Ongoing Improvements

The district continues to upgrade centralized electronic access control and sophisticated alarm systems in all facilities.
Comprehensive security camera systems are in place in all school buildings and other district buildings.
The District's 24-hour communications dispatch center is now fully operational. The communications center handles security-related calls, monitors security systems and equipment, and is responsible for dispatching District Security Officers as well as busses for all three area transportation terminals. The 24-hour security phone number is 303-387-9999.
Two assistant directors are assigned to handle a variety of campus and District security issues and training of security staff.
The district uses random canine inspections to check lockers, vehicles and campus grounds for drugs and drug paraphernalia. Unannounced canine inspections may occur at every middle and high school throughout the year.
Volunteers who go on overnight trips with students undergo background checks; every volunteer signs an agreement giving their approval to submit to a background check.
Increased vigilance by parents and schools regarding the Sex Offender Registry has helped the district to take additional steps to protect students.

Schools Provide Safe Haven for Students

Our number one priority in Douglas County School District is the physical and emotional safety of our students. Without that basic assurance, we cannot create the learning environment that parents, students and our larger community deserve.

We have seen our public institutions take incredible security precautions since 9/11 and the much publicized war on terror. We take our jobs very seriously in Douglas County schools and work closely with Douglas County law enforcement and fire services on a regular basis.

The district’s Emergency Operations Committee participates in emergency planning exercises with local law enforcement and fire agencies to ensure we are all on the same page. These agencies regularly assist us in creating the safest environment possible for our kids—and that only comes with emergency and contingency planning on a regular basis.

Our strong relationship with countywide law enforcement and emergency services ensures our planning matches critical agency response. We have a tradition of openness among agencies that helps ensure our students are as safe and secure as possible.

The School Resource Officer program has grown with the district, and we are grateful for the law enforcement presence in our middle and high schools.

We want to assure that our schools are welcoming places, and we need to remind parents and community members that we have restricted access to entrance doors and require visitors to check in at the main office prior to entering any other areas of the school. While we maintain a professional security staff at secondary schools, all of our staff provides a reassuring and visible adult presence in our schools.

The District Crisis Team takes an active role in assessing the emotional and physical health of students and staff and provides counseling and appropriate response resources.

The only way we can create a safe haven in our schools is to work together with our staff and community. We will do our utmost to continue to earn trust in this area by assisting our students, faculty and community to maintain secure learning environments in Douglas County schools.

Canine Inspections Help Ensure Student Safety

For several years, in cooperation with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, district schools have used random canine inspections to check lockers, vehicles and campus grounds for drugs or drug paraphernalia. Students, staff and parents are notified in advance that this may occur sometime during the year and that there are consequences for having contraband stored in lockers, vehicles and on campus grounds.

Using canine inspections serves as an effective deterrent for students who may consider bringing illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia into our schools.

Unannounced canine inspections may occur at any time at Douglas County middle and high schools and may include inspections of student lockers and vehicles. Inspections may occur multiple times during the school year.

These inspections are authorized by Board of Education Policy JIH. Denying requests by law enforcement or school district personnel to search student property can result in automatic losses of privileges.