The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority at the Indian Hill School District. We want to share some of our important safety protocols to provide you a more detailed understanding of how we put safety first. Please feel free to
bookmark these details as a reference during the upcoming school year.
Our Trusted Partners: Indian Hill RangersThe Indian Hill School District is fortunate to have a strong, trusted partner in providing for the safety of our students and our staff. While the Indian Hill Rangers are not officially employed on a regular basis by the Indian Hill School District, the Indian Hill Rangers are located in the center of our tight-knit, four-building campus. You will see the Indian Hill Rangers routinely park at each of our buildings both during and after school hours for monitoring purposes. Our District is fortunate to reside in a community with such strong safety support in place.
Safety CertificationThe Indian Hill School District conducts an annual review and certification of safety plans for the District and each building through the Ohio Department of Education. The annual deadline for submission for this certification is July 1. This year, all safety plans were reviewed and submitted for each building and the District by June 2022.
Safety Communication SystemsOur District operates using a comprehensive crisis response plan when communicating with our stakeholders during emergency situations. We have an all-call phone system, School Messenger, that automatically alerts parents and guardians in the event of an actual emergency. This is the same all-call phone system we use to announce school closures.
PLEASE NOTE: We will conduct our annual TEST of the emergency notification system on Friday, August 26. There is no action you need to take to be a part of this test. Emergency SituationDuring an actual emergency, the District would enact our Crisis Response Team to coordinate logistics and communications. You could expect the following:
• Disseminate factual information to parents through phone calls via School Messenger.
• Update of District website to inform parents about what is known to have happened.
• Teachers report attendance to the school office, which is used to communicate attendance/accountability status to an established Incident Command.
• Implement a plan to manage an influx of phone calls and parents who arrive at school.
• Provide regular updates to media and school community.
• Establish a media site and reception area away from the school and any established Incident Command Post.
• Coordinate media communications with relevant community partners through a Joint Information Center, if established.
• Provide only information that has been approved to be released by the Incident Commander in charge of the scene.
• Monitor release of information and correct misinformation.
• Coordinate messages with the principal/senior leadership.
Non-emergency Situation In non-emergency situations where information needs to be shared, all parents receive email communications from our mass-email system, Constant Contact. These communications can include but are not limited to, operational updates, planned school closures, and potential safety situation investigations.
Please note: The District is legally limited on what specific information can be shared in all of these situations, including when a potential safety situation has been investigated. We do not release personal identifiable information about students and staff due to FERPA and HIPPA laws. As always, we appreciate your understanding.
Enhanced Building Safety MeasuresDuring construction, we have designed entrances at every school with enhanced safety measures, using guidance from our Indian Hill Rangers and other professional school safety consultants. Some common features in our updated entrances include: locked vestibules, two-phase security entrances, and improved line of sight from offices to doors. We have an enhanced security camera system throughout our campus that allows us to monitor students, staff, and visitors at all times. This security camera system also can be accessed remotely by school officials and the Indian Hill Rangers.
Transportation App for Bus SchedulesOur Transportation Department deployed a new app called "Stopfinder" for our Indian Hill students and parents. This allows families to check each student's bus schedule, bus number, and driver name. Parents/guardians can also receive alerts for real-time information on their child's bus location and receive notifications when a bus is delayed.
Click here to access additional information on this service.
Staff and Visitor Badges All adults in our buildings, including staff, visitors, and contractors, must wear a visible ID badge. For visitors, we implemented an integrated school safety software that allows us to screen visitors and track visitors while they are in our schools, creating custom ID badges.
Safety DrillsThe Indian Hill School District engages in regular drills, as required by the state, for fire, tornado, and safety. We complete these drills with our local partners like the Indian Hill Rangers and Indian Hill Fire Department. These are excellent opportunities to check our systems and prepare for emergencies.
Click here to access details on our safety drills.
Student Safety MonitoringNew for the 2022-2023 school year is the District’s use of Securly 24, a student safety solution that combines artificial intelligence (AI) with a team of analysts who work 24/7 to spot signs of trouble online—specifically when a student’s activity suggests they may be being bullied, showing signs of depression, or are considering self-harm. If a student is determined to be in crisis, the Securly 24 Team immediately reaches out to the school’s designated contact.
Air PurificationThrough our valued partnership with Protect|ED, all buildings on our campus are now fully equipped with an advanced air purification system. The
NanoStrike™ technology used within the systems is supported by science and embraced by the medical community. It is used by respected institutions such as the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic because of its highlight efficient inactivation technology. Clinical studies have shown how
Nanostrike™ can reduce certain viruses and pathogens by up to 99.9 percent. It goes far beyond COVID-19, defending against common school germs such as influenza, noroviruses, strep, cold viruses, allergens and more. Additionally, the slim and lightweight devices are extremely quiet and will not disrupt our learning environment.
Students at the center; safety as the number one priority. That is the way we do business, always. Don’t hesitate to contact me directly should you have any questions or concerns.
In service to our children,
Kirk Koennecke
CEO/Superintendent
Indian Hill School District