Safety In Our School Home
Security and Safety
Safety is a priority for Ellensburg District Schools. The district and each school have a comprehensive crisis management plan in place not only to prevent a crisis, but also to prepare, respond, and recover from one should it occur. Please note: To avoid the exploitation of our safety plans by those who would cause harm or damage, we do not make these documents available to the public.
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Send an anonymous tip to tell district safety staff about threats, bullying, drugs, weapons, concerns about student well-being, and any other safety problem.
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To ensure we have up to date emergency information for your student(s), please log in to Family Access and verify your family's contact information. Should any updates be needed, please contact your school's registrar directly.
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Secure the Classroom: Immediately bring students and staff inside from hallways or common areas.
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Secure the Perimeter: Ensure all classroom doors are closed and locked.
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Monitor for Updates: Remain alert and prepared to transition to a higher response level (e.g., Lockdown) if notified.
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Maintain Operations: Continue with scheduled classroom activities and instruction while remaining indoors.
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Gather Students: Immediately move all students and staff into the nearest classroom or secure area.
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Secure the Room: Close and lock all doors and windows to create a protective barrier.
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Seal the Environment: Use available materials to seal gaps around doors and windows to minimize external airflow.
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Await Guidance: Maintain a quiet environment and wait for further official instructions via the intercom or emergency notification system.
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Secure Students and Staff: Immediately move all individuals into the classroom or the nearest lockable space.
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Lock and Barricade Doors: Ensure all doors are locked and, if necessary, use heavy furniture to further secure the entrance.
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Communicate Status: Display the appropriate Red or Green status card in a visible window or under the door as directed by protocol.
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Prepare to Defend: Remain silent and out of sight, but be mentally and physically prepared to fortify your position or defend the room if the threat enters.
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Initiate Movement: Upon receiving the evacuation order, immediately lead students and staff out of the building using the designated primary route.
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Maintain Accountability: Take your class roster or emergency kit with you and perform a headcount once you reach the designated assembly area.
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Secure the Space: If safe to do so, close the classroom door behind you to help contain any potential hazards.
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Report Status: Once at the assembly point, use the established communication protocol to report your status and the safety of all students.
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- By law, all of our schools are required to conduct at least one drill a month and must practice three basic functional responses: shelter-in-place, lockdown, and evacuation. Schools also conduct at least one earthquake drill each year. These regular drills are meant to make systematic responses second nature for staff and students.
- Evacuation routes and procedures for lockdowns and other emergencies are posted in every classroom.
- The District's protocol for an active shooter scenario is called Run-Hide-Fight. In the elementary schools, this is Run-Hide-Protect as we explain that a teacher may have to physically protect the students. Run-Hide-Fight is considered a best practice by local law enforcement who worked with the ESD to bring this protocol to our schools.
- Emergency Drills are also conducted on our school buses. See Bus Safety and Preparedness Drills 6605P1
Please review the district's Safety Regulation 3432P for additional information.
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A school lockdown is most often a precautionary measure initiated to keep students safe while law enforcement officials and staff conduct an investigation of a reported threat. A lockdown is not necessarily an indication that students are in harm’s way.
The top priority for school staff during a lockdown, or any emergency situation, is to keep students safe and implement our safety protocols. While we understand that waiting for specific information is difficult, to avoid interfering with investigations, the District does not immediately release specific information about the reasons for a lockdown.
The district is committed to providing accurate information. Often, it takes time to gather and confirm facts with law enforcement officials and school personnel during an active investigation. We will always do our best to communicate accurate information as soon as we can.
We recognize that during a lockdown, misinformation often spreads quickly through social media or in media reports. Please double-check the source of any claim and be skeptical of reports coming from non-district sources.
To help school staff and law enforcement do their work, please do not call or go to the school during a lockdown unless asked to do so.
Please, do not text or call your student’s cell phone during a lockdown. Cell phone use could distract a student from hearing or following staff directions, and, in the event of an active threat, could give away your student’s location.
We understand that these incidents are stressful. Thank you for your patience and your help as we follow our protocols and work to keep all students and staff safe.
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Circumstances may occur at the school that require parents to pick up their students in a formalized, controlled release. The process of controlled release is called reunification and may be necessary due to weather, a power outage, hazmat, or if a crisis occurs at the school. The Standard Reunification Process is a protocol that makes this process more predictable and less chaotic for all involved. As a parent, you can assist us by not coming to the school to pick your child up. Traffic caused by parents trying to come to the school may impede our process of getting your child to safety. Also, make sure your emergency contact information is up to date at each school and be sure to bring government-issued ID with you as we will not release a student to a person not listed on the emergency contact form.
Please use this link to view the full details of our family reunification process.
View or download the family reunification document.
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All schools in the Ellensburg School District have secure entry systems that require parents, volunteers and visitors to identify themselves and their reason for visiting the school.
We continue to collaborate with our local law enforcement partners on a regular basis to ensure the safety of our schools and school community. ESD has a team of dedicated school security officers assigned throughout the district. Most high schools and most middle schools have a security position on staff.
Our security staff include:- School Security Officers (SSO): Trained Ellensburg School District security staff members who are on duty at all high schools and most middle schools. All Security Officers are trained in the most up-to-date best practices including first aid, Safe Care, Narcan administration, Stop the Bleed training, CPR, AED, de-escalation techniques and Crisis Intervention. Our Security Officers work with building administrative teams to ensure student and staff safety.
- District Lead Security Officer/ Patrol: The district has a dedicated security officer who patrols the entire district on a daily basis and responds districtwide to any building needs.
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District Director of Safety and Security: The district has a full-time director of Safety and Security, Neil Musser, and also served as a district School Resource Officer for 15 years. Musser oversees day-to-day operations of the security department.
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The District Safety Advisory Committee meets quarterly to discuss, review, and implement safety and emergency preparedness procedures and initiatives. The committee is comprised of local law enforcement and first responders, school security personnel (SSOs), representatives from food service, transportation, and building maintenance departments, school principals and assistant principals, as well as district office administrators and representatives from our counseling and school crisis response teams.
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The Ellensburg School District continues to build on its culture of kindness and strong commitment to supporting our students through its Positive Behavior and Social-Emotional Support (PBSES) framework. This framework uses evidence-based practices and offers multiple levels of support to serve all of our students both academically and socially. We have invested in PBSES because research shows that when a school climate is positive and predictable, students feel safer, have better academic performance, and make better behavior choices.
Our vision for PBSES is to promote respect, positive relationships, and predictable, proactive learning environments so that students can lead socially and emotionally safe and healthy lives. Our guiding goals for PBSES are the following:
- Students and staff understand and are mindful of their own social/emotional functioning.
- Staff demonstrate flexibility and empathy as they respond to individual student needs.
- Staff implement explicit strategies for establishing, maintaining and restoring relationships.
- Staff provide a progressive response to problem behaviors through structured Tier 1, 2, and 3 interventions.
- Students experience a reduction in unhealthy externalizing and internalizing behaviors.
Counseling Support
Please also visit our Counseling Services Page for more information on student support and mental health services.
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The Ellensburg School District is committed to a safe and civil educational environment for all students that is free from harassment, intimidation or bullying. In order to ensure respect and prevent harm, it is a violation of District Regulation 3207 for a student to be harassed, intimidated, or bullied by others in the school community, at school sponsored events, or when such actions create a substantial disruption to the educational process. Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Regulation 3207P
Please visit our Bullying Resources and Reporting Page for more information.