School Safety

A teacher hugs a student outside of a school bus

At ISD 199, safety is a priority, and maintaining security and emergency preparedness is crucial to that commitment. Our district has crisis management plans that cover everything from a winter weather-related school closure to districtwide emergency events. Plans cover prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Stay Informed

In case of an emergency or school closure/delay, families will be notified with the following:

Phone: Text and voice messages to your preferred phone number

An outline of an envelope with the "at" symbol in the center

Email: Emails to your preferred email address

ParentSquare: Log into the Parent Portal and click ParentSquare to see any notifications on your dashboard

Families can also monitor the following for information about school closures and delays and, when appropriate, emergencies:

Website: www.isd199.org for the most up-to-date information

Social Media: Facebook, Inver Grove Heights Schools, or Instagram, ISD199

Local Newscasts: Watch for "Inver Grove Heights Schools" in the news crawl of Twin Cities television network affiliate stations

Listen for "Inver Grove Heights Schools" on WCCO-AM (830)

To ensure that you receive emergency calls, texts, and emails, please check that your contact information in Infinite Campus is correct, using the instructions under "Keep Your Contacts Updated." If everything is correct and you have not received any emergency calls, please contact your child's school.

Director of Facilities & Safety
Lindsay Elwell
ElwellL@isd199.org
phone 651-306-7829

Keep Your Contacts Updated

Log in to the Parent Portal and click Infinite Campus.
Click on the person icon in the upper righthand corner of the screen.
Click "Settings."
Click "Contact Preferences."
Update your phone number and/or email address if necessary.
Click "Save" after making any changes.

Want to change your notification settings?

You can use ParentSquare to change how, when, and in what language you receive school and district messages. Find out how by visiting our ParentSquare webpage.

Go to our ParentSquare Webpage

Emergency Closures & Delays

A school bus drives through falling snow

School Delays

If school is delayed due to dangerous conditions that are expected to significantly improve in a short period of time:

Spartan Kids' Care will start two hours later than normal.
School buses and all other school transportation will pick up students at their stops two hours later than normal.
Morning offerings, preschool classes, and morning and afternoon Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classes, and early childhood screenings will be canceled.
A decision will be made about evening ECFE classes later in the day.

Winter Weather School Closure

Winter weather closures may be due to dangerous temperatures and wind chills, hazardous road conditions, and/or quickly accumulating snow or ice.

Cancellations will be considered if the National Weather Service forecast for 6:00 AM on the following morning shows a wind chill of below -35 degrees Fahrenheit OR an air temperature below -25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cancellations will also be considered if heavy snow and/or icy conditions make it extremely hazardous or impossible for buses to drive their routes and for employees to get to work safely.
The district will aim to make a decision by 5:45 AM the morning of the canceled school day.

When a winter weather closure is announced, the following are canceled:

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Early childhood screenings
Spartan Kids' Care
After-school programs and extracurricular activities, except varsity athletics
Field trips
School events
Evening high school
Area learning centers
Family engagement activities (e.g. open houses, conferences)

When a winter weather closure is announced, the following will be decided on an individual basis:

Varsity athletics - Coaches will communicate schedules with the athletes

If the weather becomes challenging during a school day, schedules may change, and families will be notified as soon as possible. Families are encouraged to develop a plan with their child to prepare for a possible early dismissal.

Closure-related Flex Learning Days

ISD 199 will have two winter weather closures before closure-related Flex Learning Days are declared and students continue their classwork from home. There will be no school expectations for student learning at home during the first two school cancellations. These two days will allow families and staff time to prepare for any closure-related Flex Learning Days.

Closure-related Flex Learning Days will begin on the third winter weather closure of the school year. Teachers will send work with elementary school students, including preschoolers, before the closure-related Flex Learning Day or in an email to each child's parents/guardians. Middle and high school students will be expected to check Schoology for assignments. There will be no synchronous (Zoom) instruction on closure-related Flex Learning Days, but teachers will be available by email and work phone during regular school hours to answer student or family questions.

Closure-related Flex Learning Days are separate from the scheduled Flex Learning Days already designated on the school calendar.

What are closure-related Flex Learning Days?

The state of Minnesota decides the minimum amount of time students must be in class in a standard school year, and school cancellations caused by severe weather make it challenging to meet the state’s requirements. With the tools and skills our students, staff, and families have become familiar with, learning can continue, even when conditions are too dangerous for buildings to be open.

The district will contact families about any building closures. On the third winter weather closure of the school year, a "Flex Learning Day" will be announced and students, preschool through grade 12, will continue their classwork from home. Flex Learning Days will keep student learning on track and alleviate the need to add makeup days at the end of the school year.

When would closure-related Flex Learning Days be declared?

There will be no school expectations for student learning on the first two winter weather closures of the school year. On the third winter weather closure and any that might follow, the district will announce a Flex Learning Day and students will continue their classwork from home. The district will contact families on the day of any winter weather closure and inform them of whether it is a Flex Learning Day or not in the automated call. Information will also be sent via email and text and posted on the district website, www.isd199.org.

Where can assignments for these Flex Learning Days be found?

Elementary school students and families, including those in preschool, will receive a printed Flex Learning board to use on Flex Learning Days. A copy of each class's board will also be available on the Flex Learning Assignments webpage, which will open after a closure-related Flex Learning Day is announced.

Flex Learning Assignments for elementary families only

Middle and high school students will find their assignments through Schoology. Assignments will be posted within 30 minutes of the start of class and no later than noon for all classes.

Will teachers be available on these Flex Learning Days?

What if I need help with Seesaw or Schoology?

Why didn't I receive an email about the closure-related Flex Learning Day?

Flex Learning Assignments

Elementary school students and families, including those in preschool, can find copies of their class's Flex Learning board on our Flex Learning Assignments webpage. The link will open only after a closure-related Flex Learning Day is announced.

Flex Learning Assignments for elementary families only

Middle and high school students will find their assignments through Schoology.

Standard Response Protocol

ISD 199 uses the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation in collaboration with first responders, families, and school administrators. The SRP is based not on individual scenarios but on the response to any given situation.

The Crisis Management Plan we use in case of other emergencies is based on the Standard Response Protocol and Standard Response Method provided by the nationally renowned I Love U Guys Foundation. Our plan includes the best practices determined through long-term collaboration with school administrators, psychologists, public space safety experts, families, and first responders.

For more details, please see the video below and the SRP Parent Handout (also available in Spanish, Arabic, Hmong, Somali, and French).

What Does Each Protocol Mean?

HOLD

A Hold is called when the hallways need to be kept clear due to a situation. Students and staff are instructed to clear the halls and stay in a classroom or area until the situation is resolved. Learning continues during a hold, but students will not be allowed to leave the classroom or area, even if the bell rings.

Holds are typically brief
Holds are not lockdowns
Parents are asked not to visit the school

Example: A student or staff medical issue occurs, and hallways must stay clear to allow emergency responders access.

SECURE

Secure is called when there is believed to be a threat or hazard in the area, outside of the building. Students and activities are brought inside as a precaution. No one is allowed in or out of the building until the Secure is lifted. Learning continues as normal, and students are allowed to move about within the building.

Students won't always know or need to know why a Secure has been called
Law enforcement will notify the school when the situation is all clear
Parents are asked not to visit the school

Examples: A dangerous animal is spotted nearby, or criminal activity is reported in the area.

LOCKDOWN

A Lockdown occurs when there is a threat or hazard believed to be inside the building. No one is allowed in or out of the building, and all students and staff remain in their locked classrooms or offices, out of sight, with the lights turned off. Police or administration will release students and staff once the situation is deemed safe.

We practice five lockdown drills a year
Students or staff in an open space during a Lockdown are encouraged to get to the nearest, safest place possible
Parents are asked not to call or visit the school

Example: An angry parent or threatening intruder is believed to be inside the building.

EVACUATE

Evacuate may be announced if students and staff must leave the building because of a hazard and go to a safe location. Teachers will lead students out of the building to a designated location.

We practice five fire drills a year
We will notify parents with information about where students are and when they can return to school or where they can be picked up
Parents are asked not to visit the school or the off-site location unless instructed otherwise

Examples: A fire or gas leak is reported in the building.

SHELTER

Shelter is called when there is a severe weather event affecting the school. Depending on conditions, students may stay in their classrooms or move to a designated area.

We practice one tornado drill a year
Every school has a designated location for potential events

Example: A tornado is reported near the school, and students must shelter in the designated area.

More About Safety

Annual Drills

Law Enforcement Partners

Parents/Guardians

In the event of an emergency, we ask for parent/guardian cooperation with the following procedures:

Please do not call the school. Phone lines must be kept available for emergency communication.
Please do not come to the school to pick up your child unless it is requested.
You can expect to get information and updates via automated emails, phone calls and text messages.

Reporting Concerns

Reunification

If an emergency situation arises in our community or one of our buildings while school is in session, our district has made preparations to respond effectively and appropriately.

ISD 199 has a detailed, all-hazards emergency plan that has been formulated to provide direction to its staff and students during an emergency. This Reunification process was planned with the help of local law enforcement and is designed to ensure parents and students are safely reunited during an emergency.

Prior to reuniting families with their student, it is important for parents and guardians to remember the following:

Stay Home. Going to the school could interfere with emergency responders' ability to respond to the crisis.
Stay Informed. Reunification will occur at a different location than the school a student attends. Do not call or text. The district will keep parents informed.
Be Ready. Parents will be instructed to bring a photo ID and come to a Reunification check-in location to be reunited with their child.

Secure Front Entrances

During the school day, all visitors must be buzzed into the front office. Once inside, visitors are required to sign in using our visitor management system before proceeding beyond the front office. As part of this process, visitors will need to present a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. The ID will be scanned for an on-the-spot background check.

Approved visitors will receive a photo ID sticker badge to wear during their visit. Only then will visitors be allowed past the front office and into the school.

These measures help us track visitors for everyone's safety and take proactive measures to best protect our students and staff.

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