Emergency Planning & Response Overview

At Longview Public Schools the safety and security of students and employees is a top priority. This document is meant to provide an overview of district security preparations and plans should an emergency occur. This narrative is not meant to be a detailed guide of district security measures as we do not share our crisis response plans publicly due to security concerns.

Being prepared for a variety of emergencies is a critical part of the district’s safety and security plans. To be prepared, schools in the district complete the monthly state-mandated drills. The monthly emergency drills fall into five categories:

1. Lockdown – a response to a definite threat of violence or harm.
2. Secure – a response to a potential threat of violence or harm.
3. Shelter – preparing students and employees for  earthquakes, hazardous chemical spills and weather events.
4. Evacuation – preparations for a fire, natural gas leak, or other internal threat.
5. Hold - meaning students stay in their classrooms learning so the hallways can be kept clear.  

In addition to the five categories of safety, the district conducts “tabletop” security training exercises, practices offsite student-parent reunification, conducts emergency radio communications practice, conducts security training for new administrators, and provides substitute teachers with important security information.

The district also provides every school principal with a security preparedness checklist to help them get ready for each upcoming school year. Schools are also given a special education security checklist and planning tool for any student who may need additional support during any emergency.

To help support district-wide safety and security preparations we contract with a school security expert who helps develop training materials, conducts table top and other training exercises, consults on physical security upgrades and supports other emergency preparation efforts. Additionally, every school has a safety/security committee to help promote healthy learning environments.

When a school emergency occurs employees are trained to dial or text 9-1-1 and 7-7-7-7. Our goal when an emergency occurs is to alert first responders immediately and to dial four seven’s to activate the district office incident command team. Dialing 7-7-7-7 from an internal school phone rings every district office secretary’s phone. District office secretaries are trained to answer the phone, harvest as much information about the emergency situation as possible, then immediately provide the information face to face to a Cabinet member. A Cabinet member is one of seven employees in the executive leadership group.

During an emergency school personnel are trained to focus on keeping their students and employees safe while the district office incident command team mobilizes to provide whatever support is needed for the emergency.

The incident command team deploys using the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which fills multiple needed roles when responding to an emergency. The incident command team conducts emergency support operations from the district office  where the school camera system is deployed in real-time to help understand and evaluate the emergency situation.

If needed, a liaison from the incident command team will be dispatched to the emergency site to provide information back to central command and act as a liaison with first responders as school personnel focus on student and employee safety.

Local first responders are prepared with specific information about our schools that may be needed along with the contact information for incident command employees and school administrators. During emergencies, district incident command is in very close contact with first responders throughout the situation.

During a school related emergency the district uses telephone landlines, cell phones and emergency handheld radios to communicate. The district does have two portable, wireless emergency radio systems to support central command and/or offsite reunification communications as needed. Additionally, the district uses an emergency text messaging system, which provides another tool for communicating messages.

Central command is responsible for communicating with the public during any school emergency. The district has several channels to reach the community and can use one or multiple channels depending on the situation. We can reach parents and the community through email, social media, text messaging, district web site, robo-phone call messaging, the FlashAlert notification system and through the local media.

Yes, the district works very closely with local first responders. Local first responders train at school sites, the district has two school resource officers who are commissioned Longview Police Department officers. We conduct ongoing risk assessment and update meetings with local law enforcement, including the Longview Police Department and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

Longview Schools work closely with parents and families when concerns about school violence or bullying occur. The district completes threat assessments when appropriate as situations occur or when individuals show the behavior for potential future violence. We work closely with local law enforcement to investigate school threats and security concerns.

We encourage all students to speak out when they see or hear anything that may be a concern. Students are encouraged to notify any adult at school if they have safety or security concerns. The phrase, “When you see or hear something, say something” is regularly used throughout the district. Additionally, on the district web site, and every individual school web site, there is a prominent link at the top of the home page to “Report a Concern”.

Longview schools also work very hard to get students involved in activities, clubs and sports. Studies show when students are involved in activities they are more engaged and connected to school, have a better educational experience and tend to have higher academic achievement. This is part of our efforts to promote a positive school climate and culture.

Yes, over the last several years the school district has invested in security fencing, front door security vestibule and buzz-in systems, installed security cameras and upgraded safety lighting at many schools across the district.

This work was done with the help, support and advice of school security experts, architects and school administrators in an effort to keep our kids safe while maintaining a welcoming school environment. The district will continue analyzing security risks and installing physical security upgrades as the need arises.

The district is very thankful and appreciative for the high level of support from our community. The Capital Projects and Technology levies that voters passed in recent years have funded the installation of these important physical security measures.

Yes, at Longview Public Schools we have school counselors, school psychologists and family liaisons to help those who may need support. Families or students who reach out to their school, or the district office, get support from professionals who are trained to help them. The district also maintains a Family Community Resource Center (FCRC) that supports people in need with food, clothing, living supplies and also helps families get connected to the local network of community services.

In the case of an emergency the district has a “Smart Team” that includes school counselors and school psychologists who can deploy to a given school in an emergency situation.

The school district is very fortunate to operate in a community where partnerships and collaboration are the norm. We work closely with our local law enforcement partners on an ongoing basis. This includes both the Longview Police Department and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. We consult and work with the Longview Fire Department on safety and training issues. The district has facility use agreements in place with several local churches and the Cowlitz Convention Center for use as student-parent reunification sites if needed. We also have facility use agreements in place with local entities such as Lower Columbia College and St. Johns Medical for select schools should an emergency requiring evacuation occur.

From a health perspective, the district has key partners in Core Health, Columbia Wellness and Community Integrated Health Services. These three partners focus on helping students with mental health issues and can be deployed to our schools as part of the district Smart Team response in emergency situations. Additionally, Community Integrated Health Services can help with support from medical doctors and psychologists.