Departments

RAPTOR Visitor Management System

Widefield School District 3 is adding another layer of security to our current building-entry procedure. All of our schools will now be using the Raptor Visitor Management System. Part of keeping students and staff safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor system allows us to do that. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff.  

What is the RAPTOR system?

RAPTOR is a visitor registration system that enhances school security by reading visitor drivers' licenses, comparing the information to a sex offender database, alerting school administrators if a match is found, then (if no match is found) printing a visitor badge that includes a photo.

How does it work?

Drivers' license information is compared to a data base that consists of registered sex offenders from all 50 states, including Colorado. If a match is found, school administrators and law enforcement personnel are notified immediately and will take appropriate steps to keep the school safe.

Why is Widefield School District using this system?

Safety of students is the district's highest priority. One of the most flawed security measures in schools is the handwritten log for school visitors. Many indiviDuals visiting the school write their name illegibly or write a different name. Even with an accurate written name, the school knows nothing about the visitor or if they should be allowed in the school.

What other information is the school taking from drivers' licenses?

RAPTOR is only scanning the visitor's name, date of birth, partial license number, and photo for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. Additional visitor data will not be gathered and no data will be shared with any outside company or organization.

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• El Paso County Sheriff's Office
• Fountain Police Department
• Safe2Tell
• Colorado School Safety Resource
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
• Missing Children for Colorado
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
• Safe Communities - Safe Schools
• Bullying Awareness and Prevention
• IACP School Violence Prevention & Response
•  

Safe2Tell® is a state-funded strategic initiative of the Colorado Department of Law, Office of the Attorney General.

The strategy focuses on Colorado children and youth and the issues they face today. The model was based on the Columbine Commission Report’s recommendation that students need a safe and anonymous way to keep lines of communication open. They realized that tragedies could be prevented if young people had a way to tell someone what they knew without fearing retaliation.

The anonymity of all Safe2Tell reports is protected by C.R.S. 07-197. This means the reporting party remains unknown by Colorado state law.

To submit an anonymous tip to Safe2Tell® call:

• 1-877-542-7233 or report safely here.
• Anytime, day or night. 365 days a year.
• If this is an emergency, call 911.

The Safety and Security Department understands that if an emergency occurs at school or an office, there is usually not much time to warn students, employees and guest about what is happening or what to do. That is why the Widefield School District 3 has implemented the Standard Response Protocol v2.x (SRP-Extended) at all of its facilities.

Standard Response Protocol is not based on individual scenarios, but rather on the response to any given scenario. SRP demands a specific vocabulary, but also allows for great flexibility. The premise is simple - there are four specific actions that can be performed during an incident.

Secure is followed by the Directive: "Secure the Perimeter" and is the protocol used to safeguard students and staff within a building.

Lockdown is followed by "Locks, Lights, Out of Sight" and is the protocol used to secure individual rooms and keep students quiet and in place.

Evacuate is always followed by a location, and is used to move students and staff from one location to a different location in or out of the building.

Shelter is always followed by a type and a method and is the protocol for group and self protection. These specific actions can act as both a verb and a noun.

Hold! In Your Classroom is an action that may be used when building hallways need to be cleared of students. Although not a universal action of SRP v2, schools may use this additional action as part of SRP - Extended (SRP-X).

EXAMPLE: If the action is "Lockdown", it would be announced on public address as "Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight." All actions are to be repeated twice. Communication to local Law Enforcement Agency would be "We are under Lockdown."

In addition, each response has very specific student and staff action. The Evacuate response is always followed by a location: "Evacuate to the Bus Zone." Responses can also be chained. " Evacuate to Hallway. Shelter for Tornado. Drop, Cover and Hold."

The SRP is now in place in literally thousands of schools around the country and over the last year or two is becoming the standard in school safety training.

• SRP Parent Information (English)
• SRP Parent Information (Spanish)

For more information visit the I Love U Guys Foundation Website.

Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools

IS-100.SCA  Course Overview

The Emergency Management Institute developed the Introduction to ICS for Schools (IS-100.SCa for Schools) course in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education.  The course is designed primarily for kindergarten through high school personnel.
The overall course goal is to promote school safety by:

1. Familiarizing you with how ICS principles can be applied in school-based incidents.
2. Preparing you to interface with community response personnel

Primary Audience

The primary audience includes kindergarten through high school personnel.

Prerequisites

N/A. However, completion of IS 700, National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction is recommended.

Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools

Course Overview

This course covers basic information about developing, implementing, and maintaining a school emergency operations plan (EOP). The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the importance of schools having an EOP and basic information on how an EOP is developed, exercised, and maintained. The topics addressed in this course include:

• Understanding incident management.
• Forming the planning team.
• Understanding the situation.
• Developing a school emergency operations plan.
• Incorporating the Incident Command System principles and roles in the school emergency operations plan.
• Training, exercising, and maintaining the school emergency operations plan.

Primary Audience
This course is designed for teachers, substitute teachers, counselors, parent volunteers, coaches, bus drivers, and students. However, anyone with a personal or professional interest in school preparedness is welcome to participate. School administrators, principals, and first responders alike will find useful information in this course.

Prerequisites
None
Visit the FEMA website and course details.

COLORADO FEMA

OPERATIONAL REVIEW

The Widefield School District 3 Safety & Security Department monitors and maintains the security systems. This includes the access control, closed circuit television systems (CCTV) and various intruder detection systems. The security components are fully integrated at each school. All of the schools’ systems comprise a seamless, districtwide networked security management system.

The most visible security equipment at the schools is the proximity card readers at designated entrances and the security cameras on the exterior of the building. Proximity card readers provide accountability for who is coming into the building. CCTV cameras are a useful crime deterrent, and, by working in conjunction with the access controls system, the cameras provide accountability for access during both regular business hours and outside of business hours (nights and weekends). The cameras also provide surveillance of the school grounds.

In addition to providing detection of unauthorized entries into the schools, the security system addresses key control, vandalism, and emergency planning issues. This provides Widefield School District with documentation on who accesses the schools and when they are accessed. Exterior cameras and detection devices provide prevention, notification, and documentation of vandal-related incidents. The security system also helps in planning and preparing for emergencies by allowing the school to be locked down from the school's main office or from the Widefield School District security office, and it provides camera views of the exterior during a lockdown situation.

SAFETY & SECURITY HIGHEST PRIORITY

1. Please know that the safety of the students in our care is of the utmost importance. While it is impossible to guarantee that dangerous situations will never happen in and around our schools, we take far-reaching preventive measures. The most important thing we can do is be aware of who is in and around our schools.

2. It has been standard practice to require visitors to check in at the main office and receive a visitor’s badge. We are asking all school personnel to make sure this is a priority.

3. We stress to employees the importance of stopping individuals they do not know. Students, especially older ones, are asked to report any unidentified individuals to a teacher or other school official right away.

4. We are also taking extra care to keep non-essential doors locked. Our high schools have multiple entrances, but we are restricting access at each high school.

5. You as parents and neighbors of our schools can be very helpful by being aware of what is going on in and around the building and reporting unusual activity.

6. Local law enforcement and district security officials are increasing their presence around our schools.

7. Our district security system is currently one of the most advanced systems used.

8. We work closely with local law enforcement through the preparation of and drilling for various emergency responses and through our school resource officers to help keep our schools safe learning environments for our students.

EMERGENCY PLANNING

• All schools have implemented National Incident Command System within their emergency response teams.

• All Widefield School District Schools are equipped with automated external defibrillators. Each school has CPR, First Aid, and AED trained staff members assigned to the Incident Command Teams.

• Widefield School District has full radio communication interoperability with all area first responders.

• Continue to meet with emergency responders.

• School-level emergency response plans will be revised/updated when necessary to be consistent with the National Incident Command System.

• Widefield School District allows first responders to train regularly in our schools preparing for emergencies.

• Emergency Procedures Handbook has been printed in an easy-to-read, flip chart format and distributed.

• The El Paso County Sheriff, Security/ Fountain Fire Departments, and other emergency responders have been given the district’s "Emergency Management Plan" and complete virtual floor plans of all district buildings. Plans are updated every semester.

• Security and emergency planning improvements are budgeted for annually.

• Widefield School District will continue to update, evolve, and improve as needed.

With the help of Teaching and Learning Resource Services (TLRS), we live-stream several events. Please click the link below to see live-streaming:

District Live Streams

The Department of Technology Services will be sending out a technology themed newsletter each month of the 2023-2024 school year. The goal is to help strengthen the communication between the tech department and you all: The families. We want you to feel supported, connected, & empowered by being informed! To access the newsletters, click the link below:

Technology Newsletters for Families 

What is the Department of Technology Services (DTS)? Find out more about our department by viewing our digital brochure below:

The Department of Technology Services Brochure

Widefield is a one-to-one school district; meaning each student is assigned a device. A one-to-one technology district aims to create a more dynamic and personalized learning environment for students, allowing them to explore, learn, and grow with the support of digital tools and resources. Students are given a device at the beginning of the school year and they are responsible for the care and keeping of their assigned device. The school that the student is enrolled at will send out a device consent form. Below, please find a list of replacement costs:

Guidelines for use of District Technology |  Student Device Replacement Costs

Colorado Springs believes in Digital Equity: "A condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy." | National Digital Inclusion Agency | Because of this believe, there are a plethora of low-cost internet options and computer access options in Colorado Springs. See the link below for more information. *Note: This is not through the district, but through Coloradosprings.Gov.

Free and Low-Cost Internet Access

Widefield School District 3 uses Remind as our communication tool to families. Proper account settings is a crucial component in successful communication between the district and families. Please see the Remind Guide for Families below to ensure proper settings. If you have questions regarding Remind or have any issues with your Remind account, please call Danielle Higney at 719-391-3041 or email her at Higneyd@wsd3.org.

Remind Guide for Families (English)

Cuentas Para Padres en Remind Recordatorio (Español)

Did you know we have a Student Help Desk? Students and/or families can call 719-391-3023 or email Student-helpdesk@wsd3.org with questions regarding student devices, Remind, Schoology, or other district applications.

• Automatically Approved: Backpacks and lunch boxes/bags
• Other Items: May be transported only if:
  • Approved by the driver in advance
  • Do not block aisles or the driver's vision
  • No larger than 2'x2' and can be held on the student's lap, this includes musical instruments
  • If too large to be held on lap, the items cannot be transported

• Bus-eligible students are automatically assigned to the appropriate route for their enrolled school, with the stop closest to their address.
• No transportation registration is necessary for eligible students.
• Transportation for students attending a school outside their designated attendance are (including boundary waiver studnets) must be arranged by the parents, as per District Policy JFBA and JFBB. 

• Replacement Buses: If a bus is utilized as a replacement for the normal route bus, each bus is equipped with a numbered placard next to the student door. This number will correspond to the assigned route, allowing students and parents to easily identify the correct bus.
• Elementary School Buses: Each elementary school bus will have a designated color and animal associated with it. This helps younger students quickly and easily identity their bus. 
• MiLL Routes and Other Shuttles:  These buses will also have magnetic identified placed by the student door to indicate their specific routes and stops. 

These measures are in place to ensure that our transportation system runs smoothly and that students can board the correct bus safely and efficiently. We appreciate your cooperation and support in helping us provide a safe and reliable transportation service to your children. 

Safety Rules - Waiting for/Departing the Bus

1. Be on time at your designated bus stop - Students shall be at their assigned bus stops five (5) minutes before the bus is scheduled to depart. The bus cannot wait for those who are tardy.

2. Do not play in the street or on private property - Wait for your bus in a safe place, well off the roadway. Respect other's property: Do not play in yards near the bus stop.

3. Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before walking up to the bus to board.  Once the bus has come to a complete stop and door is opened, enter in an orderly manner, give the driver your name for attendance, and take your assigned seat immediately.

4. When loading the bus at school, all students must me on their bus by departure time.  For safety reasons, once the driver has closed the door and the buses have started to move, students will not be allowed to get on their bus.  Do not run after the bus.

5. Be alert to traffic when leaving the bus - Students will need to remain seated until the bus has stopped and the parking brake is set.  Exiting from the bus will be from the front door unless directed by the driver to do otherwise.  Cross ten (10) feet in front of the bus.  Follow the instructions of your driver for safe procedures when crossing the street or leaving the bus  drop-off location. With motorists' increased distractions while driving, the need to pay attention to the bus driver and follow their instructions is critical for student safety. Pick up after yourself and close your window.  Do not cross behind the bus at any time.

Safety Rules - While on the bus:

6. Follow the instructions of you school bus driver - Treat everyone with courtesy and respect.  Inappropriate conduct, use of objectionable language, or abuse of others will not be tolerated.

7. Do not extend objects, hands, or head out of the bus window.  Serious injury could result.

8. Eating or Drinking. Due to allergies, health, and  safety concerns, there will be no eating allowed on the bus. Water is ok to drink as long as it is in a non-spill sealed container. No glass is permitted.

9. Remain quiet and orderly.  Students will be assigned to a specific seat. Stay seated; seat to seat, back to back. Do not distract the driver.  Keep the aisle clear.  Talk quietly while on the bus.  Be completely silent at all railroad crossings.

10. Electronic equipment with a video display may be operated while on the bus. Cell phone usage is limited to texting, video games or listening to music (with earbuds) and the device does not become a distraction on the bus or other riders. The students need to hear driver instructions at all times.

11. Keep your belongings in your backpack.  Items Not allowed on the bus - Glass, balloons, pets, Knives, firearms or explosive items, any tobacco products, matches, lighters, or any item that is a health or safety hazard.  No items exceeding 2 feet x 2 feet in size, including musical instruments, unless previously authorized by the School bus driver. Sharp objects should not be transported in a manner that could potentially damage the bus or cause harm to others.  The bus driver holds the authority to request the removal of items from the bus if they pose a safety risk or hazard.

12. Additional Information:  Violations of school bus rules will be handled on an individual basis.  If a problem continues, parents will be contacted and progressive action will be taken by the School officials. (See below for consequences.) Immediate loss of transportation may occur depending on the severity of the violation.  Remember, school bus transportation is a privilege, not as right; school bus transportation can be suspended for willful misconduct or endangering the overall safety of the school bus, its occupants, or others.

Incident Rules:

1. First Incident.  The driver will address the student at the earliest opportunity.  The driver will contact the parent and request assistance correcting the student's misconduct.  A copy of the "Bus Conduct Report" will be sent to the school transportation point of contact (Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean). 

2. Second Incident.  The driver will address the student at the earliest opportunity.  A Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean of Students or representative from the School will contact the parent and request assistance in correcting the student's misconduct.  A copy of the "Bus Conduct Report" will be sent to the school transportation point of contact (Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean).  The student may receive an in-school consequence. 

3. Third Incident.  The driver will address the student at the earliest opportunity.  A Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean of Students or representative from the School will contact the parent and request assistance in correcting the student's misconduct.  On this, third reported incident, the student will receive and in-school consequence and/or may lose all district-provided transportation privileges for a period to be determined by a School Representative.  Parents are responsible for their child's transportation to and from school during this time.

4. Fourth Incident.  The driver will address the student at the earliest opportunity.  A Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean of Students or representative from the School will contact the parent and request assistance in correcting the student's misconduct.  on this, fourth reported incident, the student will receive an in-school consequence and may lose all district-provided transportation privileges for a period to be determined by a School Representative.  Parents are responsible for their child's transportation to and from school during this time.  A copy of the "Bus Conduct Report" will be sent to the school transportation point of contact ( Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean).  A conference will be conducted by the School and Transportation Operations Manager to determine continued eligibility, before reinstatement of the bus riding privileges.  The following individuals shall be in attendance:  The parent/guardian, the student, and the bus driver.

5. Additional Incidents.  Additional incidents may result in removal from the bus for the remainder of the semester or school year.  End-of-year violations/disciplinary actions may carry over to the beginning of the following school year.  Parents are then responsible for their child's transportation to and from school.

NOTE:  Immediate loss of transportation privileges may occur depending on the severity of the violation.  (Violations may include, but are not limited to: weapons on the bus, drugs, smoking, physical violence, vandalism, actions that may adversely impact the safety of others, etc.) Violations may be subject to additional school/district administrative and/or disciplinary action. Willful damage to the bus or equipment may have the cost repair assessed to the offender.

To keep families informed about bus delays or changes, the WSD3 Transportation Department will utilize the Remind app. We highly recommend downloading the app and subscribing to your student's school notifications to receive timely updates. 

• Elementary Students (K-5): Transportation is provided for students whole home address exceeds 1.5 miles from their home school 
• Secondary Students (6-12): Transportation is available for students who home address exceeds 2.5 miles from their home school. 
• Special Needs Students: Transportation is provided as outlined in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan. 

WHAT'S ON THE APP?

• Location of your child’s bus on a map
• Scheduled and an actual bus arrival times at home and school
• Push and email alerts when: Bus has entered radius of around the home stop, Bus has been substituted, Student has scanned on and off the bus, including bus number, time & location

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

• Open this the Here Comes The Bus page in your web browser
• Choose a Username, Password, and enter School Code: 74956
• Once signed in, add student(s) by going to the “My Account” tab, scroll down to “My Student,” and click add.
• Enter student(s) name and ID #.
• Once student(s) have been added, you can set parameters on how you’d like to be notified under the “Notifications” tab.
• “Here Comes the Bus” can be downloaded for free in the iTunes or Google play stores.