Safety and Security Frequently Asked Questions

Schools are required to complete one drill per month while school is in session per state law. They can conduct more if they wish, but one drill per month throughout the school year is the minimum (RCW 28A.320.125). Each school must conduct each of the following drills per year (BSD Policy 3242P):

• 3 Fire Evacuation Drills
• 2 Earthquake Drills
• 3 Lockdown Drills (1 Lockout Drill)
• 1 Shelter in Place Drill
• 1 Drill using School Mapping System

The Safety and Security Department provides hazard specific training to all Bellevue School District staff. There are currently over 15 training courses the Safety and Security Department provides, with continual additions and updated material. Courses include but are not limited to: Incident Command System, Earthquake Readiness, Active Shooter, Disaster Medical, and Search and Rescue, to name a few. The Safety and Security Department also provides an 8-hour and 16-hour Safety Academy to BSD staff multiple times a year. Safety Academies include multiple safety courses and hands on practicals for staff to practice their newly learned skills. To learn more about the Safety and Security Department’s Safety Academies, please click here.

Although children get training while at school through drills and district approved learning tools, talking to your kids at home is a key factor in preparedness. Making sure that your family has a plan and practicing what to do in emergencies at home will translate into readiness at school. Being able to talk to your kids about the seriousness of emergencies and listening to whoever is in charge also plays a large role while organizing and practicing preparedness during drills at school. You may find this website helpful for tips on discussing school safety with your child(ren). Other helpful sources can be found on our Front Page, under “Resources”.

The Safety and Security department is working closely with schools and the Social Emotional Learning Department to ensure that the information being provided to students during drills is age appropriate.

Elementary level staff have access to District approved learning tools, including safety videos and comic strips, to help teach their students what to do in a variety of emergencies and explaining why they are taking the safe actions that are required in each emergency and drill scenario.

Secondary students are receiving training during a safety assembly. The training they receive is based off training given to BSD staff to ensure students and staff can work together effectively if found in an emergency.

Please talk to your children about school safety at home so that they are prepared for drills at school.

Depending on the nature of the emergency, your child may be released through the normal pickup procedures at their school, through modified pickup procedures at their school, or through a parent/child reunification process at an off-site location. Please do not “self-deploy” to the school during an emergency. Information will be released through the media and through district communication tools such as School Messenger to advise you of any special circumstances for release.

This would depend on the nature of the emergency. If modified pickup procedure or an off-site reunification is needed, you will be required to show photo ID to sign out your child. Children will only be released to those who have been listed on the Emergency Release Form. This form is filled out at the beginning of the school year and can be modified on ParentVUE.

Do not come to the school during an emergency. Information will be released through the media and through district communication tools such as School Messenger to advise you of any special circumstances for release.

For more information regarding Reunification procedures and expectations, please see our Reunification Page.

You will not be allowed to pick up children who are not yours unless previous written consent is on file with the school which identifies you as an emergency contact for the children in question.

Lockout may be initiated when there is some kind of danger in the neighborhood, but not directed at the school. It is usually initiated by police and is designed to keep the danger outside of the school. Typically, a lockout lasts only a few minutes, but in some instances may last longer. During a lockout, no one will be allowed in or out, so meetings at the school may need to be rescheduled. Lockouts are precautionary.

Lockdown is initiated when there is a threat to the campus or school. All threats are taken seriously. In the interest of student safety, lockdown may be initiated while the nature of the threat is evaluated. Staff are trained to lock classroom doors, shut off the lights, close the blinds, and to continually assess the situation. Staff and students transition to run, hide, or fight based upon the situation presented.

Do not come to the school during an emergency. Information will be released through the media and through district communication tools such as School Messenger to advise you of any special circumstances for release.

The Safety and Security Department can help schedule trainings and presentations for PTA/PTSA groups with regards to public safety (Police, Fire, Red Cross, etc.).

Each school has an Emergency Supply container or room filled with necessities in the event students and staff are forced to stay at school due to a natural disaster. Each Emergency Supply room includes, but is not limited to: water, medical supplies, search and rescue equipment, staging supplies and shelter supplies. Please contact your principal regarding any school-specific safety or supply questions.

Persons found to have made threats of violence or harm against district property, students, employees or others are subject to relevant District discipline procedures and are be referred to appropriate community agencies, including law enforcement and mental health services.  Law enforcement assesses the credibility of threats and determines whether to pursue criminal charges. The district conducts its own investigation and initiates a threat assessment in accordance with the school-based threat assessment procedure.

The district will communicate with our community about a threat at the earliest opportunity, recognizing that these communications will come after the threat has been investigated. It is important for community members to understand that threats directed at schools are often fluid situations involving criminal investigative activity. While early communication is our goal, providing accurate information is imperative. Information that is shared with the community is limited by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), other legal limitations, and case-by-case circumstances. 

Various factors are used to assess whether a threat is deemed credible. This includes specificity of the threat (i.e., direct versus veiled or indirect threat) and whether the individual has the means and ability to carry out the threat. BSD Safety and Security staff works with local law enforcement partners to assess whether a threat is deemed credible.  

A credible or substantive threat is defined as a threat where there is a significant risk that the suspect will cause grievous physical injury to others in the near future, and that risk cannot be eliminated by a modification of practices, procedures, or interventions. One test to determine if a threat is credible is the ability and intent of the individual posing the threat. 

A transient threat is defined as a threat where there is no sustained intent of harm. Transient threats can be jokes or statements made in anger that are expressions of feeling or figures of speech rather than expressions of a genuine intent to harm someone.

If a threat is deemed credible and/or unresolved, the district will request law enforcement presence at the impacted school(s) to support the safety of our students and staff. In addition, schools will establish comprehensive safety plans and/or impose an emergency removal of individuals if the district has sufficient cause to believe that the individual’s presence poses an immediate and continuing danger to other students or school personnel or an immediate and continuing threat of material and substantial disruption of the educational process. 

A safety plan is designed to provide support to a student or students and ensures the safety of the school community. It is a proactive approach, typically involving collaboration among school personnel, mental health professionals, and a student’s family. 

Each safety plan is unique based on individual circumstances. It may include, but is not limited to: actions taken to ensure immediate safety, such as removing a student from the school environment; searches of students and personal property in accordance with district policy; increased supervision of a student to monitor behavior and ensure safety; referral to a mental health professional for a thorough assessment of a student’s psychological state; ongoing counseling or therapy to address underlying issues that may have contributed to the threat; development of coping mechanisms and behavioral strategies to help a  student manage their emotions and actions; agreements outlining expected behaviors and consequences for not adhering to the plan; regular monitoring of the student’s behavior and progress by school staff and mental health professionals; steps for the student’s safe return to the school environment, including gradual reintegration if necessary; regular meetings with the student’s family to discuss the safety plan, progress, and any additional support needed; scheduled reviews of the safety plan to assess its effectiveness and make adjustments as needed. 

Once a threat has been resolved and the matter has been forwarded for possible criminal charges, interested parties can obtain further information that is made public from the criminal courts.

Information about threats received to our school community that involves an immediate danger or a situation involving a life-threatening emergency should be reported to law enforcement by calling 911. Alternatively, reporting parties can report anonymously via the district’s Vector Solutions Tip Line.

If a threat has been determined to be unresolved, imminent, or credible in nature, law enforcement is called upon to provide a uniformed presence on campus for the safety of our students and staff.  

Information regarding a specific incident will be communicated by the school or district through official channels, from both building or district administration. BSD families receive district communication via email, phone call and text message through SchoolMessenger according to their preferred methods of communication provided in ParentVUE. Learn how to update your preferences including language and notification type.   

Community members who have questions or concerns about a school-based safety matter are encouraged to first contact their student’s building administrator. If concerns are still unanswered, community members may contact safetyandsecurity@bsd405.org 

Threat assessments are a formalized process of evaluating the threatening, or potentially threatening behavior of a student, and circumstances surrounding the threat or concerning behavior, to uncover any facts or evidence that the student or other actor is likely to carry out the threat. The underlying question with a threat assessment is whether an individual poses a threat, not whether the individual has made a threat. Threat assessments are conducted after a threat has been received or there is observed concerning behavior on the part of an individual.  

Determination of whether a threat is deemed credible/substantive or transient in nature is made by specially trained Safety and Security Department staff in collaboration with our law enforcement partners. District Safety and Security staff includes a team member who is a Certified Threat Manager. This position requires significant, detailed, and ongoing professional development in the latest research in threat management.