The safety of the school environment where your children spend much of their day is a top priority for the York County School Division. The start of the school year is a good time to review safety information with your child.
Staff work in partnership with national, state, and local safety officials—police, fire, emergency medical services, and public health—to ensure our schools are well prepared for a variety of emergencies. All schools have comprehensive crisis plans, which are developed in conjunction with safety officials. These plans are reviewed and updated annually. In general, each plan involves the designation of an emergency incident management team; development of evacuation, reverse evacuation, shelter-in-place, and lockdown procedures.
Evacuation occurs when students and staff must leave the building due to a potentially hazardous situation inside the school, such as a fire alarm.
Lockdown is implemented to secure school buildings and grounds due to a potentially threatening situation in or near the school, such as an intruder. All exterior and interior doors remain locked, all school business and classroom instruction ceases, and all cell phones are silenced.
Modified Lockdown is initiated to protect students and staff from a potential danger outside the school, such as police activity in the area. Normal instructional and business activities continues inside the school, while outdoor activity and access to and from the building is limited.
Hold in Place is used to temporarily clear all hallways and limit movement in the building while staff respond to a situation, such as a medical emergency or disruptive student.
The division will not dismiss any students during an emergency until it is safe to do so. In certain circumstances, students may be transported to an alternate location for reunification.
School Drills
Over the course of the school year, schools will hold several drills to help ensure that students and staff know what to do in the event of an emergency. These drills include, but are not limited to, fire, tornado and lockdown. Drills are not typically announced to students and staff prior to taking place to accurately assess emergency response procedures.
Reporting Safety Concerns
Students, families and staff are encouraged to share in the responsibility for a safe and orderly school environment. Information about drugs, weapons, bullying and cyber bullying behaviors or other factors, which may be harmful to the school environment should be reported. If you or your child see something out of the ordinary or concerning, there are multiple ways this information can and should be shared:
- Tell a trusted adult
- Call the YCSD Hotline at 757-890-5000
- Report on the YCSD App or online using the ReportIt form
Reports made through the HOTLINE or online are reviewed daily and investigated by the proper authorities. All calls are confidential. For emergencies, always call 911.
Family Information
Access to school facilities may be limited during an emergency as it may be necessary to keep the streets and parking lot clear for emergency vehicles. If it is hazardous for students to be released, everyone will be kept inside the school until notified by the authorities that it is safe outside. Schools will act with the safety of students in mind, and school officials will always follow the directives of emergency personnel.
Families are asked not to call or come to a school during an emergency. We understand and respect your concern, but it is essential that the telephone system is available for emergency communications between authorities and the division.
Principals and division administrators will inform families of events if:
- There is a potential threat to the students, staff or the building
- There is an interruption to the school's daily routine
- There is a high level of discussion, inquiry, rumor or misinformation
When a situation warrants communication from the school or the division, families will be contacted either by Finalsite (the division’s rapid notification system), email or a letter home. Alerts will also be posted on the division’s social media.
Please make sure that your child's school has your current phone number and/or email address on record to ensure you receive these communications.
Care Solace
The York County School Division prioritizes proving safe, welcoming and caring environments in which all students and staff have a sense of belonging and purpose. To support that commitment, the division has partnered with Care Solace to provide an additional layer of support for our community.
With Care Solace, families and staff gain access to a dedicated Care Companion 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Care companions identify local providers and find the right fit and availability of care for our families. Care Solace is now available for use for you and your family at no cost. To learn more about how you can connect with Care Solace, speak with your school’s counseling office or school nurse.
School Security Officers
In the 2023-24 school year, we added staff to our middle school and high school teams to support overall campus security. This role, the school security officer (SSO), supplement the School Resource Officers (SROs) provided by the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office. High schools will have two security officers, while middle schools will have one.
The school security officers will be responsible for ensuring the safety and security of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors within their assigned schools. Specifically, their responsibilities include preventing incidents, investigating student violations of school board policies, and intervening in cases where students violate the law or school policies on school premises or during school-related events.