School Safety

Upcoming School Safety Town Hall

Join us on December 3, 2024 for a school safety town hall.

Click here to learn more.

About School Safety

Ensuring that our schools are safe and welcoming environments is critical to the well-being and success of our students and staff. School safety requires a comprehensive approach that includes both preventative and responsive measures.

As a district, we work to build positive school cultures and have programs and resources in place to support students in a variety of individualized ways. The district continually engages in safety and crisis planning, has undergone a safety review, and through our voter-approved bond initiative, we have been able, and will continue, to make upgrades to the physical security of our campuses.

It is critical for families, staff and students to report any threats that are heard or posted online. If you see or hear something, say something. We must all work together to take action and respond in order to keep our schools safe.

Please know there is nothing more important than the safety of our students and staff. School safety is the responsibility of all of us.

Prevention & Response at School

Madison School District's comprehensive approach to school safety includes student support strategies, investments in physical infrastructure, and planning and training with our staff and students.

Student Supports

Ensuring that every student has the resources and support they need is not only critical for individual academic success, but helps create positive and safe school cultures. Madison's MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) program provides support to every student and additional, personalized support to students who may need additional help. Every Madison school has a counselor and social worker available to work with students. By supporting our students' personal wellbeing, encouraging positive and responsible behaviors, and building trusting environments, we reduce the types of actions and behaviors that could result in a school safety issue.  

Physical Infrastructure

Physical infrastructure is an important part of our prevention strategy to keep students and staff safe during the school day. Thanks to voter support of our Bond and Override measures, Madison has been able, and will continue, to invest in physical infrastructure improvements. Examples include updating gates, visitor sign-in processes, controlled access to campuses, and more.

Planning & Training

While we do our best to prevent safety issues from arising, we do plan and train for situations that may occur. We have participated in safety assessments and reviews that help guide and improve our plans and our schools practice drills throughout the year. Following a safety incident, district and school administrators meet to review and assess the incident and response and improve future processes if needed. 

Important Information for Families

Families play an important role in both the prevention and response to a safety issue. We understand that these situations can cause a variety of different feelings. However, we ask for your patience and to follow any and all instructions as provided to help keep yourself and others safe.

Please ensure that your contact information is up-to-date in PowerSchool so we can reach you in the event of an emergency.

Prevention at Home

• Be aware of what your student is involved in both online and offline.
• Talk with your student about appropriate online behavior.
• If you or your student hears about something concerning, please report it to the school administration and/or law enforcement immediately.
• Talk with your student about the seriousness of making threats. Threats are not jokes.
• Ensure firearms and other dangerous items are locked up and not accessible to students. Please see the Governing Board Resolution on Safe Storage for more information.
• Ensure students are not bringing inappropriate items, including toy replicas of weapons, with them to school.
• Our school administration, counselors and social workers are available if you would like more information on how to talk with your child about these topics.

During an Emergency

• If a safety concern arises, you will receive a notification at the contact information we have on file in PowerSchool. Please ensure we have the most updated information.
• Depending on the situation, the initial communication may not provide many details. Please understand that often situations are changing quickly and we are working to gather the most accurate information as quickly as possible. We will follow up with additional updates as we are able to share them.
• The information contained in the communication is the most up-to-date information that we are able to share. Please do not call the school for additional information, as they are working to manage and resolve the situation.
• Please do not text or call your child. During an emergency, alert notifications and distractions from phones can be a safety risk.
• Please do not come to the school unless you are directed to do so. Additional traffic and individuals at the school can be a safety hazard and negatively impact response efforts.
• If students will need to be picked up, please follow all directions. Students will only be released to contacts listed in PowerSchool with permission to pick the student up. Individuals will need to provide identification.