School Safety

Quick Links: Avon Schools Police Department | 2021-22 COVID-19 Safety Protocols

Students learn best when they know they're safe.

Keeping students safe is our most important job. So, we collaborate with city, county, state, and national safety officials on national best practices. In addition to our central office staff and our incredible ACSC Police Department, we employ 12 certified Indiana School Safety Specialists who are trained to lead the development and implementation of school safety practices within our schools. For the 2021-22 school year, we have 20 people on our staff who have completed School Safety Specialist training.

We invite you to read through the content on this page so you can learn more about the work we are doing to make sure Avon Schools are safe schools. Contact us if you need more information or if you have questions.

Visitor & Volunteer Tracking

Would you like to visit a school?Avon Schools require all visitors to check-in at the front office using our visitor management system, Safe Visitor. This system requires visitors to scan their driver's license or state identification card for a check of their record. A temporary badge is provided to all visitors to wear while in our buildings. As our visitors leave school, they scan and return that badge to front office staff.

Are you interested in volunteering at school or attending a field trip?

All volunteers must have a criminal history background check done prior to volunteering at school. You can check with the building's front office staff to see if your background check is current. If you have multiple students who attend multiple schools in Avon, you only need one criminal background check.

View our Volunteer Policy

ACSC Anti-Bullying Initiative

What is ACSC doing to prevent bullying?

We are committed to providing a safe learning environment that is free from bullying. To achieve this goal all of the following have been implemented:

Created an anti-bullying policy (see: ACSC Anti-Bullying Policy 5517.01)
Implemented staff training that includes bullying prevention policy, plans, and procedures
Offered regular educational programs for students
Established an avenue for confidential reporting - Report Now
Conducted prompt investigation of reported incidents
Developed disciplinary consequences for violation of the anti-bullying policy

How does ACSC define bullying?

What's the difference between peer conflict and bullying?

Normal Peer Conflict

Peers have equal power or are friends with each other
Conflict happens occasionally or rarely
May be accidental
May not be serious; no threat of harm
Equal emotional reaction from both peers
Not seeking power or attention and not trying to gain something
General remorse - will want to take responsibility
Effort on both sides to solve the problem

Bullying

Imbalance of power between peers; not friends
Repeated negative actions that happen often
Purposefully done
Serious with a threat of physical or emotional harm
Strong emotional reaction from the victim and little to no emotional reaction from the bully
Seeking power, control or material things
No remorse - bully blames victim: no guilt from bully
No effort to solve the problem

Anti-Bullying Resources

Common Sense Media is a leading internet safety and 21st Century education advocate for students, from which the ACSC Internet Safety and Cyberbullying curriculum originates.
StopBullying.gov is a parent resource that is especially helpful for background information about bullying as it relates to ACSC's anti-bullying policy.
The National Bullying Prevention Center offers additional insight to help you learn how to support your student in anti-bullying decision making.
The Indiana Department of Education has information about reporting bullying and cyberbullying incidents that occur off of school grounds to law enforcement.

How do I report bullying?

Winter Weather Delays and Closures

Indiana weather can be unpredictable. From time to time, it may cause us to call for a delay, early dismissal, e-learning day, or even a closure. We will notify you of delays, early dismissals, and cancellations via ParentSquare, social media, and our website. You can also watch for updates on local TV: CBS4, WRTV-6, WISH-TV8, WTHR-13, and FOX59.

Here are the factors we consider in the decision-making process and some helpful resources for caregivers and students alike.

Safety

The safety of our students and staff is always our primary consideration. School is one of the safest places to be even when the weather is bad:

State, Town, and Avon Schools staff do a great job clearing highways, streets, and school lots.
Buses are safe, warm, and better-equipped to handle poor conditions than most cars.
School buildings are warm, dry, well-lit and secure even in the worst weather.

Remaining open and on-time is often the best decision for families:

Caregivers don't have to decide who remains home.
Children don't have to spend the day unattended.
School cafeterias serve nutritious lunches.
Temperature is often no better two hours later than it is early in the morning.
Parents of student drivers can sign up to ride the bus by contacting Transportation at (317) 544-6140 at least 36 hours in advance.

Timing

Advance Notice

There is no formula for the amount of snow, ice, sleet, wind or low temperature necessary to cause a delay, early dismissal, or cancellation.

Whenever there's a forecast of winter weather, a team of district administrators hits the road before 4:30 a.m. to assess. They compare notes, watch developments, and consult with local authorities on road conditions. We strive to make a decision and communicate with parents by 6:00 a.m.

Safety Drills

Drills are an important aspect of school safety and will be used as teachable moments for our staff and students. Indiana Code requires each school to conduct monthly fire drills, one severe weather drill per semester, and one man-made occurrence (lockdown) drill per semester.

Avon Schools utilize the concepts of ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) when conducting lockdown drills. ALICE focuses on various courses of action that help staff and students respond most effectively to a crisis situation. This is an options-based training, highlighting situational awareness and decision making. No single response fits all crisis scenarios, however making sure staff and students know their options for response will help them to react effectively.

Safety Resources for Parents

Media

Common Sense Media is an excellet resource for parents who need some guidance regarding what children are watching, streaming, playing, and what they're experiencing online. This website provides age-based reviews of movies, TV shows, books, apps, and games.

It also provides parenting articles and videos like:

Help! My Kid Wants to Use Social Media
11 Social Media Red Flags Parents Should Know About
10 Must-Listen Podcasts for Tweens and Teens

Visit the Website

Smartphones

E-Cigarettes & Tobacco

What parents need to know

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Warn of Lung Illnesses Associated with Use of Vaping Products.
At this time, FDA and CDC have not identified the cause or causes of the lung injuries in these cases, and the only commonality among all cases is that patients report the use of vaping products, including e-cigarettes.
No one compound or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these illnesses to date, and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak. They do know that THC is present in most of the samples tested to date, and most patients report a history of THC-containing products.
They recommend that you do not use an e-cigarette or vaping products that contain THC. And since the specific cause or causes of lung injury are not yet known, the only way to assure that you are not at risk while the investigation continues is to consider refraining from the use of all e-cigarette and vaping products.
If you are concerned about your health after using a vaping product, contact your health care provider, or you can also call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

For more information:

Our Mission

Avon Community Schools takes the safety of our students and staff seriously, and we work continuously to provide the safest and most secure learning environment possible.

Contact Us

Deb Swain-Bayless
School Safety Coordinator

Chase Lyday
Chief, ACSC Police Department

Officer Terance Smith: SRO of the Year

ACSC School Resource Officer (SRO) Terance Smith is the 2021 National Association of School Resource Officers Region 5 SRO of the Year.

Resources

Common Sense Media - CSM is an excellent source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families and schools.
KidSmartz - This child safety program educates families about preventing abduction and empowers kids in grades K-5 to practice safer behaviors.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children - This national nonprofit's mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.

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