Safety and Security

In the event of an emergency, Southern York County School District will notify parents through a school messaging system. One of the most important things that parents and guardians can do to help us prepare for emergencies is to update their "Contact Information"  in Sapphire. This must be done for every child, every year. Even if you believe that your information has not changed, it is critical that you review and update this information yearly and also update it whenever the information changes. It takes just a few minutes of time now, and it can save valuable time in an emergency. Our ability to contact you in an emergency is dependent upon the accuracy of the contact information on file for your child. If you have not updated the contact information for your child this year, please follow the instructions at right. It is crucial that every family in Southern York County School District complete these steps.

After the start of the school day, access to school buildings shall be limited to one  entrance that is monitored and capable of controlling visitor entry. All other entrances shall be locked, and designated school staff shall follow established Board policy and procedures for entry of school visitors and other authorized individuals into school buildings. Building security is  coordinated by the School Safety and Security Coordinator, with the cooperation of district administrators, building principals, and district staff. Please see Board Policy 700 for more information.

Upon arrival at the school, visitors must register at the office where they will sign in and sign out, receive a pass, receive a badge, and receive instructions. After the start of the school day, only one (1) entrance shall be used by visitors to the school. All other entrances shall be locked.

All staff members shall be responsible for requiring a visitor to demonstrate that s/he has a visitor’s pass, has registered at the school office, and received authorization to be present for the purpose of conducting business. No visitor may confer with a student in school without the approval of the principal. Should an emergency require that a student be called to the school office to meet a visitor, the principal or designee shall be present during the meeting.

Failure to comply with these procedures shall result in more limited access to the school as determined by the building principal, consistent with Board policies, school rules, and federal and state law and regulations.

For more information, see Board Policy 907.

Parents/Guardians may request to visit their child’s classroom, but the request must be made prior to the visit, in accordance with established administrative regulations.

The building principal or program supervisor must grant prior approval for the visit, and shall notify the classroom teacher prior to the visit.

Parents/Guardians shall be limited to one (1) class period per month, per child in the school for classroom visitations, in order to minimize disruption of the classroom schedule and the educational program. Parental participation in classroom activities or programs such as room parents, back-to-school events, and chaperones for field trips shall not constitute a classroom visit for purposes of this policy.

The building principal or program supervisor and classroom teacher have the authority to ask a visitor to leave if the visitor disrupts the classroom routine, educational program or daily schedule, or if a visitor violates Board policy. Failure to leave when asked or repeated, documented disruptions may result in loss of classroom visitation privileges.

Under exceptional circumstances and upon request of the building principal, program supervisor, classroom teacher or parent/guardian, the Superintendent may authorize additional or longer classroom visits by a parent/guardian.

For more information, see Board Policy 907.