We want to inform you about an important update to our school district’s safety procedures beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The USD 490 Board of Education has approved a transition from our current crisis response plans to the “I Love U Guys” Standard Response Protocol (SRP) as we continually work to improve safety, communication, and consistency across all our schools.
The SRP is a simple, action-based approach designed to help students, staff, and first responders react quickly and effectively to any emergency. It organizes responses to any given situation into five clear actions:
Hold! - Stay in your classroom or area. Hallways must remain clear.
Secure! - Get inside. Lock outside doors.
Lockdown! - Locks, lights, out of sight.
Evacuate! - Move to a designated location.
Shelter! - Take safety measures based on the specific hazard (e.g., tornado, hazardous materials).
These responses provide a standardized vocabulary that students, staff, and first responders can all understand, making emergency situations easier to manage. The SRP is widely used across schools, businesses, and communities and is developed with input from safety experts and first responders.
The crisis response processes will remain largely the same as what our students and staff have been practicing for each emergency type, but the vocabulary will be different and the initial calls to action have been simplified and aligned to the Standard Response Protocol.
For example, in the event of a medical emergency, a Hold! would be called instead of a Shelter-in-Place. The students and staff would follow the same procedures: clear the hallways and common areas, remain in classrooms while teachers continue to teach, and nobody except emergency personnel would be allowed to enter the building until the all-clear is given.
We will conduct training and drills throughout the upcoming school year to ensure everyone is familiar with these vocabulary changes and protocols. If you would like more information about the “I Love U Guys” Foundation and the Standard Response Protocol, please visit iloveuguys.org or contact USD 490 Police Chief Tyson Nielsen at tmnielsen@usd490.org or 316-322-4810.
Thank you for your support in keeping our schools safe!