9/6/24
Update Regarding School Safety
NWLSD Families,
We want to provide an important update regarding the social media threat we communicated about yesterday. We continue to partner with local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the source of any and all threats to our school community. We take each and every one of them seriously. Even in instances where threats are determined to be hoaxes, we work in partnership to get to the bottom of it and hold individuals accountable.
Safety is and will always be our top priority at Northwest Local School District. We appreciate the support and understanding from our families as we take all potential threats seriously. We proactively plan for safety threats and react swiftly when there is even the smallest possibility of one.
Yesterday and today, we increased the presence of security and law enforcement at our schools as an added precaution. We also visited each school to review safety measures and precautions. Our district takes significant steps each and every day to ensure a safe learning environment. These are just a few of the measures we have in place:
School Resource Officers (SROs) and Security Staff: Our trained SROs are present in our schools daily, working alongside our security personnel to monitor and maintain a safe school environment.
Drills and Training: We conduct regular safety drills and training to be prepared for a variety of scenarios.
Over the summer, on July 26th, we conducted comprehensive safety drills and training with the Colerain Police Department, Fire Department, and Hamilton County Communications Center (911 Dispatchers) to be prepared for a variety of situations.
Each year, we bring in safety professionals to certify additional staff members in critical incident training.
Throughout the year, our school-based teams also undergo regular safety training and we conduct safety drills with all staff and students.
Enhanced Physical Security: We continue to invest in increasing the physical security of our buildings and have used state safety grants to make many improvements recently, including:
We continue to add digital key fobs that help to restrict access into and throughout each building.
Walkie-talkies have been purchased to enhance immediate communication within each school and across the district.
We use a digital software application on each staff member's phone that serves as an Emergency Management Communication System.
Each classroom door is equipped with locks and has additional safety devices to barricade a classroom from within.
We are also in the process of adding secure vestibules in certain school locations where there is currently not one in place to further enhance safety at entrances to buildings.
These are just a few of the measures we take. We are continually assessing and improving our safety protocols to meet the needs of our community.
We are deeply grateful for the cooperation and vigilance shown by our students, families, and staff. As always, we ask that you remind your students to "See Something, Say Something" and continue to report any concerning behavior or activity to a trusted adult.
Thank you for your partnership in maintaining the safety of our schools. Together, we will continue to provide a secure and supportive environment for all of our students.
Northwest Local School District Administration