School Safety Strategies

• Physical security measures include:

  • Exterior and interior security 

  • Audits & compliance

  • Planning and preparation to address, respond to, and recover from crisis

• Social-Emotional efforts include:

  • A partnership between school & law enforcement

  • Effective communication among stakeholders

  • Creating respectful & emotionally-supportive culture

  • School climate assessments

  • Bullying prevention and intervention

  • Collaborative relationships with mental health, 

    social services, and other community-based resources

Security is Everyone’s Responsibility
All Falls Church City Public Schools staff and visitors are expected to support safety in schools.

• Foster a sense of belonging through a positive, safe, welcoming, and inclusive school environment.

• During the school day, all vehicles parked in FCCPS parking lots should have a parking pass displayed on the rearview mirror. Visitors during the school days should park in designated visitor parking spots or may obtain a temporary parking pass from the school office.

• All visitors must enter through the front entrance of each FCCPS school and must complete the process of obtaining a visitor’s badge before entering the school office.  Only the school office may allow a visitor with a pass to enter the school building during the instructional day. Staff training includes instructions to be alert to visitors and ensure that they are wearing badges. 

• Employees must wear their badge at all times they are at work on FCCPS property 

• No exterior doors may be propped open by staff or students at any point, including before and after school as well as during the instructional day. 

• During arrival and dismissal, principals may direct staff to open the front door, but the doors will remain under staff supervision while open.

• Employees may not open doors to allow someone to enter the building. Students and staff/visitors who do not have a door badge must enter through the front door of the building.

• If you see something unusual or unsafe, say something to school administrators.

Exterior

• Limited entry with main doors at the front of the building for increased visibility

• Securitas monitoring at the main entrance of each school

• Secure vestibules with access only after screened and buzzed in 

• Access Control System (in place of keys), providing the ability to turn off access immediately if lost or stolen

• External security cameras and lighting

• Alarm systems (Burglary, Emergency, and Fire) 

• Exterior door checks completed weekly by maintenance staff

• Securitas who patrol grounds of the Secondary and Oak Street campuses

Interior

• Main entrances are staffed by Securitas

• Two school resource officers who serve all schools are based at the secondary campus

• Security cameras placed inside

• Visitor screening

• Classroom doors lock

• Covers for classroom door and interior windows

• Classroom crisis bags, including Stop the Bleed Kits

Volunteer/Visitor Screening

Visitors/Parents entering all FCCPS locations follow these procedures:

• Sign-in in the secure vestibule with Securitas guard.

• Scan identification using Raptor Techonology and issue a visitor badge/sticker

• Enter the school through the Main Office

• Upon arrival, the office staff ensure visitors have a badge, have a scheduled meeting with staff members, assign an escort to meeting location and/or if it is a known person, allow them to visit the staff member themselves 

• Teachers/staff who schedule a parent meeting or classroom volunteer may ask the parents/volunteers to complete a visitor request form in advance of the visit.

Emergency Communications

During an emergency FCCPS uses the following internal communication tools.

• Public Address (PA) System c

  overage throughout all buildings

• Division-wide Radio Network for Admins, Security, and Transportation 

  • Two Repeater Sites to Expand Coverage Area (MEHMS and MD)

  • Generator Back-Up

• Secure Messaging

  • Third-Party Application, Signal, deployed to system and school leadership

  • Implementing Raptor Emergency Management in the fall of SY 2024-2025

• Schoology/School Status/Email

  • Secondary Schools will use Schoology for a mass notification system for students and teachers

  • Elementary Schools will use School Status for a mass notification system for teachers

During an emergency FCCPS uses the following internal external communication tools.

• FCCPS App and other social media to provide emergency updates to the whole community.

• Mass notification system for parents through School Status, SMS texts and email

  • It is critical that parents and guardians update emergency contact information if this changes throughout the school year.

  • Secondary utilize Schoology for a mass notification system for students and parents

  • Elementary utilize School Status for a mass notification system for parents

• Falls Church City officials will also share information

Raptor Technologies is Integrated school safety software that enables schools to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from any emergency.

• FCCPS uses the Raptor visitor management system and is in the process of implementing Raptor’s Emergency Management System.

• 100% aligned with and licensed by The “I Love U Guys” Foundation® protocols used by FCCPS and FCC Police/EMS

• Provides school leaders, staff, central office, and the police access from any web-enabled device

• Integrates directly with 911 and provides enriched data to first responders

• Supports reunification in an emergency

Preparation for Emergencies

Training

• FCCPS in collaboration with Falls Church City Public Safety uses documents and training from the “I Love U Guys Foundation”

• FCCPS staff receive annual emergency instruction training from the “I Love U Guys Foundation” 

• Instructions are posted in school classrooms and students receive age-appropriate training during drills

• This common language is supported by age-appropriate videos 

Emergency Drills in schools occur throughout the year.

• Fire/Evacuation

  • Once per week during the first month

  • Once per month thereafter for the remainder of the school term 

• Tornado 

  • Occurs each March on a date set by VDOE

• Earthquake

  • Occurs each October on a date set by VDOE

• Lockdown

  • A lockdown drill at least once during the first 20 days of school 

  • A second lockdown drill after the first 60 days of school

• School Bus Evacuation

  • Minimum 2 drills per year, each during first 30 instructional days of each of the 2 semesters

Public Safety Collaboration with Falls Church Police, Fire, and Emergency Management Departments

Falls Church Police, Fire, and Emergency Management

• Support and collaborate on drills and emergency preparedness.

• Respond to emergencies and incidents in and around FCCPS school sites and in Falls Church City

• Hold after-action debrief meetings with division and school leadership

• Conduct building safety audits with FCCPS Facilities Director and Principals.

• Two School Resource Officers are assigned to FCCPS with the secondary campus being their base location

• As part of our emergency preparations, FCCPS previously activated our secondary security system with police in the middle of the night to ensure public safety fully understood and experienced how building security functions

• Enhanced clarity and process for alarm system communication with police dispatch

• Partnered with FCCPS on common emergency language and procedures from the “I Love U Guys Foundation” 

• Falls Church Emergency Management team led an Active Shooter Tabletop Exercise for leaders across FCCPS and the General Government, the Falls Church City Police and Sheriff, the Fire Marshall, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM).

  The incident included all phases of an emergency including Protection, Response, and Recovery. The objectives included improving the emergency preparedness process for FCCPS staff and administrators, drilling and evaluating the FCCPS and City government response protocol(s), and enhancing collaboration between FCCPS and responding government agencies/departments.

  The exercise was well received by all participants and was assessed as successful by the external observers (VDEM)

• In the West Falls Development, next to the secondary campus, the Falls Church Police will have a dedicated space inside the development for officers to use