Safety & Security

You will notice a bookmark at the top left of your Google homepage entitled QACPS Safety & Security. This bookmark has been designed to anonymously report school-related safety, security, and mental health matters or concerns. 
Tips submitted through the Safe Schools Maryland website, Mobile App, or telephone calls to the tip line are a high priority and may prompt a school administrative and/or local law enforcement response and investigation. Tips submitted to cause a false investigation or found to be a prank or hoax may also prompt law enforcement and administrative investigation. See false report of a crime.
Please dial 911 for emergencies or crimes in progress.

See it, hear it, report it. Keep our schools, students, and staff safe! 833-632-7233

Report an anonymous tip to Safe Schools Maryland

YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE. The Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line is an anonymous reporting system used to report threats to the safety and/or well-being of students.  Students, parents, faculty, staff, and members of communities throughout Maryland may use this anonymous, app- and web-based reporting system to share their concerns, to include;

• Mental health crises
• Bullying
• School and community violence
• Drug activity
• Abuse
• Harassment
• Other issues affecting our Maryland students

The Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line is a tool for proactively addressing harmful situations and helping students who need it. Using various communication modes to support the reporting and routing of tips, The Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line empowers the citizens of Maryland to create a culture of preparedness, prevention, and school safety for our students.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS

Advance preparation and planning can minimize the risks inherent in any emergency situation. QACPS works closely with the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff, Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services, and other State and Local partners to develop and maintain coordinated emergency response procedures.

School Emergency Response Plans

Each Queen Anne’s County public school is provided with a School Emergency Response Plan. The plan is updated annually and reviewed with all building staff. The plan includes school site information, staff responsibilities in times of emergency, the type of training staff will receive and when training will occur, and annual plans for all types of drills.

The plan also defines emergency response operations such as potential command post locations, communications plans, student release procedures, general emergency actions, and hazard-specific procedures.

The emergency plan includes site maps, which identify assembly areas, traffic flow information, loading areas, utility controls, and potential medical station areas. 

Emergency Incident Kits

Portable Emergency Medical Kits have been provided for each school classroom. The kit contains lifesaving medical supplies which are critical during an emergency. Most school classrooms also have emergency folders, including school floor plans, student rosters, student emergency procedures cards, and area maps.

Drug Free Campus

QACPS has partnered with the QACSO to promote a drug-free campus and safe learning environment.

This is to notify you that periodic drug scans will be conducted on school premises by police canine drug detection teams from various law enforcement agencies.  This action is being taken to protect you and to work towards a drug-free school environment.  You are being given prior notice of this program pursuant to school system policy.

Tips to Support Students During Drills  

QACPS works to ensure all students’ physical safety. The training received during school drills provides a safety rehearsal to prepare students and staff for emergencies. Teachers and staff members explain the purpose of each drill and that they are designed to keep students safe. Students are encouraged to ask questions about each drill to understand the meaning of each one better. School staff members are always available to assist students who may be uncomfortable during school safety and security drills. Parents must communicate with teachers should their students require any special needs. 

Emergency Drills  

The initial actions and quick responses taken during the first few moments of a critical incident are essential to student and staff safety. Examples and explanations of response drills are listed below.

Lockdown

A Lockdown confines all school staff, students, and visitors to a classroom or other secure space within the school due to severe weather conditions, outside bio-hazards, threats, or suspicious activity. The isolation of staff and students inside the school limits exposure to the risk of outside contaminants, severe weather, or harmful situations outside the school. In most cases, students will continue to learn as usual but remain safely and securely inside their classrooms. Additional safeguards are in place based on the severity of the safety condition or threat. 

1. What should you do if a school drill or emergency drill occurs but you’re not near a classroom?

Students should move towards the nearest classroom to shelter behind a locked door. The teacher will take note of your name and share it with the staff..

2. Where should you go if a school drill or emergency drill happens and you’re outside the building?

All students should calmly and quickly return to the building through the closest doorway. 

3. Where would you go if a school drill or emergency drill happened during lunchtime?

Students in the cafeteria should remain quiet and calm and follow the directions of staff members.

4. Where should you go during a school drill or emergency drill if you’re a visitor?

Visitors should follow the directions and instructions of school staff members during all school drills or emergencies. Staff members train throughout the year to manage various emergencies, and following their instructions is essential.  

5. Where should you go during a school drill or emergency drill if you’re in the hallway?

Go to the nearest classroom so you can be secured with the other students. You should follow the protocols of that teacher. The teacher will note your name and share it with the school administrators.   

Evacuation

An Evacuation is considered appropriate for but is not limited to, situations such as floods, fires, hazardous materials incidents, or other situations that may render the school site unsafe. During an evacuation, students and staff leave, move to a nearby location, and return to the school building right after the cause of evacuation is resolved. Schools practice evacuations regularly during fire drills. QACPS evacuation drills are performed quickly and orderly, ensuring that every student, staff, and visitor is evacuated safely and accounted for at safe locations. 

Reverse Evacuation

A Reverse Evacuation is in place for situations when it is safer inside the building than outside. Reverse evacuation moves all students and staff outside the building into a designated area, indoors, safely and efficiently. Severe weather and other immediate critical incidents are common uses of a reverse evacuation plan.

Drop, Cover, Hold

The Drop, Cover, and Hold is a technique designed to protect lives and prevent injuries from falling furniture and flying objects that can become projectiles during an emergency. The Drop, Cover and Hold method instructs students to seek shelter under their desks, or other solid objects, until given all clear instructions from staff members. Examples of use for the Drop, Cover and Hold technique include tornadoes or earthquakes. 

School Safety During an Emergency or Crisis: What Parents Need to Know

Stay calm and alert:

In the event of a school emergency, please remain calm and know that school staff, district personnel, and emergency first responders are working to keep your child safe. Please keep your phone close and follow the directions provided. Please note that information relayed through external social media sources may not always be accurate. 

Please do not come to the school:

We understand your desire to go to the school and the need to see your child, especially when you hear of a school-based incident. However, arriving at the scene before it is secure can interfere with the emergency response and put you in danger. Past school emergencies have shown that one of the greatest challenges to first responders and school staff is managing the number of parents and concerned citizens rushing to the scene. By rushing to the school, parents can unintentionally create traffic jams that may block emergency responders from getting to the school or leaving if necessary to transport injured students or staff to emergency medical facilities. Families should not pick up their students unless given the direction to do so from the District.

Please do not call the school:

We ask that families do not call the school. This allows phone lines to stay open for communication with emergency personnel and school officials. It also helps school staff remain focused on their students’ safety. The school and District will ensure information is shared via our phone messaging system and email. 

If your child texts or calls you, please keep them calm:

We know that many of our students will try to call or text their parents or guardians during a school emergency. If this occurs, we ask that you stay calm and reassured that help is on the way. Encourage your student to follow the directions of the school staff. 

The District will call families in an emergency at a school. Please ensure your emergency contact information is always up to date in PowerSchool. 

Don’t call the police department or 911:

The police department will be dealing with the school emergency, and the dispatch line should remain open for any other emergencies that could occur in the community.

Be prepared with photo ID:

In the event of an evacuation, the District will follow a standard reunification plan to ensure all students are safely returned to their families. During a reunification, families and individuals listed as authorized persons to pick up your child should do the following:

● Bring a valid form of identification (ID).

● Follow signage and parking directions of the reunification location.

● Wait patiently while you are reunited with your student. 

Only approved adults with valid photo identification will be allowed to pick up students from the evacuation location.

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Our children are our most valuable asset.  Parents have entrusted us with the safety of their children. These safety procedures are part of that commitment.  Schools, along with law enforcement officials, routinely assess and refine our response plans to provide an environment that is safe and conducive to education. 

Mr. Joe Saboury
Coordinator of School Safety and Security
410-758-2403 ext. 106
joseph.saboury@qacps.org