School Safety

Keeping our schools safe requires continuous work and communication with our students, staff and families. In Valley View School District 365U, we continuously evaluate our safety plans and procedures and per the Illinois School Safety Drill Act, and practice emergency drills regularly. We make adjustments and are always strengthening our preparations and possible responses to crises.

Controlled entries, video cameras, canine units, emergency notifications and more, are all important tools we utilize. 

Our students and community are an integral part of keeping our schools safe. When you have questions about what is happening in school, please seek information from School and District communication channels or directly from school or district administration. 

VVSD TipLine
We encourage our students and the community to practice “If You See Something, Say Something”. VVSD utilizes an online state-wide resource https://www.safe2helpil.com/ for reporting suspicious behavior, threats, bullying, drug and alcohol possession, thoughts of suicide or self-harm, and more. Students can provide information and seek assistance via the web, text, or phone through this platform.  Once an alert is reviewed, the information will be immediately shared with Valley View school officials, school-based mental health professionals, and/or local law enforcement, depending on the nature of the tip.

Communication
If a crisis occurs at your school, factual information will be delivered to you at the contact information you have provided. It is our promise that whenever a safety situation arises, we will be transparent and communicate with you as soon as facts are available. Additional updates are sent if new information is discovered.  

How you can help
You can play an important role to help stop misinformation. Focusing on facts and remaining calm will help our resources work through situations as quickly as possible. Embellishing and posting or reposting false information can have serious effects, and also create panic and anxiety for students and parents.

Let’s work together to prevent rumors – especially on social media – so that fear and uncertainty do not gain power in stressful situations. The VVSD commitment is to keep our students safe. Our partnership with the overall Valley View community helps make this happen. 

We also want to make you aware of the many safety and security measures we have in place in our district:

• Safety committees - We have a safety committee that oversees school safety for the District.  These committees meet regularly to review safety procedures and implement security initiatives.  
• Electronic access control - We are also in the process of upgrading to the newest technology available for the electronic access control of our exterior doors. This allows for better monitoring of doors while providing for a more secure building perimeter.
• Security cameras - We have over 600 security cameras in schools throughout our district.
• Threat assessment - We have had a functioning threat assessment team in place for many years, that helps to identify and monitor potential threats within our schools and at the District level. 
• Partnership with law enforcement - We have a strong partnership with both of our local law enforcement agencies, and there are officers assigned to each of our high schools and Bolingbrook middle schools.  They also help to cover our elementary schools.
• Safety Drills - We conduct regular safety drills according to the Standard Response Protocol (SRP).  These include drills for fire, threats of violence and other emergencies.
• Mental health professionals - We continue to have school-based mental health professionals as well as various community partner organizations to help students who may be struggling with social emotional challenges.
• Monitoring software - We have software that monitors our District network and devices for potential threats and concerns.
• In the event of an emergency, you will receive texts and emails through the Infinite Campus.  It’s important that you keep your contact information updated in this system in order to receive notifications.
• Social Media - We try our best to monitor activities on social media, but we need your help.  If you choose to allow your children to use social media, please talk with them about appropriate use and posting responsibly.  Making threats or even posting jokes related to school violence isn’t funny, it’s criminal.

Valley View School District continues to strive to achieve the goal of providing a safe and secure environment for our students, staff and visitors through a comprehensive and integrated approach. With your support, we can strengthen our efforts—it takes a Village to provide a safe school community. 

Thank you for your support!

Dr. Carter Larry
Director of Safety and Security
Valley View School District

Safe2Help Illinois
dial 844-4-SAFEIL
text SAFE2 (72332)
email help@safe2helpil.com

Anyone can report a bullying incident via Safe2Help Illinois. Complaints can be made anonymously, or they can share their name and contact information. The building administrators, Director of Safety and Security, and Director of Student Services will receive notification of the complaint. A student can report bullying to any adult at any school site, but the most appropriate individuals are most likely a teacher, social worker, dean, assistant principal, or principal.

About Bullying
Bullying is defined under Board Policy 7.180 Preventing Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment as such: Bullying includes cyber-bullying and means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student or students that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

• Placing the student or students in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s or students’ person or property;
• Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s or students’ physical or mental health;
• Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ academic performance; or
• Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.   

Bullying Based on Bias Behavior
An offense, verbal, written or symbolic in nature, committed against a person or property which is motivated by the offender's bias, a negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons based on their race, gender, gender orientation, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.

Bullying Based on Sexual Harassment
Unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and/or other inappropriate verbal, written, or physical conduct of a sexual nature, directed toward others.

Cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, including without limitation any transfer of signs, signals, writing images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photo-electronic system, or photo-optical system, including without limitation electronic mail, internet communications, instant, messages, or facsimile communications. Cyber-bullying includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages if the creation or impersonation creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition bullying. Cyber-bullying also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person of the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons if the distribution or posting creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying.

Student Privacy Laws
We strive to strike a balance between transparency and abiding by state and federal student privacy laws. Parents of students who are bullied understandably want to know specifics on any disciplinary action or restorative practices implemented as a result of the allegation. We cannot share that level of detail without parental consent, in the same fashion that we would not share the student information of a requesting parent’s child with a third party.

Valley View School District 365U maintains an Emergency Response Plan that includes procedures for a number of emergency situations, including a classroom/school lockdown and safe and secure procedures. Please contact your building principal if you have questions about this procedure.

Severe Weather and Shelter in Place Drills
Each school has a written plan to be used during practice drills and in the event of severe weather or when a tornado watch or warning is issued. Drills are held a minimum of once per year.

Fire Safety and Bus Evacuation Drills
On a regular basis throughout a school year, children and staff conduct fire safety and bus evacuation drills. Specific procedures are in place at each school to address safety concerns related to both areas. Please contact your child’s building principal for more information about fire safety and bus evacuation drills.

Indoor Activity Because of Inclement Weather 
The decision to move activity indoors because of inclement weather or other reasons is the responsibility of the building principal. The principal will consider such factors as the outside temperature, the wind chill factor, the appropriateness of student dress, and the expected duration and type of outside activity to be experienced by the students in making his/her decision. Because of the benefits of fresh air and outdoor recreation, the children will go outside whenever possible.

Emergency School Closing Information

Valley View School District 365u considers it best practice for children to be engaged in an academic setting. We use a restorative discipline approach that emphasizes relationships and community. Through the use of restorative discipline, we resolve conflicts, encourage our school community members to take responsibility for their behavior, repair any harm done, restore relationships, and reintegrate students into the school community.  

We are committed to applying school discipline policies and practices in a fair and equitable manner so as not to disproportionately impact students of color, students with disabilities, LGBT students, students with limited English proficiency, or other at-risk students that have been historically marginalized in schools.

Please note that there may be instances where changes to federal, state and/or local laws and regulations may change during the school year. In any instance where this document conflicts with School Board Policy or updated legal precedent, School Board policy and law shall govern.

As always, the safety and security of Valley View School District 365u students, families, and staff remain a top priority. For more details, see the VVSD Student Handbook.

Vaping

Electronic cigarettes, commonly referred to as “vapes”, were introduced to the American market between 2006 and 2007. The most popular product, JUUL, is responsible for about 72 percent of the vaping market. Since then, the practice has become increasingly popular, especially among teenagers, due to the affordability and variety of flavors. In addition to nicotine, marijuana can be vaped as well.

Vaping is believed to be a safer alternative to cigarettes, but it comes with risk factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been nearly 3,000 reports to the CDC of vaping-related hospitalizations in the United States as of February 2020 - and 64 deaths.
Vaping, like smoking, is strictly prohibited on school property at all times, including during the school day and all after-school activities. Students are prohibited from possession or using any type of a drug at school (prescription or over the counter drugs require notification to the school nurse). This also includes employees, parents, guardians or visitors on school property. 

Vape Compared to USB Vape devices are easy to hide from teachers and parents, because of their size and lack of odor. Certain vapes have a similar appearance to pens or USB drives.

Susanne Tanski, a pediatrician and former chair of the tobacco consortium at the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she and colleagues are observing first-time Juul users becoming addicted within two months, compared to two years or more for a smoker to become dependent on cigarettes.

Key parts of the brain continue to develop into the mid 20s, according to the CDC. Consistently using a vape leads to functional impact on teen brain development.

Marijuana

It is important for parents to recognize how much marijuana has changed since the 1960s. In addition to smoking parts of the cannabis plant, today’s products include marijuana mixed into foods (edibles), cannabis wax, vaporizers, and more. 
The potency of marijuana has also been increasing for years. The average potency today is about six to seven times stronger than it was in the mid 90s. Higher potency leads to a variety of effects, including:

• Difficulty thinking and making decisions
• Distorted perceptions
• Impaired balance and coordination
• Paranoia
• Problems with learning and memory
• Acute psychosis, including delusions and panic

Teens who regularly use marijuana have been shown to exhibit:

• Poor academic performance
• Higher school drop-out rates
• Higher unemployment rates
• Lower satisfaction with life
• Higher rates of welfare enrollment 

Communication with your Child

It is recommended for parents to have regular, but not forced, conversations with their children about the topics of vaping and marijuana. Listen more than you talk, teens are more likely to make good decisions and feel more understood if their parents listen. Consider the ratio of 75 percent listening and 25 percent talking. Be sure to validate your child first rather than lecturing or trying to solve the problem right away.

Don’t forget to help your child build internal tools, including self-confidence, authenticity, social skills, and resilience.

School Resource Officers

Police officers are assigned to work full time at each of Valley View School District 365U middle and high schools. The police officers are contracted by the school district from the local community where the school is located. Bolingbrook and Romeoville police departments participate in this long-standing and effective program. The purpose of the School Resource Officer Program is to facilitate, promote, and help maintain a safe and secure environment in our schools that is conducive to providing a safe and effective learning environment.

Board Liaison & Safety Meeting Dates

The Board Liaison and Safety Staff Members aids and advises both management and employees on matters of safety and health pertaining to school operations. In addition, they perform essential monitoring, educational, investigative, and evaluative tasks. Meets at VVSD Administrative Center at 4:00pm. All staff, parents, students and committee partners are welcome to attend.