Dear Parents:

In the wake of the school shooting incident in Florida, many of you may have increased concerns about safety in our schools. I’d like to reassure you that the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Our safety protocols are continuously reviewed and updated with the Vernon Hills Police Department. We regularly conduct safety drills (including lockdown drills). We have a strong relationship with the Vernon Hills Police Department, which works with our security team to quickly identify and investigate any potential threats.

As our safety protocols not only apply to staff, teachers and students, but also to parents, I thought it would be helpful to provide information on what to expect. We ask parents to follow procedures in emergency situations, such as during a lockdown or a hazardous material accident. In such situations, you may wish to rush to school and pick up your children. Please note that during a lockdown, you would not be allowed to enter the building. If you were already inside a building when an incident occurred, you would not be able to leave for the safety of the students. If you were to call us for information during an incident, our staff would be limited in what they could tell you (once again for the safety of the students). In the event of a hazardous spill in which students were relocated, our staff would send you a phone message with the time and location where you could pick up your child and the required form of identification.

I would like to emphasize that school safety is a job for the entire community. Watching out for each other and reporting unsafe conditions and behaviors go hand in hand with the everyday work of the district and police department to keep our students and staff safe.

Thank you for your ongoing support and trust in our district.

Sincerely,

Nick Brown
Superintendent
Hawthorn School District 73