A Message from Dr. Lisa Hess Regarding School Safety Procedures

Good afternoon Governor Mifflin School District Community,

We would like to inform you that Mifflin Park Elementary was put under a lock-out/secure hold security procedure this morning due to a security concern. We would like to commend our Mifflin Park Elementary staff for handling the situation well and acting to keep our students safe.

In light of the situation that occurred this morning, I wanted to quickly refresh our community on the various security protocols that may be implemented and what each procedure entails. The three most common procedures are as follows:

• Lock-Out/Secure Hold: A Lock-Out/Secure Hold is a security response used to secure the school from a potential disturbance or threat coming from outside of the school building. In this procedure, classes continue as normal, and students and staff are permitted to move throughout the building. No visitors are permitted into the school and students and staff are not to exit the school.
   
• Lock-In: A Lock-In response is used when there is a safety or medical issue occurring within the school. Both students and staff are to remain inside their respective classrooms or offices until the school and district administration confirm that the issue has been handled. Classes will continue as usual. No visitors are permitted into the school and students and staff are not to exit the school.
   
• Lockdown: A Lockdown response is used when there is an imminent safety threat occurring inside the school, on campus, or immediately adjacent to the school that has a high probability of moving onto school grounds. This is the most restrictive of the three procedures; all regular school activities and classes are suspended, students and staff must remain in secured areas, and no individuals are permitted to enter or exit the school.

I would also like to touch upon the importance of limiting the details we share publicly during these procedures. We as a district understand that having limited details on the nature of the threat can cause our community to feel uneasy. However, in these instances, we are actively working with local law enforcement and are limited on what we can share with the public as the event is ongoing.

Sharing information on the circumstances surrounding the security procedure, whether accurate or inaccurate, can significantly jeopardize a police investigation and overall safety. As such, we ask that you understand and trust that we are doing all that is in our power as a district to ensure the safety of our staff, students, and community.

If you have any additional questions as they relate to school safety and security, please feel free to contact Andre Hood, Director of Safe Schools at andre.hood@gmsd.org.

Thank you,