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Safety Information & Resources

Safety First!

Student, staff, and teacher safety will always be the first priority of Lawrence Public Schools.

It is vital to maintain open lines of communication between home and school. Staying alert, looking out for one another, and sharing information are our best prevention measures.

If you see or hear about a safety concern, report it!

We encourage students to tell an adult at school about any safety concerns. If staff, parents, or community members have a safety concern, please contact your school. You can also report any safety concerns through our Safety Tip Line online form, The more information you provide helps us investigate your concern; however, you may choose to submit your report anonymously.

SUBMIT A SAFETY TIP

In the event of an emergency, dial 9-1-1.

Information, guides, links, and resources related to school safety.

  • KS School Safety Hotline: 1-877-626-8203 (For anonymous reporting of safety concerns) 

  • HeadQuarters 24-Hour Crisis Support Hotline: 785-841-2345 (Or call 988)
  • KS Bullying Prevention Hotline: 1-800-CHILDREN (For anonymous reporting of bullying) 


Keeping Our School Family Safe

When we hear about harm or 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, as if they were our own, while they are at school.. There is no higher priority for us than the safety of our students and staff.

Some of the safety and security measures in place and in use on a daily basis include:

  • Nearly 1,600 professional and caring employees building positive relationships with students by getting to know them and understanding their individual needs.
  • Strong relationships and open communication with school families.
  • District and school crisis plans, including specific procedures for lock-out and lockdown responses to unsafe activity near or inside our buildings.
  • Regular safety drills, during which students and staff practice, evaluate, and improve procedures.
  • A mass notification system for emergency communication, including texting of parents and high school students who provide cell phone numbers in PowerSchool, phone calls, and emails.
  • Homeland Security facility audits have been conducted in each building to identify risks.
  • Secure entries at all schools with visitor sign-in procedures and badges.
  • A district staff badge identification system and visitor identification system.
  • Internal and external surveillance cameras.
  • Promotion of mental health teams and safety reporting tools in our schools.
  • Review of security measures as part of all school construction projects.
  • Board of Education policies and school rules that identify safety and behavior expectations and consequences.
  • Strong partnerships with local law enforcement and fire/medical services, including the involvement of representatives from each organization in our crisis planning.
  • Lawrence Police Department School Resource Officers assigned to middle and high schools, who also provide support at the elementary schools on an as-needed basis
  • Security staff employed at each high school.
  • Strong community partnerships with health and safety service organizations, including the Be SMART gun safety organization.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we understand that no matter how much we plan, we cannot prepare for every scenario. We rely on every member of our school community to play their part by being aware of what’s going on around them, looking out for one another, and reporting anything that seems suspicious or that concerns them.

We appreciate your partnership in helping us ensure our schools are safe, positive places for children to learn. There is no higher priority for us than safety.

Superintendent's April 28, 2025, Report

Student and Staff Safety Update
In Lawrence Public Schools, safety will always be our top priority; this commitment includes responding immediately when concerns arise. As part of our culture of safety, we continually update policies, programs, and training designed to promote child safety and protect students from threats present in our society.

While we have shared a student safety update/connection regularly in Superintendent updates and newsletters, as we near the wrap up of this school year, we want to ensure that we highlight our ongoing work throughout this school year.

Student Safety Practices
Steps we are taking to ensure Student and Staff safety while at school include the following:

Visibility and Line of Sight Expectation for All Students and Staff at all Times
To maintain a safe and well-supervised environment for students and staff and for the protection of everyone, school district team members will ensure clear visibility and line of sight to the area where they are working at all times, avoiding situations where a single staff member is alone with a student in an enclosed space.

During recent months, a comprehensive review of each area of service has been conducted alongside building leaders and members of the Special Education and Facilities and Operations teams to ensure that all areas across schools in the district have been addressed.

In order to support this directive, we will ensure that all windows into classrooms and offices remain uncovered to allow clear visibility at all times.

To maintain safe, open, observable, and well-supervised learning environments:

  • Clear visibility and sight lines to staff and students must be maintained at all times during the delivery of services.
  • Windows into classrooms, offices, and all other learning spaces must remain uncovered, except during an active security lockdown.
  • Frequent walkthroughs in schools will continue to ensure compliance with these requirements.

Line of Sight and ALICE Safety Protocols
During recent Kansas ALICE training, clarification of our district’s process has been confirmed, that line of sight will be assured at all times, except in the rare occurrence when the school is in an active lockdown process, during which the ALICE safety protocols of covering windows and doors, will be in place.

Lawrence Police Department Review
We are leveraging the expertise and experience of our Lawrence Police Department team, including our SROs who are on duty in the district, who will work with building principals and members of the district team to review the room-by-room analysis, clarify any questions, and ensure that the district guideline of ‘open line of sight’ is consistently achieved.

Prompt Response When Concerns Arise
Our district has the highest standards for our employees, who are entrusted to care for, educate, and support our community’s children. When a safety concern is reported, our administrative team immediately investigates, including involving local law enforcement, as appropriate. Based on investigation findings, we take immediate action in accordance with the law and Lawrence Board of Education Policy.

Continuous Review of Safety Practices in Schools
Our district continues its comprehensive review of safety protocols across all schools to enhance safety, security, and visibility. This includes ensuring clear sightlines into all physical spaces where children are served, so these spaces remain open and observable at all times. All student services are to be delivered in clearly visible areas.

Required Fingerprinting & Background Checks
Criminal background checks (Kansas Bureau of Investigations, Department of Children and Families) are required for every district team member, prior to beginning duty. Names are checked against the KBI Registered Offenders Registry. This checks for violent, drug, and sex offenders. Fingerprinting and an FBI background check are conducted for staff members who have not lived in the state of Kansas for the past ten consecutive years,

In addition, a Department for Children and Families background check is completed on the Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry for all new employees.

The Kansas Department of Education requires a background check and fingerprinting on all new teacher license applicants. Related-services state licensing agencies also require background checks and/or fingerprinting. License status is reviewed for all certified staff during the application and hiring process.

Mandatory Reporting
All members of our team are mandatory reporters. Any district employee who has concerns that a child may have experienced harm due to physical, mental, or emotional abuse, neglect, or sexual abuse is required to promptly report the concern to the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) office or, if the DCF office is closed, to local law enforcement (Board Policy GAAD). To support this responsibility, all school employees receive annual mandatory reporting training with documentation of the training maintained.

Information for Parents
Over the coming days, we will continue to share information and resources with families, including a website resource page to share updated information to support parents in talking with their children about safety.

The Children’s Advocacy Center offers sound and trusted guidance for parents and caregivers across many areas of child safety.

Please continue to report any safety concerns you may have to your child’s school and encourage your children to do the same. We have school mental health teams to support student and staff needs. If you think your child or family could benefit from visiting with a counselor, please reach out to your school.

We value our partnership with school families and maintaining open lines of communication between home and school as we continue to work together to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.

News of a child sexual abuse case can open the door for parents and caregivers to talk with their students. The following tips have been adapted from Darkness to Light, a leader in child sexual abuse prevention and advocacy for behavioral impact, education and training, and research.

1) Ask open-ended questions to discover student’s knowledge about the event, and any opinions that may have already been formed. These questions will help you determine your child’s depth of knowledge on the subject, as well as clear up any misinformation or gaps in understanding.

  • What have you heard about this case?
  • What do you know about child sexual abuse?

2) Let students lead the discussion. Listen more than you talk and let them know you value their beliefs and opinions. Ask follow-up questions (“And then?”) to keep the conversation going.

  • What would you do if anyone made you uncomfortable or asked you to keep a secret from me?
  • What would you do if a friend tells you someone touched him or her in a way that felt uncomfortable?
  • How can kids help other kids who are being bullied or abused?

3) Keep your tone light and conversational to ensure students feel safe to open up. A successful conversation promotes mutual learning and future conversation.

  • Do you know of anything like this happening at your school, or anywhere else?
  • Is there anything else you want to talk with me about?

Review Additional Superintendent Messages 

Download Counseling Resources Supporting Child & Family Trauma 

Crisis/Suicide Prevention Support

HeadQuarters

Call or Text 988 Crisis Line
785-841-2345 Local Crisis Line
https://www.ksphq.org

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (8255)
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

The Trevor Project

1-866-488-7386
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Mental Health Outreach Clinics

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center

200 Maine Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-843-9192
https://bertnash.org/

KU Child & Family Services Clinic

2021 Dole Human Development Center
1000 Sunnyside Avenue
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-4416
https://kuclinic.ku.edu/

KU Psychological Clinic

1415 Jayhawk Blvd.
Fraser Hall, Room 340
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-4121
http://psychclinic.ku.edu/

Heartland Community Health Center

346 Maine St., Unit 150
Lawrence, KS 66044
1-785-841-7297
https://heartlandhealth.org/

Community Counseling

DCCCA

3312 Clinton Parkway
Lawrence, KS 66047
1-785-841-4138
https://www.dccca.org/

Hospital Emergency Services

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

200 Maine Street
Lawrence, Kansas
785-843-3060
https://ldchealth.org/

LMH Health

325 Maine St.
Lawrence, KS 66044
1-785-749-6100
https://www.lmh.org/

Other Support Service Organizations

Children's Advocacy Center of Douglas County
Sexual Trauma Abuse Care Center
Bert Nash
Heartland Mental and Behavioral Health
Darkness to Light
Monique Burr Foundation
1-800-CHILDREN
Committee for Children
RAINN
SAPREA

Other Helpful Resources

MyStrength.com - For those who are feeling anxious, fearful, stressed or depressed, you are not alone. Douglas County offers an online tool called myStrength that can help. It is available 24/7 and it's free. Visit myStrength.com and use access code: DouglasCounty.

Talking to Children About Violence

Supporting Child & Family Trauma

Download Counseling Resources Supporting Child & Family Trauma 

Supporting Children Through Changes