school community. This past year improvements have included:
- Training staff on emergency procedures, medical conditions, concussion awareness, utilizing STOP the bleed kits, and threat assessment procedures
- Adopting an Intergovernmental Agreement for Reciprocal Reporting between the Winnetka Police Department and The Winnetka Public Schools Board of Education
- Developing a Reunification Plan
- Moving to a lanyard identification system
- Establishing a Threat Assessment Team and Comprehensive Procedure
- Investing in upgrades to communication systems and 2-way radios
We appreciate your partnership in fostering a sense of safety and belonging in our schools--and greater community. Please click here for our Safety Bulletin (Edition 2, August 2023).
Erin's Law
In 2013, Illinois passed Erin’s Law which requires all students, early childhood through 12th grade, to be taught to recognize child sexual abuse, equip them with skills to reduce their vulnerability, and encourage them to report abuse if it occurs. A woman named Erin Merryn, who was a victim of child sexual abuse, initiated this mandate. She noted that while she had been educated in school about stranger danger and other prevention programs, she was never taught what to do if someone touched her inappropriately.
Click here to read more on District implementation.
Bullying Prevention and Response Plan
Click here to read more on District implementation.
Click here to report an incident
On June 28, 2010, Governor Pat Quinn signed into law Public Act 96-952, titled Prevent School Violence Act (PSVA). The PSVA amends the School Code’s bullying provision by explicitly prohibiting bullying in schools, comprehensively defines bullying behavior, as well as where and when it is prohibited, and expanding the reach of the bullying law to include all private, non-sectarian schools in Illinois.
Concussions and Head Injuries
The Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act ((105 ILCS 5/22-80, added by P.A. 99-245, 99-486.) contains concussion safety directives for school boards and certain identified staff members. Its requirements apply beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.