• National background checks conducted for criminal history and sex offender registry for all employees and volunteers
• Local law enforcement real-time access to camera footage
• Emergency drills regularly conducted including: fire drills, lockdown, and tornado
• Wisconsin Circuit Court Access alerts for all employees
• Communication infrastructure for alerting staff, parents, and administrators via email, SMS (text), phone
• Public Address system for alerting staff and students

Our campuses restrict access to and document all guests and visitors within our schools to ensure that only those with legitimate business are granted access. We control access through several measures, including:

• Use of a visitor management system (Raptor)
• Designation of a single point of entry at buildings for visitors during the school day
• All exterior doors locked throughout the day
• Secure entry at the majority of schools
• Key FOB access for staff at external doors and select internal doors
• Nightly alarm system 

• Video surveillance on all campuses
• Locks on all classroom doors
• Emergency evacuation signage within buildings to identify exits 
• Fire alarm system
• AED accessibility
• Two-Way Radios for building communication and Districtwide Emergency communication channel

• District Safety Committee meets monthly to review progress and safety updates
• Three to Four dedicated school resource officer through Wauwatosa Police Department
• Designated building staff crisis team trained in first aid, AED, and CPR annually
• Designated building staff crisis team trained in emergency response

The WauwatosaPolice Department assigns four full-time school resource officers to support the Wauwatosa School District. The officer helps prepare our schools to handle crises by:

• informing crisis planning and management systems
• developing and coordinating emergency response plans
• creating protocols for handling specific emergencies
• assisting in the facilitation of emergency response exercises

In addition, the officer not only protects our schools, he or she also works to build positive connections with students.

Responses in emergencies are a critical part of the district’s safety efforts. Regular practice for staff and students helps ensure that best practices are followed automatically in the case of an actual emergency.

Fire Drills

The schools will conduct five  fire drills each school year in keeping with fire code requirements and state statute.

Tornado/Severe Weather Drills

The school will conduct two tornado or severe weather drills annually. Typically tornado drills will be practiced during severe weather awareness week held statewide in spring.

Lockdown Drills

The school will conduct two lockdown drills annually. During a lockdown drill, classroom doors are secured and students remain inside the room until instructed by the teacher to resume their activities. All exterior doors are locked and no one is permitted to enter or leave the building.

Secure Drills

The school will conduct one Secure drill annually.  During the secure drill, all exterior doors are locked, everyone is brought inside and no one goes out and no one comes into the building.  Students and staff can conduct business as usual during this time.

Hold Drills

The school will conduct Medical Hold drills annually.  During a hold all staff and students will remain in their classrooms.  All hallways will be cleared.

In the case of all drills, it is important for students and staff to practice what would happen in such a situation. It is also just as essential that student emotional well-being is considered. Staff members and teachers will talk with students about what to expect and what they should do during each drill using age-appropriate language. 

SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT (SUSO) Resource Center was created to help keep students and staff safe by offering a comprehensive, one-stop place to turn with safety concerns, including a threat reporting system. Students play a key role in keeping schools safe. The SUSO threat reporting system aims to empower students to safely and confidently voice their concerns without fear of retaliation. Visit www.speakup.widoj.gov to learn more.  #SpeakUpWI

The City of Wauwatosa provides crossing guard services for public and private schools through a contracted partner. View city Crossing Guard locations here. 

If you have questions or concerns about the Crossing Guards, please contact the City of Wauwatosa Administration Office by phone at (414) 479-8915 or email crossingguards@wauwatosa.net

Safe Routes to School is a national and international movement to create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to and from schools. The program has been designed to reverse the decline in children walking and bicycling to schools.

Safe Routes to School can also play a critical role in reversing the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity.

In Wauwatosa, this program organizes three key events each year:

• Walk to School Day
• Bike to School Day
• Winter Walk to School Day

View the interactive maps below to determine safe, walkable routes to your school:

• Eisenhower
• Jefferson
• Lincoln
• Madison
• McKinley
• Roosevelt
• Underwood
• Washington
• Wauwatosa Montessori
• Wilson Elementary/Wauwatosa Stem
• Longfellow
• Whitman
• East High School
• West High School

Creation of the mapping system included evaluation of routes to these schools utilizing a Geographic Information System (GIS) in order to determine:

• optimal routes to school
• areas for potential physical improvements
• locations to utilize crossing guards 

It is very important that you ensure that your child’s emergency contact information is accurate in Campus Parent (Infinite Campus). This information may be updated by a child's parent or guardian at any time in Campus Parent. 

Ensure that your child’s health information is accurate and updated as needed. Please contact your school office for assistance updating health records.

• Do not call or rush to your child’s school. Telephone lines and staff are needed for emergency response efforts. Emergency personnel need clear access to buildings.
• Do not call your child. Staff and students are discouraged from using mobile phone communication for safety reasons.
• Do not call 911 for information.
• Rely on official communication from the Wauwatosa School District.
• Impacted families should watch for official reunification details if reunification is required.

We are committed to keeping our school community informed of critically important matters. We work intentionally to send messages that provide clear and accurate information to our staff and families. Our goal is to provide information in a timely manner, ensuring that the information that we release is accurate.

We use multiple methods of communication. If an emergency situation should occur in any of our schools, families are encouraged to monitor email, text messages, voicemail.

Important to note: While we recognize that families may want detailed information regarding some situations, it is important to note that, according to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, schools are not allowed to share out with their school community specific details of an incident if it includes any personally identifiable information about a student or information that a reasonable person in the community can use to identify a specific student.

• Listen to and acknowledge your child’s concerns.

• Provide reassurance that your child is safe.

• Seek help from school personnel or a mental health professional if needed.