May Safety Update Letter

A few things will change in parking area of school

Dear Madison families,

May is always a busy time, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect, remind, and celebrate.

This school year has provided numerous opportunities for us to test processes, review and update procedures, and improve in several areas. Safety for everyone on our campuses is always a priority and with each situation, we learn. I wanted to reach out with a few things as we wrap up this year and begin to think about next year.

New and Updated Procedures

Earlier in the year, we had a bomb threat that impacted junior and senior high campuses. After a thorough review of the situation, response, and feedback from our district safety team and local law enforcement, we have made a few adjustments to our procedures.

1. When we have a Lockdown, Lockdown/Barricade, or A.L.I.C.E. situation in one building, we will Lockout all other buildings. (click here to view definitions)

By doing this, we are taking every precaution to better ensure the safety of all students, staff, and visitors across the district, minimizing disruption to the daily schedule, and most importantly, allowing our SROs, local law enforcement, and first responders to focus attention on the priority location.

2. NEW process for student pick up following a threat clearance. Once the situation has been resolved and the campus is determined to be safe and clear, the following steps will be followed if a student is to be picked up early from school.

a. Parents will park and remain in their vehicles in the normal pick-up area for each building

b. Students will remain in their classroom until they are called for by a counselor or administrator.

c. A building administrator or counselor will take the names of parents in the cars lined up in order.

i. They will take approximately 20 names at a time,

ii. radio into building personnel,

iii. the student will be called from their classroom, and

iv. the student will be walked to and placed in the vehicle with their parent.

d. As they are waiting, vehicles will be asked to move to a staging area for pick up/sign out in order to keep things moving

e. In this situation, no student will be released to anyone who is not listed in their emergency contacts in Skyward.

i. If school staff are unfamiliar with you, they may ask to see a valid I.D.

New Enhancements

Weather Tower on MCHS Campus

As part of our commitment to community safety, there is a new weather tower located between the MJHS and MCHS campuses. Serving several purposes, the tower will alert to lightning in the area, approaching severe weather, and monitor wet bulb temperatures to determine potentially elevated humidity levels factored in for summer training and outdoor events.

If you are within the vicinity of the tower and there is a lightning strike within 10 miles, a siren will sound and a strobe light will flash. The strobe will continue to flash for the recommended duration of 30 minutes. Once clear, the siren will sound again for the three short blasts to indicate that activities can resume.

The monitoring window will be evaluated and changed as necessary to fit the various outdoor activities on both campuses.

(Cub Drive Check Point & traffic flow on MCHS Campus (student parking lot)

Beginning in August, traffic flow in and around the student parking lot will look a bit different after the first bell rings. There have been a few situations this year that have occurred in the student lot that have caused us to think about student safety enhancements. Earlier this spring, a checkpoint was installed in the parking lot near the entrance to the baseball field. With an increase in both daytime car/bike/walk through-traffic and student pedestrian travel between the main campus building and the Cub Industries lab areas we want to be proactive in better understanding who is on campus.

What to expect in the fall:

● The morning drop-off procedures will not change for non-driving students.

● After the morning bell rings, all gates around the east side of the student parking lot will be closed.

● The only entrance point to the area will from Wilson Avenue.

● All visitors to campus must stop and check in at the Cub Drive Checkpoint.

● Students driving to school will need to have an updated, valid MCHS Parking Pass. Seniors are free, all others are $7

                               MCHS CAMPUS 

                   2023 2024 STUDENT LOT TRAFFIC PATTERN 

● If a student is also an Ivy Tech student driving back and forth between campuses, they will need an additional parking pass.

○ Parking pass applications can be picked up in the Main Office, contact is Mrs. Orrill.

○ Both will need to be visibly displayed in the vehicle so that you can come and go a bit quicker.

● If you are a parent coming to pick up your student during the school day you will need to stop and check in. Staff will radio Door 4 and your student will be called down and you can proceed through the parking lot to pick them up at Door 4.

● Traffic will be one-way, looping through the center of the student parking lot with access to Door 4 on the East side of the lot, and exiting back out through the Wilson Avenue access point.

Our district safety team is committed to continuous improvement. We try very hard to balance a thoughtful, reasonable approach to create the safest environments possible without hindering school culture. We strive to think proactively about pathways to violence and what can be addressed early to deter and detour potentially harmful behaviors. We appreciate your support and partnership as we continue to enhance all elements of campus safety.

REMINDER - Cyber Safety

We would like to remind you that cyber safety is important! We have had a few instances this school year with students and phones/devices and we just want to encourage you to be aware. Look at what is on your child’s phone; what they are posting, where they visit, and what they watch while on the web, and talk with them about establishing a positive and responsible digital footprint - because it lives on forever. Even some of the most unassuming games, apps, or chat options often have back doors where predators can hack in and engage kids in conversations. In some cases, they make contact and plan to meet - this is a perfect grooming area for trafficking and abuse. Unfortunately, we have seen it happen in our schools and our community. It does happen here.