At EWSD, the safety of our students is our top priority. Together we can make our schools stronger and safer. Students teachers, parents, school administrators, local law enforcement, and community members have a role to play in creating a safe and secure environment for everyone. We also have a dedicated team of safety professionals who are committed to creating a safe learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Here are some of the ways that the District has engaged in safety and security preparedness efforts.

• We collaborate with local emergency planners and with our first response community on our school emergency preparedness efforts.

• The School and Public Safety Group also meets monthly with local emergency responders to review and evaluate our emergency procedures and stay up to date on emergency protocols from the State of Vermont.

• The EWSD has a strong relationship with our local law enforcement and we often work with these members to discuss potential crisis situations. EWSD also receives support from Mental Health Professionals through Essex Police Department and Howard Center. 

• Our schools also routinely practice safety drills to promote awareness and response to potential emergency situations.

• The EWSD access control system is the contemporary security system that forms the backbone of our building security framework. Modernizing our approach to access controls with an initial focus on critical infrastructure is one of our core safety and security strategies. All EWSD Buildings are now on the access control system.

• Video monitoring - EWSD has two locations each school day that monitor video cameras in all of our school buildings.

• In partnership with our school nurses, the EWSD has developed in-District free training for our staff:

  • Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Currently, the only way to restore a regular heart rhythm during cardiac arrest is to use an AED. AEDs are a vital part of the chain of survival for patients experiencing cardiac arrest, as is bystander CPR.

  • Stop the Bleed is a program initiated by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the White House National Security Council Staff, with a common goal of increasing awareness and preparedness for life-threatening bleeding emergencies.

  • We also have Narcan strategically located throughout the District.  Narcan®(Naloxone) is a potentially life-saving medication designed to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in minutes.

Essex Westford School District’s (EWSD) partnership with the Essex Police Department and our community’s First Responders around active threat response protocols began a couple of years ago. We are training to have a more flexible approach to responding to a possible active threat at one of our schools. Over time, starting with staff at our high school and technical center campus, EWSD will be rolling out the US Department of Homeland Security’s recommended protocol - Run, Hide, Fight/Resist. Learn more about our Active Threat Response work.

In the event of an actual emergency, EWSD has created a reunification process. Find out more by watching the video below.

EWSD Reunification Video

Another way that the District is strengthening school safety and security is through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) within the classroom. This effort reinforces the power of empathy, relationships, and seeks to develop environments where all learners feel safe and supported. Learn more about Social and Emotional Learning in EWSD.