School Safety
School Safety
At District 3, student safety is our highest priority. We are committed to providing a secure and supportive environment where students can focus on what matters most: learning, growing, and connecting.
We takes a comprehensive approach to school safety that emphasizes both physical security and social-emotional well-being. We know students who feel safe physically and emotionally are better able to thrive.
Our approach includes:
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Campus Safety Supervisors at each school work closely with administrators, staff, and local first responders.
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The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP) — Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter — to ensure everyone knows how to respond in an emergency.
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Regular drills and training with students, staff, and community partners to maintain preparedness and consistency.
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Modern security technology, including access control systems, video surveillance, and alert tools that enhance awareness and response across all schools.
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Student services teams that include counselors, social workers, psychologists, and deans who provide mental health support, intervention, and conflict resolution.
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Family engagement opportunities, which offers sessions on healthy relationships, bullying prevention, suicide awareness, nutrition, and study skills.
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District-wide programs and partnerships that promote a culture of care, respect, and inclusion, ensuring every student feels safe, connected, and valued.
At District 3, we take a layered approach to school safety, combining trained personnel, controlled access, advanced technology, and strong partnerships with local law enforcement to keep our campuses secure every day.
Controlled Access
All District 3 buildings feature limited, secured entry points for visitors. During school hours, visitors must check in at the main entrance, present government-issued identification, and complete a Raptor security screening against the national offender database. Visitor IDs are held until checkout to ensure accountability and secure exit procedures.
Safety Technology & Procedures
- Comprehensive video surveillance systems are in place across all campuses.
- Keyless staff access reduces the circulation of physical keys and enhances building control.
- Visible ID badges are required for all staff, substitutes, and visitors.
- Regular safety drills and building security audits, conducted in collaboration with first responders, ensure preparedness that exceeds state requirements.
Notifications
If school is closed, we try to make a decision by 5:00 a.m. The district will notify you by phone and email, using our mass notification system. Please make sure your contact information is accurate and updated in Skyward to ensure that you will receive a call and email. School closing information will also be posted on the district and school websites, and the district’s social media accounts.
Decision to stay open or close
When making a decision to stay open or to close, D3 administrators monitor warnings and watches from the National Weather Service; the timing of expected weather conditions; and the blowing and drifting, and/or rate of snowfall. On an extremely cold day, we evaluate actual air temperature, wind chill, and the timing and duration of the low temperatures.
It is important for you to know that we also communicate directly with our feeder districts, our surrounding school districts, our director of transportation, and our own grounds staff who are deployed to assess the roads beginning at 2 a.m. District 3 operations staff ensure the school parking lots and sidewalks are cleared and salted during and after each weather event. We also make sure heat systems are functioning properly at each school.
Emergency Days
D3 builds five emergency days into the school calendar. As a parent or guardian, you ultimately make the decision to keep your child home during inclement weather. If you choose not to send your child to school, please call the attendance line to have your child’s absence recorded as excused.
Fox River Grove District 3 follows the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a crisis response protocol developed by the "I Love U Guys" Foundation. The "I Love U Guys" SRP is used by over 50,000 schools, agencies, and organizations around the world.
The SRP incorporates many of the concepts we already use but offers more clarity and consistency in terminology among schools and first responders across the county, state, and country. It is based upon five actions: HOLD, SECURE, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, AND SHELTER. Each has specific staff and student directives that are unique to the action.
Hold
Action: “Hold in your room or area. Clear the halls.”
Use: When hallways need to be kept clear due to an incident inside the building (e.g., medical emergency).
What to do: Students remain in their current room; staff secure the room and continue normal operations.
Secure
Action: “Secure the perimeter. Get inside. Lock outside doors.”
Use: When there is a threat or hazard outside the school building (e.g., police activity nearby).
What to do: Everyone returns inside. Exterior doors are locked, but instruction continues as usual inside the building.
Lockdown
Action: “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.”
Use: When there is a threat inside the school (e.g., intruder or active threat).
What to do: Students move away from sight and remain silent. Staff lock doors, turn off lights, and instruct silence until cleared.
Evacuate
Action: “Evacuate to a location.”
Use: Used when students and staff need to move to a different location (e.g., fire, gas leak).
What to do: Follow instructions to safely exit the building and go to the designated location.
Shelter
Action: “Shelter for [hazard] using [safety strategy].”
Use: Used for environmental hazards such as tornadoes or hazardous materials.
What to do: Follow specific safety instructions for the given situation (e.g., drop, cover, and hold for a tornado).
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At District 3, we take a layered approach to school safety, combining trained personnel, controlled access, advanced technology, and strong partnerships with local law enforcement to keep our campuses secure every day.
Controlled Access
All District 3 buildings feature limited, secured entry points for visitors. During school hours, visitors must check in at the main entrance, present government-issued identification, and complete a Raptor security screening against the national offender database. Visitor IDs are held until checkout to ensure accountability and secure exit procedures.
Safety Technology & Procedures
- Comprehensive video surveillance systems are in place across all campuses.
- Keyless staff access reduces the circulation of physical keys and enhances building control.
- Visible ID badges are required for all staff, substitutes, and visitors.
- Regular safety drills and building security audits, conducted in collaboration with first responders, ensure preparedness that exceeds state requirements.
-
Notifications
If school is closed, we try to make a decision by 5:00 a.m. The district will notify you by phone and email, using our mass notification system. Please make sure your contact information is accurate and updated in Skyward to ensure that you will receive a call and email. School closing information will also be posted on the district and school websites, and the district’s social media accounts.
Decision to stay open or close
When making a decision to stay open or to close, D3 administrators monitor warnings and watches from the National Weather Service; the timing of expected weather conditions; and the blowing and drifting, and/or rate of snowfall. On an extremely cold day, we evaluate actual air temperature, wind chill, and the timing and duration of the low temperatures.
It is important for you to know that we also communicate directly with our feeder districts, our surrounding school districts, our director of transportation, and our own grounds staff who are deployed to assess the roads beginning at 2 a.m. District 3 operations staff ensure the school parking lots and sidewalks are cleared and salted during and after each weather event. We also make sure heat systems are functioning properly at each school.
Emergency Days
D3 builds five emergency days into the school calendar. As a parent or guardian, you ultimately make the decision to keep your child home during inclement weather. If you choose not to send your child to school, please call the attendance line to have your child’s absence recorded as excused.
-
Fox River Grove District 3 follows the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a crisis response protocol developed by the "I Love U Guys" Foundation. The "I Love U Guys" SRP is used by over 50,000 schools, agencies, and organizations around the world.
The SRP incorporates many of the concepts we already use but offers more clarity and consistency in terminology among schools and first responders across the county, state, and country. It is based upon five actions: HOLD, SECURE, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, AND SHELTER. Each has specific staff and student directives that are unique to the action.
Hold
Action: “Hold in your room or area. Clear the halls.”
Use: When hallways need to be kept clear due to an incident inside the building (e.g., medical emergency).
What to do: Students remain in their current room; staff secure the room and continue normal operations.
Secure
Action: “Secure the perimeter. Get inside. Lock outside doors.”
Use: When there is a threat or hazard outside the school building (e.g., police activity nearby).
What to do: Everyone returns inside. Exterior doors are locked, but instruction continues as usual inside the building.
Lockdown
Action: “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.”
Use: When there is a threat inside the school (e.g., intruder or active threat).
What to do: Students move away from sight and remain silent. Staff lock doors, turn off lights, and instruct silence until cleared.
Evacuate
Action: “Evacuate to a location.”
Use: Used when students and staff need to move to a different location (e.g., fire, gas leak).
What to do: Follow instructions to safely exit the building and go to the designated location.
Shelter
Action: “Shelter for [hazard] using [safety strategy].”
Use: Used for environmental hazards such as tornadoes or hazardous materials.
What to do: Follow specific safety instructions for the given situation (e.g., drop, cover, and hold for a tornado).
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