Student Safety and Security
One of our top priorities as a school district is the safety and well-being of our students and staff. Beaufort County School Districts’ highly-trained safety team works collaboratively with school staff, community partners, and local law enforcement to provide a safe learning environment for nearly 21,000 students in every classroom, every day.
All of our schools have emergency management plans and school staff make security awareness a daily priority. Schools practice safety procedures throughout the school year and are trained in how to respond to emergency situations.
Stay Informed
During an emergency situation, we want you to receive the most accurate information and you can help by ensuring your information is updated. In order to receive safety messages during an emergency, the district will contact you through the information found in PowerSchool registration. If there have been any recent changes to your contact information, please inform your child’s school data specialist so that current information can be added to the system.
Text Messages Alerts
Parents can opt-in to receive text message alerts sent by the district and schools. Opting-in is a two-step process: 1) Make sure your cell phone number is listed in PowerSchool in the cell phone field. 2) Accept the initial text opt-in to begin receiving messages.
In an Emergency
Stay Home – Parents are advised not to come to the school. By arriving at the school you may be endangering yourself or your child. School district personnel and First Responders will be working hard to control the situation and protect your children. Law Enforcement will be focused on the important task of keeping your child safe.
Stay informed – School district personnel will provide information as soon as possible. Some situations take time to verify accurate information. School district personnel will be in communication throughout the situation and will communicate in several different ways: District auto dialer, text message, email, district website, or local news media. Please do not call the school as you most likely will not get an answer or you could be pulling staff away from the emergency situation.
Be ready – In case a reunification is necessary, you’ll be informed of when and where to pick up your child. A reunification occurs when parents and guardians need to be individually reunited with their children, sometimes at a location other than school, following an event such as severe weather, police activity in the area, or another emergency. Please bring a photo ID and be patient in the process of connecting you with your child. The process takes time and it’s important to stay calm. The reunification process protects both the safety of students and provides for an accountable exchange of custody from the school to a recognized parent or guardian.
Hold off on calling or texting your student - Parents will be notified with updates on the situation in a timely manner. When it’s safe to do so, students will be allowed to text their parent(s) during a crisis, if applicable. You should NOT call or text a student’s cell phone during a crisis unless you’ve heard from them first and you know it’s safe to text back. You may be placing your child at risk. Students are trained to stay out of site and quiet during a Lockdown. A phone ringing or vibrating could alert an intruder to the student’s location.
Make a Plan - Talk to your children about school safety. Review as a family how you will communicate, where you will go and safety steps during an emergency.
Beaufort County Sheriffs Office Contact Information
How to Talk With Your Child After an Emergency
Many parents wonder what to say to a child after an emergency situation, crisis or tragedy. Whether students were involved or bystanders, it's extremely helpful to talk with your child about their experience. Helpful resources and support for parents can be found on the district's website.
Beaufort County School District is an official partner with the I Love U Guys Foundation. The mission of the I Love U Guys Foundation is to restore and protect the joy of youth through educational programs and positive actions in collaboration with families, schools, communities, organizations and government entities.
I Love U Guys programs for crisis response and post-crisis reunification are used in more than 30,000 schools, districts, departments, agencies, organizations and communities around the world. They are created through the research-based best practices of school administrators, psychologists, public space safety experts, families, and first responders.
One critical aspect of crisis response is accountable reunification of students with their parents or guardians in the event of a school crisis or emergency. The Standard Reunification Method provides school and district safety teams with proven methods for planning, practicing and achieving a successful reunification. Beaufort County School District uses the I Love U Guys Standard Reunification Method and has a district team trained and prepared to respond immediately to support a school that has to be reunified with parents and guardians.