School Safety Procedures

Building security, incident response and threat assessments are vital components to safe schools, as are schools that foster a climate of support and respect and that instill a sense of learning and belonging.

Over the years in SASD, we have implemented many additional safeguards, including secured entrances with protective glass. Outside doors can only be accessed by a staff fob and are otherwise secured all day. We have building safety teams at each school which are also part of a district safety team that meets regularly to assess our protocols, provide additional training needed and more. 

More on Building Safety Measures

Some of the many safety practices and technology in our schools include:

• ALICE Active Threat Response: All staff and students are trained to respond to an active threat using ALICE principles. This training is provided at an age appropriate level at each school.

• Secure entrances, security cameras and visitor check-in: Security cameras are installed in all buildings, including video and audio screening before visitors are let into our buildings. Visitors must present a state-issued identification card which, through a system called Raptor, collects the ID photo, name, date of birth, and first four digits of the license number on the identification to perform an instant sex offender background check against databases in all 50 states. Our office staff also have the ability to initiate a physical building lockdown and send immediate notification to District office staff.

• Emergency paging and notification: All district phones have the ability to make an announcement to the entire building in case of an active threat. SASD also utilizes two way radios for the ability to immediately communicate with school leaders and the Stoughton Police Department. 

• Yearly and twice-yearly safety drills: Include fire drills (monthly), tornado drills (two times per year), evacuation drills, and active threat drills.   

• SASD Safety Committee and building safety teams: Work with school administrators and school-based critical response teams to ensure our schools balance the physical safety of our students, staff, and school buildings with the importance of social and emotional safety.

• Threat Assessment Teams:  Each school has a threat assessment team that meets on a regular basis. The threat assessment teams use the Wisconsin School Threat Assessment Protocol to analyze and document all possible threats to our schools. 

• Speak Up Speak Out tip line: As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain safe and supportive learning environments, our tip line (Speak Up Speak Out) gives students and parents an easy, anonymous way to report unsafe situations.

While all these measures are important, so are the ways we work hard each day to really know and support all of our students and their families. We continue to prioritize mental health and early identification and services. We know this is a very important part of our prevention work, as it fosters a climate of support and respect that leads to learning and belonging for all students.

Accident Reports

If an accident involving a student occurs while in school or on the school grounds during the day, or if an accident occurs while participating in an activity under the direction of the school, it is necessary to report any accident promptly:  

• to the teacher in charge and

• to the Health Assistant, in the Health Room.

Accident reports should be filled out according to the following guidelines:

• any accident that requires medical attention

• any accident in which the student has to go home

• any accident that causes the student to be unable to participate in school activities

about alice

Building and Grounds, Care of/Damage to

Stoughton Area School District prides itself on the appearance of the school and school grounds.   We encourage personal responsibility in all students by picking up after themselves and by maintaining a clean and healthy environment that we can all be proud of. 

Fireworks/Explosives

State and Federal laws prohibit the presence or use of any type of fireworks/explosives (smoke bomb, firecracker, etc.) on school property.  Violations will be referred to the proper authorities for police action and school disciplinary consequences will be assigned at the discretion of the school administration.

Safety/Emergency Drills

The safety of students is our number one priority.  All buildings participate in drills on a regular basis as required by law. 

 Safety drills include: 

• fire drills (monthly)

• tornado drills (two times per year)

• evacuation drills 

• active threat drills 

School Visitor Building Check In

All of our doors will be locked during the school day. When a visitor comes to the building during the school day, he/she will enter the first set of doors into a vestibule. Once inside the vestibule, there will be a small camera and buzzer to alert the main office of your arrival. At this point, the visitor will wait for an office staff member to buzz him/her into the building office.

Once a visitor enters the office, he/she will present a state issued identification to an office staff member. If it is the visitor’s first time visiting a building, his/her ID card will be scanned into Raptor. Raptor collects the ID photo, name, date of birth, and first four digits of the license number on the identification to perform an instant sex offender background check against databases in all 50 states 

Once that person’s ID is scanned, he/she is entered into the system. An office staff member will identify whether the individual is visiting the building or volunteering in a specific area or classroom. Once this information is entered, a visitor badge will print out with the visitor’s name, picture, and destination in the building. When the visitor is leaving, he/she stops back in the main office to check out.

Future visits to that building will not require the added step of ID scanning. Raptor will use the information saved from the ID scan to perform a background check with each subsequent visit. The scanning process is very quick and will need to be done the first time visiting each building within the district. In order to help facilitate this process, the district will have Raptor stations set up at Central Registration, so you can have your initial scan completed prior to the start of the school year for any/all buildings you plan to visit.  We will be using Raptor to track both visitors and volunteers in our buildings.  If you do not have an accepted form of ID, please contact your building office.

School Visitor Board Policy

Inclement Weather