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Safety

Drills

During the school year, we practice the following “safety drills” in an effort to prepare our students for emergency situations on our campus:

  • Fire drills six times a year
  • Tornado drills twice a year
  • Lockdown drills three times a year

Students are expected to participate in the drills in a serious manner to decrease the risk of harm to themselves and others. Plans for emergency drills are posted in each classroom and other areas accessible to staff and students where required by law.

Emergencies

District staff are prepared to take action should an emergency arise during the school day. Fire, tornado, intruder, and special security drills are conducted periodically to provide students the opportunity to practice and be prepared for such scenarios. In addition, bus drivers conduct evacuation drills with their students. Should an emergency cause school to be closed early, announcements will be made on local television stations and on the district website. In the event of an emergency, every attempt will be made to provide a safe and reassuring environment for all students. It is in the best interest of both parents and students for parents to refrain from driving to the school to pick up their child since it could be extremely disruptive to the emergency procedure being implemented.

School Closing And Delays Due To Emergencies

When schools are delayed or closed, the district will place a detailed announcement on the district website, www.sycamoreschools.org. In addition, Sycamore parents/guardians will receive a voice message at the home phone and mobile phone that is associated with their contact information in our student database system. All changes to contact information should be made in Final Forms.

Building Unification Plan

In the event an emergency evacuation of the building is deemed necessary by the building administration, all persons will evacuate and may be directed to an off-site location. If the evacuation will be for a prolonged period of time, require family reunification, or due to severe weather or other considerations, the school will transport students and faculty to the following locations:

For security reasons, we do not publish this information. You will be notified by your students’ school where to go.

School Property

Damage to school property must be paid for by students and/or their parents as stated in policy ECAB. Students will be assessed the replacement cost of the lost or damaged book or item.

Lockers

All school lockers are the property of the Sycamore Board of Education and, in accordance with the law, lockers/cubbies and the contents therein may be the subject of a random search at any time. The Sycamore Board of Education may direct the principal or a designee to conduct random searches as a proactive means to reduce behavior that is not in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct, and/or the law. Please refer to board policy JFG and JFG-R.

Lockers are optional and students should reach out to administration to be assigned a locker. The student is responsible for the care and appearance of the locker. Damage to the locker will be assessed to the student.

While the school makes every effort to solve locker problems, the school is neither responsible nor liable for books or other items of value missing or taken from lockers regardless of the circumstances. Each student is responsible for his/her own possessions, for their replacement, and/or payment.

Search

The right to inspect students' school lockers or articles carried upon their persons and to interrogate an individual student is inherent in the authority granted school boards. All searches are conducted sparingly and only when such search is reasonably likely to produce tangible results to preserve discipline and good order and the safety and security of persons and their property. The Board permits building administrators/designees to search any unattended bag for safety and identification purposes. Student lockers are the property of the district, and since random searches have a positive impact on reducing drugs and other criminal activity, it is the policy of the Board to permit the building administrator to search any locker and its contents as the administrator believes necessary. Students are advised that the Sycamore Schools board policy provides for the random, unannounced search of student lockers and for the use of canines in detecting the presence of drugs. Building administrators/designees are permitted to search the person and personal property (purse, backpack, gym bag, etc.) of a student where there is reason to believe that evidence will be obtained indicating the student’s violation of either the law or school rules.

Confidentiality

The District proposes to designate the following personally identifiable information contained in a student's education records as "directory information"; it discloses that information without prior written consent, except that not even directory information will be released for a profit-making plan or activity. Such information includes:

  • Student's name
  • Student's address
  • Student's date of birth
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • Student's achievement awards or honors
  • The student's weight and height, if a member of an athletic team
  • Major field of study
  • Dates of attendance (“from and to” dates of enrollment)
  • Date of graduation

Names, addresses, school email addresses, and telephone listings of secondary students must be released to a recruiting officer of the armed forces unless a parent or student (age 18 or older) submits a written request not to release the information. The District notifies parents and students (age 18 or older) of their right to submit a written request not to release such information. For more information, please see board policy KKA.

For more information, please see board policy JO-R.

Surveillance equipment

Sycamore Schools plans to electronically access and monitor student's school-issued devices for permissible reasons as outlined in Senate Bill 29. Additional information can be found in the annual notice provided in Final Forms. The Board recognizes the value of electronic surveillance systems in monitoring activity on school property and in school vehicles in protecting the health, welfare and safety of its students and staff. Carefully weighing the rights of privacy of students and staff against the District’s duty to maintain order and discipline, the Board authorizes the use of electronic surveillance systems. Cameras are used on school property and vape detectors are used in the high school. For more information please see board policy ECA-R.

Student Surveys

The Board recognizes the importance of maintaining student records and preserving their confidentiality. Student records containing personally identifiable information are kept confidential at collection, storage, disclosure and destruction stages. Boards that receive funds under any applicable program must provide reasonable notice to parents at the beginning of each school year that their children may be involved in Board-approved third party surveys. Parents have the opportunity to opt their child out of the activity. For more information please see board policy JOA.

Student Visitors

Due to classroom size constraints and continued national concerns in regards to school safety / emergency procedures, students are not allowed to have other students attend classes or visit at lunch during the school day. Prospective students need to arrange for a tour through the Administration.

Student Visitors

All individuals who are not part of a normal school day (regular students, staff, or faculty) shall report directly to the school office and state the reason for their visit each time he/she enters the school. For the safety of students and staff, Sycamore Community Schools is utilizing the visitor management system. All visitors must obtain a visitor’s badge which must be worn at all times while in the school building. Parents who wish to visit a classroom must contact the teacher in advance to establish a time to visit the classroom. Once an appointment is made, parents must sign in at the school's main office and obtain a visitor badge. No person may disrupt, disturb or interfere with the teaching of any class of students or any other activity conducted in a school building or upon the campus or grounds at any time. For more information please see board policy KGB.

Volunteer Background Checks

In an ongoing effort to ensure a safe and secure environment for all students, Sycamore has instituted a volunteer background check process. This process requires a criminal background check for any volunteer that is accompanying a school group on an overnight field trip or is working with students in an environment out of sight and sound of a district employee. Examples of individuals who do not need a criminal background check include, but are not limited to, playground volunteers (as long as there is a regular teacher or aide on the playground), an individual volunteering in the regular classroom, or any volunteer under staff supervision. Background checks will be conducted only on those individuals authorized by the building principal and will be completed at the District Offices. Volunteers may be required to pay for their background check.

Volunteers will be permitted at the discretion of the principal.All classroom volunteers are under the direction of the teacher and are asked to honor their commitment with punctuality and attendance. Each volunteer area will have specific guidelines and contingency plans in the event someone is unable to fulfill their responsibility on a particular day. Volunteers must maintain the confidentiality of the educational setting related to student academic and behavioral issues and must not divulge information of this nature to any individual or group with the exception of the teacher in charge or other appropriate personnel. Discussing individual staff members or programs in a critical manner is inappropriate. When volunteering in the classroom, media center, or on a field trip, it is inappropriate to bring younger children. The volunteer’s attention must be totally directed to the task at hand. When performing duties and questions or concerns arise, volunteers should consult with the person in charge at an appropriate time. Volunteers should be a positive example and role model for the children by being aware of verbal and nonverbal communication. Cell phones should be turned off or put on vibrate.

 

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