Ellensburg School District is committed to a safe and civil educational environment for all students, employees, parents/guardians, volunteers and community members free from harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyber-bullying.

See Something, Say Something!

If you see something, hear something, observe something or if something feels wrong, we want to know. Ellensburg Schools are committed to providing a safe environment to learn, work and visit.

We subscribe to a service that allows quick, easy, and anonymous reporting of safety concerns to school officials 24/7/365. Help us create a safer learning environment.

SUBMIT AN ANONYMOUS TIP

Terms to Know

All schools in our district have emergency plans and procedures in place to protect our students and staff during emergencies. We are required by state law to practice a variety of emergency responses on a frequent basis to ensure we are able to respond if needed. These drills include Evacuation, Earthquake, Lockdown, Secure & Teach, and Shelter in Place. Below is a short description of each emergency response and specific reasons we would implement it.

Evacuation: Quickly and safely exit the building, meet in a common location, and account for all students and staff. Rationale: Get away from fire, smoke, or other hazardous condition inside the building.

Earthquake: Drop, cover, and hold. Evacuate if/when safe to do so. Rationale: Protect from falling objects during earthquake or aftershock.

Lockdown: Students move to nearest classroom or lockable space, staff quickly lock all interior and exterior doors. Staff and Students are also trained to Run/Hide/Fight based on information they have. Rationale: Protect against immediate threat inside the building.

Secure & Teach: Students move to nearest classroom or lockable space, staff lock all exterior doors and resume teaching. Rationale: Protect against potential threat outside the building.

Shelter-In-Place: Students move to nearest classroom or available space. Staff secure doors and windows with duct tape. Administration/Custodial staff turn off HVAC systems. Rationale: Protect against potential external environmental hazard (smoke, chemical spill, etc.)

RESSURE CHILDREN THAT THEY ARE SAFE

• Emphasize that schools are very safe
• Validate their feelings and explain that all feelings are OK
• Let children talk about their feelings and help them put these feelings into perspective
• Assist children in expressing these feelings appropriately

MAKE TIME TO TALK

• Let your child's questions be your guide as to how much information to provide
• Be patient. Children do not always talk about their feelings readily
• Watch for clues that your child may want to talk, such as hovering around while you work on a chore or task
• Some children prefer writing, playing music or doing an art project as an outlet
• Young children may need concrete activities (drawing, looking at picture books or imaginative play) to help express their feelings

KEEP YOUR EXPLANATIONS DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE

Elementary School

Elementary school children need brief and simple information. Be sure to reinforce that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. Give simple examples of school safety:

• School doors are locked
• Adults are present to monitor them on the playground
• They have practiced emergency drills during school

Intermediate School

Expect that Intermediate school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they believe they are safe. They may need help in separating reality from fantasy. Discuss efforts of their school and community leaders to provide safe schools:

• Regular drills
• School doors are locked
• Adults are present to monitor them on the playground

Middle and High School

Middle and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the cause of threats of violence in school and society. They will share suggestions about how to make school safer and how to avoid tragedy. Emphasize the role that they have in maintaining safe schools:

• Do not provide building access to strangers
• Report strangers on campus
• Report threats to school safety made by students or others
• Communicate personal safety concerns to school administrators
• Access support (or encourage others to do so) for emotional needs

OBSERVE YOUR CHILD'S EMOTIONS

Some children may not express their concerns verbally. Changes in behavior, appetite and sleep patterns can also indicate a child's level of anxiety or discomfort. In most children, these symptoms will ease with reassurance and time. Some children may be at risk for more intense reactions. Children who have had a past traumatic experience or personal loss, suffer from depression or other mental illness, or with special needs may be at greater risk for severe reactions than others. Seek the help of mental health professionals if you are concerned.

LIMIT TELEVISION VIEWING OF THESE EVENTS

Limit television viewing and be aware if the television is on in a common area. Developmentally inappropriate information can cause anxiety or confusion, particularly in young children. Adults also need to be mindful of the content of conversations that they have with each other in front of children, even teenagers, and limit their exposure to vengeful, hateful and angry comments that might be misunderstood.

MAINTAIN A NORMAL ROUTINE

Keeping a regular schedule can be reassuring and promote physical health. Ensure that children get plenty of sleep, regular meals and exercise. Encourage them to keep up with their schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Don't pusk too hard if they seem overwhelmed.

SOURCE: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

Snow Days: What to Expect

We understand that the decision to close schools or keep them open in bad weather can have a big impact on families. We also understand that our students are best served, both academically and socially, by being in school. The safety of our students, staff and families is always our top priority.

HOW DO WE MAKE OUR DECISION?

Safety is of the utmost importance, and we continually monitor the weather when snow is predicted or falling. Please understand that we make the decision to open or close schools in bad weather based on a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

• Information on road conditions from transportation staff and other staff that go out and drive certain routes starting at 4 a.m. We give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the district. Even if your street looks clear, travel elsewhere in the district may be dangerous. Also, we must consider that some high school students drive to school.
• Amount of snow and/or ice accumulated.
• Whether precipitation is continuing.
• Monitoring of the real-time and forecasted weather continues throughout the morning.
• Building conditions (Do we have electricity and heat?)
• Parking lot conditions. Administrators talk to maintenance and custodial staff members who are responsible for clearing and treating school parking lots and sidewalks.
• Temperature and wind chill. Please remember that some of our students walk to school and some must wait outside for the bus.
• Weather predictions. We prefer not to make our decision based on weather predictions, which are not always accurate. But sometimes it is unavoidable.
• What other school districts are doing? Local districts' superintendents and/or leaders check with each other and find what neighboring districts are doing.

If it is determined that school buses are able to safely transport students on the roads, then school will be in session.

WHO MAKES THE DECISION?

Superintendent Troy Tornow is responsible for the final decision based on the above factors and recommendations from the Transportation and Maintenance directors as well as consulting with other local superintendents and district staff.

WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?

Superintendent Tornow makes the decision by 5:30 a.m. or earlier so we can notify radio and TV stations and post the decision on our website. If we wait longer to announce a closing, some parents will have already left for work, leaving their children unsupervised.

WHY DOES THE DISTRICT CALL A 2-HOUR DELAY?

A two-hour delay allows time to further determine if weather and road conditions will improve in time for the safe transportation of our students. During a delay, the Transportation team will continue to drive routes throughout the morning to assess road conditions. If road conditions improve, students are transported at the two-hour delay time. If road conditions worsen or are deemed unsafe for bus transportation, then school is canceled.

HOW ARE FAMILIES AND THE PUBLIC NOTIFIED?

Tune to local TV and radio stations. Information about a delay or school closure is sent first to all parents/guardians and staff via ParentSquare. Please make sure your Skyward account is up to date to ensure you receive these ParentSquare messages. Additionally, delay and closure information will be provided to the media via FlashAlert and posted on our ESD Facebook and here on our website.

WHAT ABOUT NEW TEEN DRIVERS?

If you are the parent of a new or inexperienced driver and you deem weather conditions too challenging for your student, they can ride the bus if they are signed up in advance for bus routing. We encourage you to sign your teen driver up for routing if this is a concern. Sign up for bus routing here. 

WILL WE CLOSE SCHOOL IF CONDITIONS WORSEN?

Even if weather conditions worsen after school has started, we cannot reverse our decision without endangering students. Once we make the decision to open schools, many parents rely on that information and leave for work. If we then send students right back home, many will return to unsupervised bus stops and empty houses. If conditions get worse during the school day, we may need to have an early dismissal, but we will give adequate notice to all parents first.

WILL A “SNOW DAY” MAKE THE SCHOOL YEAR LONGER?

This year, we have built in one “snow day” within the school calendar. If there is more than one time this year that we need to close schools due to poor road conditions, the school year will be extended.

We work hard to make the best decisions to keep the Ellensburg School District community safe. If you feel that weather conditions are too severe for your student(s) to safely attend school, use your best judgement on whether or not your student(s) will attend. We also ask you to discourage teenagers from driving in bad conditions if at all possible.

We hope this information helps everyone understand how we make these difficult decisions in the pre-dawn hours of a snowy morning.

Meet our SRO

Ellensburg Police Officer Lucas Anderson begins his third year as Ellensburg’s own School Resource Officer.

Prior to working for the Ellensburg Police Department, SRO Anderson was a corrections officer with Yakima County.  He also worked in Code Enforcement Division of EPD from 2011-2013.  He has been a commissioned police officer since 2013.

He is known to students as Officer Lucas, dividing his time between every Ellensburg school. He has also been known to frequent school assemblies and events, like turning a principal into a human ice cream sundae. Thank you, Officer Lucas for creating a safe, and often fun, environment for students!

Frequently Asked Questions About School Resource Officers

It's important to be prepared. We encourage you to create a family plan and talk to your children about what your family will do in the event of an emergency at school.

MAKE A PLAN

1. Keep your emergency contact information at school up-to-date, including alternate phone numbers for you and family or friends authorized to pick your child up at school.
2. Discuss ways to stay in touch during an emergency and stress the importance of staying off cell phones unless specifically authorized. Ellensburg schools will instruct students with phones to text family and let them know the student is OK.
3. Talk to your child about the importance of listening carefully and following directions in the event of an emergency.
4. Bookmark Ellensburg Schools information sources so you can easily check for updated information in the event an emergency occurs. See the information below to get started.

STAY INFORMED

Keep your emergency contact information up-to-date in Skyward to ensure we can reach you. Ellensburg Schools communicates using:

1. ParentSquare. Please make sure that your contact information is up to date in Skyward! If your address, phone number or email change during the school year, please have your building help you update that information. ParentSquare will send emergency notifications immediately, overriding your choice to view messages later in the day. 
2.