The Olathe Public Schools uses many different tools to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, and visitors to our buildings. This multi-layered and comprehensive approach to safety is essential in ensuring a safe and orderly learning environment. The various systems utilized are included below:

• Crisis Management procedures/protocols
  • The district has a comprehensive crisis management plan for each building in the district
• MY EOP app (crisis management procedures in an app)
  • A mobile phone app available to administration that provides instant access to district crisis management procedures and protocols
• CrisisAlert badges for all staff
  • All district staff may call for help with the push of a button on their Crisis Alert badge. They may call for help with anything from a medical emergency to a crisis situation, summoning help from administrators, Safety Services staff and the school nurse, or initiating a campus-wide lockdown.
• Raptor visitor management system
  • Visitors to any district facility must present a valid ID to be scanned and checked against the national sex offender registry. This program also records the date and arrival/exit time of each visitor in our buildings.
• Access control system
  • The Access Control Management System requires all visitors to be screened prior to entering any district building during business/school hours.
• Camera/surveillance system
  • The district has a comprehensive video surveillance system in each preK-12 building which is regularly monitored by building and district staff.
• Nightlock installed in all preK-12 buildings
  • A small piece of metal attaches to the classroom door and can be dropped down into a slot in a metal plate on the floor, barricading the door from entry.
• Vape sensors
  • The sensors, which had already been used in our high schools, were added to middle schools during the 2022-23 school year.
• Building radios
  • Each preK-12 building has a standard inventory of building two-way radios which allow real-time communication throughout each day. Each building also has a district radio, which provides access to all school and support buildings in the district.
• District Safety Services Department
  • The Safety Services department employs our Executive Director of Safety Services, Manager of Safety Services and School Safety Specialists who work daily with all law enforcement, first responders and our school administration to ensure student and staff safety.
• SRO program
  • The School Resource Officer (SRO) program provides an Olathe Police Officer to support each of our middle and high schools in the district. This partnership has been in place for more than two decades.
• The SROs and Olathe Police Department patrol officers provide timely response and ongoing support to our elementary schools.
  • Monthly collaboration and planning with police department leadership
  • The district safety leadership team and the Olathe Police Department leadership team proactively collaborate monthly on safety related issues both in the schools and in the community.
• ALICE protocol
  • The district uses the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) active shooter response protocols, which allow a variety of response options, including lockdown, during unsafe situations. Our ALICE protocols include annual training with students and staff.
• District mobile app
  • The district has a mobile app that includes an anonymous tip line for the community to report safety issues and concerns.
• SRO hotline
  • The Olathe Police Department facilitates an SRO hotline, which allows anonymous reporting concerning safety and security issues.
• Online safety monitoring software on student devices
  • The Olathe Public Schools technology and safety services division utilizes a robust software package to monitor all district-owned devices for threatening activity including guns, self-harm, illegal activity and threats.
• Comprehensive threat assessment protocol
  • The district uses an evidence-based assessment to confidentially identify and support any student who may pose a threat to themselves or others.
• Relationships between students and staff
  • One of the greatest assets the district utilizes to prevent safety related issues is the positive relationships between our students and a trusted adult, which allows for proactive measures to take place in regard to safety concerns.

Thanks to Bond 2022 funds, the district has upgraded camera/surveillance systems at all elementary, middle and high schools; upgraded exterior door locks, as well as many other safety features to continue to provide a safe learning environment for our students and staff. The districtwide digital radio system was upgraded, servers were replaced or upgraded, and upgrades to the access control migration project are nearing completion in all support buildings.

The district is constantly reviewing its policies and procedures to make sure we are meeting the needs of our students and staff to ensure a safe and secure learning environment.

Questions about any of our safety protocols? Please feel free to reach out to our Safety Services team at 913-780-8052.