Joliet school safety protocols have 5 levels: What each one means

Joliet — Following two incidents of threats found to be “not credible” on Friday and Monday, Joliet Township High School District 204 said it would be reviewing the “five standard response protocols” to emergency situations.

Joliet students were randomly searched entering the both West and Central high schools Monday out of an abundance of caution, but Friday’s threats led to the district implementing one of the “hold and secure” protocols at Joliet West.

According to District 204, the five protocols are standardized nationwide to better communicate with law enforcement, first responders, and community members, and to distinguish between different potential dangerous situations.

If any of the protocols are engaged at a school, parents and guardians are instructed to not come to or call the school unless otherwise instructed by the district website or the district notification system.

In an emergency situation, families will receive instructions on when and where to pick up their students for “reunification” as they are released.

Protocol levels

Protocols for a threat or violent incident range from “hold” to “lockdown” depending on severity.

In a hold protocol, the goal is to keep hallways clear, and students contained in classrooms during fights, medical emergencies, or large maintenance issues. Students are instructed to stay in their rooms and staff are trained to close and lock doors then go about business as usual until the hold is lifted and students can move to their next classes.

Secure protocols are for situations deemed more dangerous than a hold, but not necessitating a full lockdown. Secure protocols, which were implemented at Joliet West on Friday following an unsubstantiated threat, are usually implemented if there is an incident off campus but near the school or if police are investigating a potentially dangerous situation near the school.

During secure situations, students are required to stay inside the school and in their assigned classrooms while staff lock doors and make sure all students are accounted for. Adults are instructed to use “increased situational awareness” but continue business as usual until otherwise instructed.

A lockdown is initiated when there is a credible threat on or adjacent to the school campus. In these situations, students are instructed to stay out of sight of doors or windows and remain silent, while adults are trained to retrieve any students they can from the hallways, lock classroom doors, and turn out the lights. Once doors are locked, they are not to be opened, and staff are instructed to prepare to take defensive measures.

Evacuate protocols are only used when there is a credible reason to empty the building including fires, hazardous material situations, and “instances where the building is deemed unsafe.”

Students are encouraged to leave things behind in these emergency situations except for their phones, which they may need to contact family, and to follow teacher or staff instructions. In an evacuation situation teachers are instructed to lead students to the nearest exit and evacuation location, account for their students, and notify administration of any extra, missing, or injured individuals they have with them.

Shelter protocols are for environmental hazards including tornados and earthquakes, or the presence of hazardous materials. In these situations, students will be instructed by staff on how to respond based on the emergency.

Reporting suspected threats

Which protocols are used depends on the situation and, in the case of violent threats, the credibility of the threat.

District 204 relies on the Joliet Police Department to assess threat credibility and investigate them accordingly. Police detectives determined the threats received in the past week were not credible and were a part of a larger pattern of fake threats created online to frighten students and schools.

“Unfortunately, there is a nation-wide trend of noncredible, nonspecific, and threatening social media posts circulating that warn of actions that could cause danger to schools,” District 204 Director of Community and Alumni Relations Kristine Schlismann said.

“We ask that our families talk to their students about the importance of reporting social media threats directly to a school official, law enforcement, or a trusted adult and not reposting or sharing threatening social media posts or rumored threats and unverified information with others through social media platforms.”

Schlismann said the district and police department take every social media threat seriously and investigate them thoroughly, but that reposting or spreading the threats can cause unnecessary panic in the community.

If anyone in the community sees a social media post they believe conveys a threat to the district, they are encouraged to reach out to staff members, contact the district office by phone or the “contact us” portal on at jths.org, or anonymously call the School Violence Tip Line at 1-800-477-0024.