OSD Staff and Student Safety FAQ

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) greatly limits what districts can share about any student. In situations involving weapons or firearms, the normal protocol is emergency expulsions are issued and the school administration follows district and state laws. The Washington Administrative Code or WACS and the Revised Code of Washington or RCW’s give direction to school districts which includes language that a district will expel a student for not less than one year if it is determined that the student possessed a firearm on school premises.

Our district has adopted the ALICE active shooter response training. All district employees are required to complete ALICE training annually. Schools and support buildings are required to conduct active shooter training twice a year. Law enforcement is not typically involved in these types of training or drills. However, law enforcement is aware and trained on ALICE.

Olympia School District follows the safety and public health guidelines from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Washington State Department of Health, and the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.

We have two terms typically referenced in active intruder scenarios. We use "Lockout" and "Lockdown". These are based on our ALICE training. "Lockout" means no one is permitted in or out of the building but students can move about the building normally between classes or to use a restroom. Lockdown" means everyone is sheltering in place, with no movement in or outside of the building.

Every emergency situation is unique and the terminology used is made by building administration, sometimes in conjunction with law enforcement. Any adjustments to either 'Lockout'' or "Lockdown" should come from first responders or the building administrator only. Those adjustments should be treated as one-off scenarios based on the need at that time.

Each one of our schools and support buildings has an Emergency Operations Plan. Potential gun violence and active shooter situations are addressed in those plans.

The district is always considering better ways to keep our students safe. These options have been discussed in the past and are possibilities for consideration as we move forward.

“Expulsion” means a denial of admission to the student’s current school placement in response to a behavioral violation for no longer than the length of one academic term. When risk to public health or safety warrants extending a student’s expulsion, the principal or designee may petition the Superintendent for authorization to exceed the academic term limitation on an expulsion. Re-enrollment and placement decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Annually we send information home to families and have brochures available in schools about gun safety.

Any resumption of a formal school-based officer program would need to be negotiated between the school district and the Olympia Police Department and be in compliance with state laws. What that would look like would be codified in a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The police department is responsible for the equipping of its officers. Their standards would be considered as part of the school district and police department negotiated MOU.

Laws had changed at that time and there was a decision by the board to pause the program until we could ensure compliance with the new law RCW 28A.320.124. This coincided with school campus closures due to COVID-19.

OSPI was tasked with providing training for prospective security and school police officers to comply with RCW 28A.320.124. The training program for school-based officers, at a minimum, addresses the following 12 mandated training topics:

• Constitutional and civil rights of children in schools, including state law governing search and interrogation of youth in schools;
• Child and adolescent development;
• Trauma-informed approaches to working with youth;
• Recognizing and responding to youth mental health issues;
• Educational rights of students with disabilities, the relationship of disability to behavior, and best practices for interacting with students with disabilities;
• Collateral consequences of arrest, referral for prosecution, and court involvement;
• Resources available in the community that serve as alternatives to arrest and prosecution and pathways for youth to access services without court or criminal justice involvement;
• Local and national disparities in the use of force and arrests of children;
• Deescalation techniques when working with youth or groups of youth;
• State law regarding restraint and isolation in schools, including RCW 28A.600.485;
• Bias-free policing and cultural competency, including best practices for interacting with students from particular backgrounds, including English learners, LGBTQ, and immigrants; and,
• The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requirements include limits on access to and dissemination of student records for non-educational purposes.

Part of the mandatory training requires officers to be well-trained in bias-free policing and cultural competency which includes best practices for interacting with students from particular backgrounds, including English learners, LGBTQ, and immigrants. RCW 28A.320.124 requires districts to have a policy/procedure that describes the process for families to file complaints with the school and, when applicable, the local law enforcement agency and a process for investigating and responding to complaints. Safety and security staff working on school property must present to and discuss with students, and distribute to students' families, information about the role and responsibilities of safety and security staff.

We are not aware of any information given to CHS students, by staff members, that contradicted the modified lockout status passed along by the Principal and OPD.

There was an altercation after school involving a non-enrolled student and one of our students.

When security incidents take place at a school the OSD Communications Department works directly with school administration and the Olympia Police Department to verify the authenticity of the threat. Once these details have been verified communications are then pushed out to all parent/guardians and staff of the impacted schools, alerts are pushed out on school websites and when necessary notices are pushed out on district social media platforms.

Additional social-emotional support staff were deployed to support CHS counselors and the social worker after each event and are available as needed and as requested by CHS leadership. CHS staff were instructed by the administration to keep a lookout for students and fellow staff members in need of support and send them to support rooms as needed. Messages highlighting these supports were also sent to families.

Yes, we will continue to offer mental health supports to our students in our buildings, as well as to our families. If you visit our Resources for Youth and Families page you will find a number of community resources for both our students' mental and physical safety.

Parents interested in volunteering in our buildings are encouraged to complete the OSD Volunteer Application Form. Capital High School specifically is looking to launch its PODS effort: ‘Parents on Deck at School’ and have a friendly face in the hallways in the morning, at break or at lunchtime. It also is helpful when parents remind and encourage their students that if they see something concerning to report it and to follow all emergency directions from school staff.

Yes, Vector Alert is available to all our students. This system allows you to quickly, easily, and anonymously report safety concerns to school officials 24/7/365 by text, email or phone.

The district is always considering better ways to keep our students safe. Options like what to do about backpacks have been discussed in the past and are possibilities for consideration as we move forward. Lockers are not currently available for every student in all of our buildings.

An Olympia Police Department officer was on the Capital High School campus full-time from September 12-22, 2023. The following week, September 25-29, an OPD officer was on campus three days.

Effective on Monday, October 2, 2023, while officers will not be a regular presence on the CHS campus, OPD will increase its presence in the area around Capital High School, and will do occasional check-ins on the campus. They will also have an officer present at all Capital and Olympia high school home (Ingersoll Stadium) varsity football games for the remainder of this season.

When Capital High School was put into a modified lockout this allowed learning to continue. Classrooms were secured, with no student traffic and teachers continued their lessons as planned. That being said, the anxiety and fear that comes with emergency responses undoubtedly impact the focus and attention of students on academics.