Sept. 17, 2024

Dear District 70 Families:

Wednesday, Sept. 18, will mark Day 3 of the D70 Safety Week. The goal of this week-long initiative is to raise awareness about school safety among our students, staff, parents, and community members.

During the school day tomorrow, students will view a short video that focuses on Run, Hide, Defend. The video explains the Run, Hide, Defend response developed by the Department of Homeland Security and adopted by our local police and fire departments. You may have noticed we are changing the last phase of this response from “Fight to Defend.” We believe this is more age-appropriate for students.

The safety of students and staff is our top priority, and while D70 takes many measures to ensure that safety, tragedies can occur. To be prepared, the State of Illinois requires all public schools to educate and conduct a Law Enforcement Drill with students within the first 90 days of school.

We encourage you to use this video as an opportunity to talk to your child(ren) about what to do in an emergency situation at their school and discuss any concerns they may have. We are intentionally sharing this information with parents, knowing the sensitivity of this topic and recognizing that a one-on-one conversation with a parent/guardian may be more comfortable and appropriate for a child than a classroom setting. If at any time your child(ren) has questions or concerns, please have your child(ren) reach out to a teacher or other trusted adult at school, so the appropriate support can be provided.

Please watch the Run-Hide-Defend video below for Wednesday, Sept. 18.