DCSD communications during emergencies

Be prepared: DCSD communications during emergencies
Posted on 08/30/2017

Text, Phone & Email messages will provide early notification

In the early moments of an emergency, school leaders have their hands full. Whether it is a Lockout, Lockdown, Shelter in Place or Evacuation – a lot needs to happen to ensure students and staff are safe and cared for.

Douglas County School District's (DCSD) communication protocols will ensure that school leaders are able to keep their focus on what matters most during those situations, while also providing families the accurate and timely information they need.

Anytime the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is activated at a school, the DCSD Communications team will quickly send parents an alert via phone, text and email messages, letting them know of the Lockout, Lockdown, Shelter in Place or Evacuation.

This initial message will be short, providing only the basics of the situation and will likely look like this:

(INSERT SCHOOL NAME): LOCKOUT – Students brought indoors. Learning and other activities continue as normal. More info to come. From DCSD Communications

The DCSD Communications team will provide additional updates about the situation, as needed, until it is resolved. They will then partner with the affected school to provide parents and guardians final information about the incident.

These messages will be sent using the District’s emergency notification system. Phone calls will come from 855-695-9448 and text messages will be sent from 68453. Please consider adding both numbers to your phone’s contacts as “DCSD Emergency.”

All other school and District related communication will be from 877-279-4061 and 67587.

Read, download, and share the publication below, A Parent's Guide to Crisis Communications
Crisis Communications for ISSUU.pdf

 

What Should Parents/Guardians Do During an Emergency?

As you know, DCSD's number one priority during an emergency is keeping our students safe. For this reason, we ask for our family’s assistance in the following three ways:

  • Stay Home
  • Stay Informed
  • Be Ready

Stay Home
We know the natural instinct as a parent or guardian during an emergency is to come to school to protect your child. By doing so, you may endanger yourself and your child. The most important contribution you can make is to stay home and await further instructions.

Stay Informed
DCSD is committed to providing timely information. In some situations accurate information may take some time to verify and share, so we ask for your patience.

During an emergency, DCSD will provide information via the appropriate communication avenues, which may include:

  • District Website
  • Voice, Text & Email Messages
  • DCSD Mobile App
  • Social Media – including Facebook & Twitter
  • Local News Media

Be Ready
Depending on the nature of the emergency, specific actions may be required of parents. For instance, during a reunification event, you may need to come to the school to pick up your child. Please follow the directions sent by the District or your child’s school.

Sign Up for Emergency Messaging or Change Preferences

You are always welcome to add new emergency contacts or change your messaging preferences:

  • Parents: Log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and click on “Contact Preferences” in the left-hand column. If you see an incorrect phone number or email, please contact the registrar at your child’s school to request an update.
  • Staff: Log into Workday.

After confirming that you have opted-in to text messaging for emergency and/or school notifications via Infinite Campus, you will also want to send a text message to the following:

  • Emergency text notification: Send text to 68453 with the message “YES”
  • Standard/School text notification: Send text to 67587 with the message “YES”

Have additional questions?
Should you have additional questions, please contact the IT Support Center (303-387-0001) to ensure you receive emergency notifications accurately and quickly.



Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.

In compliance with Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and Colorado law, the Douglas County School District RE-1 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services. Discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on age, genetic information, and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth is also prohibited in accordance with state and/or federal law. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees, and members of the public. The School District's Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator to address complaints alleging sexual harassment under Title IX is Aaron Henderson, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, [email protected], 303-387-0127.

Outside Agencies

Complaints regarding violations of Title VI, (race, national origin), Title IX (sex, gender), Section 504/ADA (handicap or disability), may be filed directly with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 North Speer Blvd., Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204. Complaints regarding violations of Title VII (employment) and the ADEA (prohibiting age discrimination in employment) may be filed directly with the Federal Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 303 E. 17th Ave., Suite 510, Denver, CO 80202, or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1050, Denver, CO 80202.

NOTICE OF DESTRUCTION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS

Special Education records which have been collected by Douglas County School District related to the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of special education in the district, must be maintained under state and federal laws for the period of five (5) years after special education services have ended for the student. Special education services end when the student is no longer eligible for services, graduates, or completes his/her educational program at age 21, or moves from the district. This notification is to inform parents/guardians and former students of Douglas County School District's intent to destroy the special education records of students who exited special education services as of June 30, 2016. These records will be destroyed in accordance with state law unless the parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student notifies the school district otherwise. After five years, the records are no longer useful to the district, but may be useful to the parent/guardian or former student in applying for social security benefits, rehabilitation services, college entrance, etc. The parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student may request a copy of the records by requesting the records at this link ( Douglas County School District Transcripts and Records Requests ).