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
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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.