March is recognized as Severe Weather Preparedness Month in Illinois.

Severe weather can happen at any time of the year, so make sure to review your own family’s preparedness efforts and to talk to your children about what to do in an emergency. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security advises that including your children in the planning process and answering their questions about safety can help them feel more comfortable and safe. 

Children should know their basic contact information, how to use a telephone and cell phone, how and when to call 9-1-1, and the details of a family evacuation plan. Other resources, such as things you should include in an emergency bag and a go bag, can be found here. 

In addition, having a Family Communications Plan can help you map locations to meet and track important contact information. A few of the state’s emergency communication tips include:

• Make sure your entire household knows necessary emergency contact information.

• Designate an out-of-area contact person. Family members should call this person to report their locations if they cannot reach each other. 

• Make sure you have at least one phone in your house that does not require electricity to work. 

• Program an I.C.E. (In-Case-of-Emergency) point of contact into your cell phone in case you are incapacitated. This should be a family member or close friend.

The change to Daylight Savings Time - this year happening on Sunday, March 10, 2024, - is also a great time to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and change the batteries, if needed. 

U-46 prepares for emergencies by testing its phones and silent alarm systems on the first Tuesday of each month, coinciding with the tests of emergency sirens conducted by our local communities. Each school in U-46 holds a number of safety drills each school year, including drills to help prepare students and staff in the case of a fire, severe weather, or need to evacuate a school bus. Learn more here. 

U-46 uses a digital safety service, called Securly, on the Chromebooks and iPads provided to students. The service alerts U-46 staff if there is activity that indicates a student may be considering self-harm, harming others, or be involved in cyber-bullying. More information about Securly, including an option for parents, can be found here. 

Of course, most students have online access on devices other than the ones provided by U-46. Safer Internet Day, observed every February, is an international education and awareness-raising effort designed to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones. 

Parents should supervise their children’s Internet use, periodically checking their profiles, games, apps, and social media sites they visit.

The National PTA has a number of resources designed to empower families to use technology safely - and to inspire conversations between parents and children about guidelines for screen time, appropriate content, and online interactions. A Family Media Agreement, such as this one offered by Common Sense Media, can also help guide conversations about digital safety. 

U-46 is fully committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students. To ensure we achieve this, we ask for help from parents and guardians in offering guidance and setting expectations for appropriate behavior. 

Please speak with your child or children about making good choices and remind them never to bring any weapon or anything that resembles a weapon to school. Carrying a weapon or anything that resembles a weapon creates an atmosphere of fear and unease among our students and staff. Additionally, it is not tolerated and is considered a serious offense. Students will receive consequences according to our Student Code of Conduct as well as a referral to the police, which could result in criminal charges. 

Encourage them that if they see or become aware of any safety concerns, to notify a trusted adult, a teacher, a school administrator, or the police. In other words, if “you see something, say something!” You or your children may also use the District’s online reporting tool, available here.

School bus drivers do everything they can to keep students safe, but drivers and parents play a critical role, too. Violating school bus safety laws in Illinois can result in a fine, citation, or loss of driver’s license. By following the law and these guidelines, we can all help protect the children who ride school buses in our communities.

Stop for School Buses

If you are traveling behind a school bus, please follow at a safe distance, because the vehicles make frequent stops. When you see a school bus slowing down or stopping, make sure to be aware of not only the bus but also the surrounding area. Children are likely nearby, waiting to board or crossing the street to board or after exiting. 

Illegal School Bus Passing

Illegal school bus passing poses a significant threat to children and others on the road. In Illinois, it is illegal for you to pass a school bus while the stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing. This applies to highways, streets, private roads, and school property, including when school buses are in parking lots or in a drop-off or pick-up lane at school. (The only exception is on a four-lane highway if you are in the lanes going in the opposite direction of the bus. The Illinois State Police offer more information here.) 

Understanding School Bus Lights 

Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. You should slow down and prepare to stop your vehicle. Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. You must stop your car and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving, before you can start driving again.

Reminders for Students 

Parents and caregivers can help children be safe around school buses by reminding them to stand as far back from the curb as possible when waiting for a bus. Before boarding, children should wait until the bus has come to a complete stop and the driver signals that it’s safe to get on. After exiting the bus, children should never cross the street behind a bus, only in front of it and after making eye contact with the driver and getting his or her signal. Then they should look left-right-left to make sure it’s safe to cross.  

An important part of safety preparedness is making sure everyone involved is using consistent terminology and understands exactly what the terms mean.

Hold in Place and Teach: This is a safety procedure that requires all students and staff to remain in their classrooms and out of the halls. This step is taken when a situation inside the school requires immediate action. Often, it could be a medical situation involving a student or staff member, and a “Hold in Place and Teach” allows for medical personnel to quickly get inside and provide assistance. 

Secure the Building and Teach: This is a safety procedure that requires students and staff who are inside the school to stay in their areas, and students and staff who are outside to move inside.  Administrators ensure all doors are locked and that no one leaves or enters the building. This step is taken when there is a hazard outside the school, such as police activity in the area unrelated to the school. 

Run, Hide, Fight: This is a situation in which students, under the direction of an adult, can assess the situation and determine which option is best. If there was a violent intruder inside the school, the response could be to run to a safer location or hide in a classroom, office, or staff bathroom equipped with lockdown locks that staff can secure from the inside. While hiding, people are directed to prepare to defend themselves with whatever means possible. 

Evacuation: When there is an unsafe situation inside a building that requires everyone to exit — such as a fire, chemical spill, or gas leak — the evacuation procedure is used. 

To help ensure everyone is prepared in the event of an emergency, each school in U-46 holds a number of safety drills each school year. These drills are held during the school day: Three fire drills (one with the local fire department present), one severe weather drill, one bus evacuation, and one run, hide, fight drill conducted with the local police department present to provide feedback and direction.