October 7, 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Sadly, we live in a time in our society that has experienced deranged people coming into schools with the intent of causing harm. We are fortunate to live in a rural community that has close connections, and we want to think that those sorts of things would be unlikely to happen here. While we hope that is the case, we also don’t want to take it for granted. In an effort to increase our preparedness for emergency situations, school staff have been having conversations with students about what procedures would need to be followed in the event of a lockdown. Moreover, this morning the school performed a Lockdown Drill in conjunction with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. We want you to be aware of these conversations and this drill if your child(ren) would come and speak to you about a school lockdown. We encourage you to reinforce to them the importance of learning these steps, and knowing what to do in a real lockdown.
The Tri County School District follows the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to be prepared to respond to an emergency. The SRP is promoted by the Nebraska Department of Education, and is used at schools across Nebraska and the United States. It is designed to be applicable in all emergency situations, and to provide a uniform and planned response to an incident. The SRP includes five basic responses. The nature of the emergency dictates which response is utilized. In an emergency, a simple prompt and directive is given to initiate a response:
- “Hold” is used when there is a disruption within the school building, and it is best for people to stay within classrooms until given an all-clear. It is followed by the directive “In your room or area. Clear the halls.” A hallway altercation is the type of incident that may necessitate this response.
- “Secure” is used when there is an outside threat that is in the general proximity of campus, and it's safest for people to not go outside until the all-clear is given. It is followed by the directive “Get inside. Lock outside doors.” Students and adults can move regularly within buildings, but not between buildings.
- “Lockdown” is used when there is a threat within the building, or that could soon be inside the building. This is likely a human or animal threat, such as an intruder. It is followed by the directive “Locks, lights, out of sight.” A lockdown continues until an official unlocks classroom doors from the outside.
- “Evacuate” is used when there is a need to relocate, usually because of a physical or mechanical threat. Fire and gas leaks are examples of hazards that require evacuation. A location to evacuate can be announced as part of the directive.
- “Shelter” is used when there is a need to barricade, usually because of a natural or chemical threat. The directive states the hazard and safety strategy, such as “Tornado, relocate to the band and locker rooms.”
As it pertains to lockdown, the SRP provides specific guidelines that adults and students within a school system should be prepared for during a real lockdown situation. Below is an outline of the key considerations that teachers are discussing with students in the event of a lockdown situation at Tri County Schools:
- A lockdown is issued because there is believed to be a threat inside the school, or headed to the school.
- If a lockdown is issued, it should involve an all-call announcement stating “Lockdown, Locks, Lights, Out of Sight,” and may include additional information about the threat. That directive could also be given by any staff member who begins or receives a phone alert.
- Classroom doors are kept locked during the school day. Each classroom will have a process they will review to latch and lock a door if a lockdown is issued.
- Students will hide inside of classrooms to best be out of sight of a possible intruder.
- Individuals who are outside of the buildings during a lockdown should not come back into the school buildings, but instead should run away from the buildings. Students have been instructed on places where they should run if a lockdown is issued while they are outside of the buildings.
- When a lockdown is issued, students could get locked out of the classroom. Classroom staff have reviewed good places to hide outside of their classroom if they get locked out and hear a lockdown announced.
- Once the classroom door is locked and closed for a lockdown, students or staff members should never open the door for anyone. The door will be unlocked by an authority person to end the lockdown.
- Students should not have their phones out during a lockdown, or take the time to get their phones. If they have any electronic device, they should keep it silenced and out of sight during a lockdown so that an intruder would not see someone inside their classroom.
- If individuals are in the cafeteria during a lockdown, they need to go into girls' locker rooms, or find the closest place to hide.
- After a lockdown, all people will be transported to another site for reunification with families. Students will only be allowed to bring along with them what is on their persons. Reunification instructions will be sent out to parents with the district notification system.
Safety is a top priority for Tri County Schools. We are grateful for your partnership in helping keep our students safe.
Sincerely,
Brian Rottinghaus,
Superintendent