Bayfield School Board Reviews Updated 2025-28 Emergency Operations Plan

Safe To Tell Information

The discussion at the board meeting followed a review of the draft by the district’s safety team on January 10. That team is focused on finalizing the guidelines that drive the EOP and ensuring that district staff is prepared for all eventualities.

The Emergency Operations Plan is structured to meet both state and federal regulations, including specific guidelines from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and district policies. Whitmore explained that the EOP is updated every three years to stay current with evolving laws and best practices.

“At a bare minimum, these guidelines meet what the law says we have to do,” Whitmore said, noting that the plan is built to adhere to the most stringent requirements for school safety, and that input is provided in the review process from each of the district’s buildings. 

“Principals really need to go through it and have a good idea of what we do,” said Whitmore, emphasizing the importance of leadership in driving safety procedures at each school.

The plan was also designed from a template provided by the San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) for use by all districts in the area, but Whitmore noted that the Bayfield District’s EOP underwent revisions to better suit local needs.

“We took out several things that were redundant or contradictory or didn’t seem to fit the size of our district,” he said.

Whitmore emphasized that all school building plans need to fit within the overarching structure of the EOP, and suggested that the updated plan serves as the foundation for the district’s annual August safety training presentations. 

The document, which will not be made publicly available due to security concerns, is intended to be a living document, constantly evolving to address any new safety challenges, and it will ultimately be approved by Superintendent Leon Hanhardt and the school board. It will also be presented to local fire and police departments for their feedback and collaboration.

Organization and Responsibility

The Safety Team focused on the critical elements of the plan, beginning with the Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities section, which is meant to ensure that everyone in each building knows their specific role and how they contribute to the overall safety effort. This outlines the prioritization of responsibilities, with a focus on ensuring that the safety of students is the top priority in any emergency. 

“Anybody that has kids understands that their safety is your number one priority,” Assistant Superintendent Bill Hesford said at the gathering of the safety team, underscoring the importance of maintaining that focus. He explained that staff safety is the next priority, and the second-most critical group to safeguard in the event of an emergency.

One critical aspect of emergency communication that was emphasized during both the District Safety Team meeting and the Board meeting was the need for parents and caregivers to keep their contact information current with the school district. Whitmore and Hesford both stressed that accurate and up-to-date contact details are essential for effective communication during emergencies.

“If your folks don’t get the text or email when something is going on, then it means we don’t have their information,” Whitmore said, noting that outdated contact information can lead to missed notifications about critical situations.

“Remind people when they move or somebody gets a new cell phone, if it is not in PowerSchool, they will not be notified,” Hesford added, urging other safety team members to remind all families to keep their contact details updated in the district’s system to ensure that they receive timely alerts in case of an emergency.

The district has also continued to improve its communication network, and Whitmore noted that 140 handheld radios have been distributed across the district in recent years. The district has also enhanced radio systems on buses to ensure seamless communication across the district.

“In a big event, there is a good chance cell phones won’t work because towers can’t handle the traffic, so the radios are a huge addition to being able to communicate,” Whitmore said, noting that the recent upgrades make it possible for the transportation department’s dispatch center to communicate with buses at the far end of Vallecito Reservoir.

Whitmore also reported on the planned installation of new signage that will help guide staff and students during an emergency. The new signs will incorporate the Standard Response Protocol, which outlines a clear and consistent response to various types of emergencies, such as lockdowns, evacuations, and shelter-in-place situations. Additionally, new Emergency Guides including Evacuation Routes will be displayed in prominent locations throughout the district’s buildings.

Folders containing essential emergency information will also be provided to key staff, ensuring that they have quick access to critical procedures during a crisis. This includes evacuation routes, emergency contacts, and other vital instructions for managing an emergency situation. Whitmore suggested that the information be readily available to substitute teachers as well.

Safety Team Meetings and Trainings

The district’s safety teams, made up of front office staff, teachers, and counselors, meet quarterly to assess and improve safety procedures. These meetings are an opportunity for staff to discuss what’s working well and identify areas for improvement. 

“At those meetings, we discuss what is going well and what holes we have to plug,” Whitmore explained.

One recent initiative was a threat assessment training conducted by the Colorado Safe Schools Resource Center, which aimed to further educate staff on identifying and addressing potential threats. 

“That was a refresher on how to properly do threat assessments, and it was an excellent training as well,” Whitmore said, noting the need for more specialized training in Incident Command System (ICS) protocols. He explained that principals, directors, and the District Safety Team will need to undergo ICS training, which is crucial for coordinating efforts during an emergency.

The need for this training stems from the 2013 Claire Davis Act, named after a high school student from Arapahoe High School who was killed in a school shooting despite the fact that the shooter had already been identified in threat assessments. The tragedy led to legislation that holds school districts accountable for adhering to established safety procedures.

Looking ahead, Whitmore also indicated that a tabletop exercise will be held at the next district safety meeting to go through procedures to reunify students with their parents or caregivers following an evacuation or other emergency. Reunification, which involves safely returning children to their parents after a crisis, is a critical process that requires specific planning and training. Whitmore’s team was provided with some unanticipated data when the district was forced to implement its current reunification procedures after Bayfield Middle School was evacuated as a precaution on Tuesday when a small gas leak was detected outside of the building.

“Reunifying students with parents following an evacuation can be complicated and stressful,” Hesford said. “We get students back to their parents on a daily basis, but how do we continue to train our staff do it effectively in an emergency situation?”

He and Whitmore agreed that it would also be appropriate to hold a walk-through drill at a later date, and invite local law enforcement and the fire department to participate in both the walk-through and the tabletop scenario. The district will also maintain a printed copy of parent contact information in each school building and update it regularly to ensure that staff have accurate contact details when the time comes to reunify students with their families.

The safety team also discussed the importance of having specific evacuation plans for students with special needs. 

“We need to have a written plan for those kiddoes, and how we evacuate them,” Whitmore stressed, noting that the plan must ensure that students who may require additional assistance during an evacuation are safely and efficiently escorted to designated safe areas.

Board President Rebecca Parnell wrapped up the discussion at the January 14 board meeting  by emphasizing the district’s commitment to creating a safe learning environment for all. 

“The passion for me is making sure everybody feels safe,” she said.

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