School Safety and Security

A visitor to the West Chester area schools will find that security measures are firmly in place. These measures are intended to ensure the students’ safety by preventing unauthorized persons from walking into a building unannounced and unnoticed.

As part of these security measures, all doors to the district’s elementary and middle school buildings are locked to outside visitors during the school day. All but the main doors to the high school buildings are locked as well. School doors may be opened from the inside, however, so that students and staff can exit quickly in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Before entering a district elementary or middle school, visitors must first “buzz in” at the locked main entrance. Through a camera, personnel in the office are able to see the visitor. Unless the visitor is known, office personnel request his or her name and business with the school. After being “buzzed in,” the visitor is asked to report to the office.

Visitors to the high schools enter through the main door and check in with a security greeter.

Upon entry, visitors to all schools receive a temporary visitor’s tag, which they are asked to wear at all times in the building. Staff members wear permanent district IDs that contain their photograph.

In addition to these security measures, the district has an emergency plan in place for all of its school buildings. This plan takes into account the full range of possible emergencies, from fires to bomb threats, severe weather alerts, and intruder situations. In addition to regularly scheduled fire drills, our schools have “lock down” drills in which students are directed to safe areas in the event of an emergency that requires them to remain in the building.

Staff members have a Crisis Response Guide which is posted in every room and outlines the appropriate response to specific emergencies. The district has also published A Parent Information Guide to Emergency Procedures (pdf).* This document details the responsibilities of the staff, parents, and municipal police and fire departments in response to specific emergencies.

* Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader