Woodland D50 Safety

This week Woodland is celebrating America’s Safe Schools Week! The safety of our staff and students is our top priority, and safety is something we think about everyday throughout the year. As a school district community, we have already made a clear commitment to safety, but during America's Safe Schools Week, we would like to take the opportunity to reflect on all the different ways Woodland is working with our community to keep your Wildcats safe. In this newsletter, we will share a few important updates about Safety at Woodland, emerging concerns we want to bring to your attention, and tips and resources for you to use in your conversations at home. We also welcome you to visit the Safety Portal on our district website to learn more. Thank you for being an important partner in safety!

School districts across the country are seeing a dramatic increase in online threats to schools, students, and faculty. Woodland Middle School was impacted by this disturbing trend in September, and it caused a great deal of stress and anxiety for our school community. According to a recent webinar sponsored by the Illinois State Police and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the vast majority of these threats were communicated through social media.

Woodland understands how upsetting these kinds of threats can be, and we hope that by continuing to educate our students about appropriate online behavior, we can work together to keep our community safe. Please continue to talk about this with your children at home, and remain vigilant about reporting any suspicious online activity to local law enforcement or school leaders.

What does Woodland do when a threat is reported? Learn more about this, and other ways Woodland works to keep your student safe, in the Woodland Wildcast! Dr. Machak talks to Det. Kelly Hansen from the Gurnee Police Department, and Assistant Principal Sean Murphy from the Middle School about Woodland's Threat Assessment Protocol.

As part of America’s Safe Schools Week, we also want to provide a few tips and reminders about protecting your personal information online. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and we want to partner with families to keep your Wildcats safe online!

The internet can be an amazing place where students can learn, play games, and interact with friends and family. Unfortunately, the internet can also be dangerous and it’s important to follow these tips:

• Keep your Personal Information Private

• Only Talk to People You Know

• Think Before you Click

• Use Strong Passwords

• Be Kind Online

• Ask for Help from a Trusted Adult if Something Feels Wrong

Thank you to Det. Kelly Hansen for presenting this information to students in the classroom (pictured)! This information was also shared through visual displays in our schools with the help of our Tech Team and the Technology Integration Specialists.

In addition to the safety tips provided above for students, the Gurnee Police Department recommends that parents and guardians do the following:

• Monitor Your Child's Online Activity
• Have Conversations About What is Appropriate Online Behavior
• Report ANY Suspicious Online Activity (display of weapons, threats of violence, bullying)

Every year in October we partner with the Gurnee Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff's Office to conduct lockdown drills, and the Gurnee Fire Department to practice Fire Drills. We talk to our students about how we call on first responders to keep us safe in emergency situations, but even when it's not an emergency, our community partners can help us practice and prepare so that we know what to expect if an emergency arises.

Red Ribbon Week is a time when students learn about personal health and wellness and are encouraged to make healthy choices! Each of our schools will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week with age-appropriate activities, spirit days, and presentations on what it means to be healthy and how to live a healthy life.

You can watch for more information in your school Principal's newsletter, or find a list of Spirit Days for your school here:

Primary

Elementary

Intermediate

Middle

Pictured: Students at Intermediate and Middle School help plan spirit week activities and create Red Ribbon Week banners. Thank you to Det. Hansen and Det. Otachel for sharing these photos!

Safety on the school bus starts with our Woodland drivers!

Woodland bus drivers are employees of the district, and they are responsible for transporting our students to and from school safely. This is a job they take seriously and we appreciate these dedicated employees for their commitment to our students. School bus drivers in Illinois must go through a rigorous training and licensing process, as well as background checks and other safeguards, to ensure they are qualified to perform this important role in the district.

Every day, Woodland bus drivers conduct a full safety inspection of their bus before picking up students. Drivers are also provided professional development and go through safety evaluations to make sure our students are in good hands.

To celebrate Bus Safety Week, our drivers are "Stepping into Safety" with snazzy new safety socks!

School buses are one of the safest vehicles on the road due to their size and visibility, and the many rules and regulations that bus drivers and school children must follow. However, many of these safeguards depend on others sharing the road with school buses. One of the most common problems Woodland drivers see is cars passing buses with the stop arm extended!

REMINDER: A flashing yellow light means that the bus is preparing to stop and so should you. A red light means that children are loading or unloading and that cars must come to a full and complete stop. It is against the law to pass a school bus with the stop sign arm extended.

Did you know that the Woodland Transportation Team works closely with local law enforcement agencies to help raise awareness and decrease the number of stop arm violations? Several Woodland buses are equipped with stop arm cameras that automatically start recording the surrounding area whenever the stop arm is extended. When a car disobeys the stop arm sign and flashing lights, the video is handed over to the police for enforcement of the violation.

We all have a role to play in keeping our children safe. If you witness a driver violating stop arm laws, please report it to local authorities. Educate those around you about the importance of adhering to school bus safety measures. Let’s work together to ensure our children can safely get to and from school!

Woodland Wildcats, you are invited to participate in the National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest! The included photo is last year's winning design. The theme for the 2024-2025 contest is Safety First - Safety Always. Help raise awareness about school bus safety with your creative designs. The contest is open to all students kindergarten through 8th grade. Learn More.

2023-2024 Poster Contest Winner, Melissa Yang of Bethleham Central Middle School in Delmar, NY

Report a Concern is an online communication system that encourages students, parents, and community members to “speak up” using online messaging to report threats or problems suspected or observed in or near District 50. In the event of an emergency, please call 911 or encourage your student to speak directly to a trusted adult.

Please Note: Report A Concern is completely anonymous. If you wish to have someone follow-up with you regarding your concern, you must leave contact information. This box is optional if you intend to remain anonymous.

The ability to report something anonymously can lead to misuse of this important safety feature. As a reminder, using Report A Concern to intentionally disrupt the school day, or to get other students in trouble, are very serious offenses and will not be tolerated. In addition to this utilizing a tremendous amount of school and community resources to investigate and conduct a formal threat assessment, a false report causes anxiety, stress, fear and uncertainty for our students, staff, and families.