• Student safety will always be the first priority of the Lawrence Public Schools. It is important to maintain open lines of communication between home and school. Sharing information is the best prevention measure! (If you see or hear it, report it!) Encourage your student to contact an adult at school about any safety concerns. If you have a concern, please contact your student's school principal.

    • In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
    • KS School Safety Hotline: 1-877-626-8203 (For anonymous reporting of safety concerns) 
    • Each of our school and district websites has a Tip Line for reporting of safety concerns.
    • Headquarters Counseling Center: 785/841-2345 (24-hour crisis support hotline)
    • KS Bullying Prevention Hotline: 1-800-CHILDREN (For anonymous reporting of bullying) 

    When we hear about violence at a school or anywhere, it naturally raises concerns for the safety of our own family members and friends. The staff of Lawrence Public Schools is a family, one that takes to heart the trust that families place in us to take care of their children while they are at school as if they were our own. There is no higher priority for us than the safety of our students and staff.

    Some of the safety and security measures we have in place:

    • Strategic plan focus on Safe and Supportive Schools.
    • More than 1,500 professional and caring administrators, teachers, and educational support personnel building positive relationships with students by connecting, getting to know them, and understanding their individual needs.
    • School Resource Officers at the middle and high schools, who also provide support at the elementary schools on an as-needed basis.
    • Security staff employed at each high school.
    • Open communication with students and school families. (New in 2023-2024: Gaggle safety management system for proactive notification of potentially concerning student behavior or content.)
    • District and school crisis plans, including specific procedures for lock-out, lockdown, and evacuation, as well as ALICE protocols for responding to a critical violent incident.
    • Regular safety drills, during which students and staff practice, evaluate, and improve safety procedures.
    • An automated notification system for emergency communication, including texts, phone calls, and emails.
    • Homeland Security facility safety audits conducted in each building to identify risks.
    • Secure entries at all schools with visitor sign-in procedures and badges. (New in 2024-2025: Hall pass visitor identification system.)
    • The district staff badge identification system. (Pilot in 2023-2024 and New in 2024-2025: Centegix staff wearable crisis alert badges.)
    • Internal and external surveillance cameras.
    • School mental health teams and partnerships with community health and human service providers, including Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, LMH Health, Heartland Health Center, Willow Domestic Violence Shelter, DCCCA, Engage Douglas County, HeadQuarters Kansas suicide prevention services, Be SMART gun safety organization.
    • Strong partnerships with local law enforcement and fire/medical services, including the involvement of representatives from each organization in our crisis planning.
    • Safety reporting tools, including online Tip Line and Kansas School Safety Hotline.
    • Board of Education policies and Student Handbooks that identify safety and behavior expectations and consequences.
    Safety is a shared responsibility. We appreciate our students, staff, school families, and community working together to look out for one another and immediately report any safety concerns to school staff and/or law enforcement to help us maintain safe learning environments for all students and staff. 
     
    Additional Resources for Families
    "Making Schools Safer," U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Secret Service, 2/2018
     
    National Threat Assessment Center: https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/ntac
     
     
    Bullying Prevention: http://www.stopbullying.gov/

    Parents Guide to Internet Safety: https://www2.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
     
    Digital Citizenship: https://connectsafely.org/

    NetSmartz Tech Safety for Families: https://www.netsmartz.org/TrendsandTopics