The safety of our students and staff is our top priority

We want our schools to be safe and welcoming learning environments that nurture the cognitive, emotional and physical well-being of all students, staff and families. We believe that the safest schools are those that foster a climate of support and respect and that instill a sense of community. Building security, incident response and threat assessments are vital components as well.

Wisconsin Act 143 requires that school districts develop and keep up to date a district wide safety plan as well as an individualized safety plan for each school building and facility that is regularly occupied by students. Updated plans are shared with Board of Education, Menasha Police Department, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Office of School Safety.

District Safety Coordinator

The District Safety Coordinator is responsible for managing the district's programs and for providing direct support to school principals. The coordinator works with a Core Safety and Security Team and is responsible for the implementation and district compliance of Act 143 and the MJSD district safety plan. The coordinator works to support each school’s safety plan and to ensure their needs are met during a critical event. Menasha Joint School Districts Safety Coordinator has completed all required curriculum and standards as established by the Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators Association (WSSCA) Certification Program and is recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Furthermore, he has also is certified as a school risk manager.

Safety Plans

Every school in our district has a comprehensive written safety plan. These plans are shared with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety, the Board of Education, and Menasha Police Department.

Individual school safety plans supplement the district plan and contain confidential information that staff, the district and emergency responders would need in an emergency. Examples include school safety team emergency contact information, a breakdown of staff and students, bus lists, traffic safety plans, any safety hazards in the area, a map of cameras, floor plans, evacuation sites, information about surrounding neighborhoods and so on.

The plans establish a baseline and will serve as guides as we continue to evaluate and update them annually.

Mandatory Reporting of Threats

All school district employees are required to report any threat -- whether spoken, written or symbolic -- to law enforcement if they believe that there is a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of others.

Anonymous Reporting – STOPIt Video Below

You play a key role in school safety. Feeling safe about reporting a concern or tip about issues like bullying, social media concerns, suicide, violence and more is extremely important to our students and district. Menasha Joint School District uses the anonymous reporting system called STOPIt for students to be able to safely and anonymously report these types of situations or concerns. We want our students to feel empowered if they “see something to say something”

School Safety Drills

Emergency drills help students practice what they learn. These include nine fire drills, two tornado drills, two school safety incident drills (such as Evacuate, Hold, or Lockout), and a three “school violence event” drills (Lockdown). Schools will communicate with you when these drills take place.

Standard Response Protocol – Process Video Below

Our emergency procedures incorporate the Standard Response Protocol in line with guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety and national recommendations on school safety. The Standard Response Protocol offers clarity and consistency in terminology among schools and first responders across the country. Each school year, students will receive developmentally appropriate instruction on what to do in each of these scenarios.

The SRP is based on best practice responses to emergency situations. It has been subjected to tactical review by hundreds of law enforcement agencies and adopted by thousands of schools. The SRP has five actions: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter In-Place.

The premise is simple and based on five specific actions that can be performed during an incident. Students and staff members are trained in the Standard Response Protocols so when an incident occurs the needed action is announced. Students can expect the SRP to be used District wide during their education career.

Standard Reunification Method – Process Video Below

Reunification is the process of controlled release of students. A reunification may be required if certain emergency events occur at a school, such as threats to safety in the form of weapon threats, bomb threats, or building evacuations due to extreme weather or earthquake situations.

The school district works in collaboration with the Menasha Police Department, Neenah-Menasha Fire and Rescue, and other community partners in the event of reunification. Safety agencies use the Standard Reunification Method, which is based on protocols established by the I Love U Guys Foundation.

Student and Parent Reunification is a protocol that makes the process of student release more predictable and less chaotic for all involved. Because a controlled release is not a typical end of school day event, a reunification may occur at a different location than the school a student attends. This is called an OFF-SITE reunification. The location of an off-site reunification will be announced to parents once students have arrived and the reunification center has been established. The district does not pre-announce the off-site reunification locations because it is critical that district personnel can set up the location and that students have arrived before the reunification process begins. It is important to understand that the reunification location will be in a place where students are safe and being taken care of.