School Safety Tracker & Emergency Procedures

Check our district's Safety Tracker regularly for the latest updates.

Criteria

The safety tracker is updated anytime a situation impacts the entire school community during regular school hours or during arrival/dismissal time. Example: lockdown

Events occurring outside of regular school hours that do not directly affect student or staff safety are not added to the tracker. Examples: a physical altercation on or near school property and increased police presence in the neighborhood

If an event occurs before or after school while a student group is in the building (e.g. club meeting or basketball practice), we will place that information on the safety tracker if it impacts student participation.

Be Prepared

Fayette County Public Schools is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our students, employees, and campus visitors. While statistically schools remain one of the safest places in our community, it is critical for everyone to know how to respond in the unlikely event of an emergency.

What plans are in place to keep everyone safe?

Thanks to the generous support of our community for a dedicated school safety tax, FCPS has implemented state and national best practices in school security. Each school has specific plans to respond to emergency situations, and regular drills provide students and staff the opportunity to practice these response procedures.

Stay connected!

In a true emergency, events unfold quickly, and FCPS is committed to providing timely and accurate information.

• Ensure that your family's contact information is up to date in Campus Parent (IC portal).

What should families do in an emergency?

Our priority is to protect students and staff. As soon as possible, FCPS will begin sending information about the situation. Check your email, voicemail, and text messages for urgent communication from the school or district.

• Keep in mind that first reports are often incomplete and inaccurate. Try to remain calm and rely on the frequent updates you will receive directly from the school or district.
• Avoid coming to the school or scene of the emergency until notified by the school or district that it is safe. Arriving on site before it is secure can interfere with the emergency response and might put you in danger.
• During a serious emergency, the sound, vibration, or conversation from a cellphone could put students in danger. As hard as it is, please refrain from calling or texting your child. If your student contacts you, stay calm and reassuring and encourage them to follow the directions of school staff and emergency responders. Ask them to turn off their cellphone and not use social media.

We will begin reuniting families with their children as soon as it is safe. Families will receive specific instructions from the school or district.

Possible Responses

Heightened Alert: when there is a potentially dangerous incident in the neighborhood or possible threat outside of the school building. Normal activities continue inside the building, but students and staff do not go outside. Entry and exit to the school are restricted.

Lockdown: when there is a possible threat inside the building. Students and staff remain locked in classrooms hidden from view until released by law enforcement officers.

Evacuation: when leaving the building is the safest alternative, such as in the case of a fire or gas leak.

Severe Weather: when conditions warrant relocating students and staff to a more secure location inside the building.

Bus Accidents: when a school bus is involved in an accident that requires an emergency response, school and district staff will go to the scene. Students will be transported back to campus to reunite with their families.

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Resources

FCPS School Safety Plan

Return on Investment: School Safety

School Safety Flyer

FCPS Weather Guidelines