School Safety

Standard Response Protocol (SRP) - "I Love U Guys" Foundation

Sturgis Public Schools has implemented the nationally-recognized Standard Response Protocol, providing clear, consistent actions for any emergency situation. This protocol is used by over 50,000 schools worldwide and ensures that all students, staff, and first responders use the same language and procedures.

About the "I Love U Guys" Foundation

The "I Love U Guys" Foundation was created to restore and protect the joy of youth through educational programs and positive action in collaboration with families, schools, communities, organizations and government entities. Their Standard Response Protocol and Standard Reunification Method are research-based, data-driven programs that have been refined through years of real-world application.

The Five SRP Actions:

Understanding Each Action:

HOLD - In Your Room or Area, Clear the Halls

Used when: Students need to be kept in classrooms while hallways are temporarily cleared (medical emergency, maintenance issue, or to allow safe passage).

Students: Remain in classroom or current area. Continue normal activities.

Staff: Keep students in room. Close and lock door if needed. Take attendance. Wait for all-clear announcement.

SECURE - Get Inside, Lock Outside Doors

Used when: There is a threat or hazard outside the building (police activity in neighborhood, dangerous animal on campus).

Students: Return to building if outside. Continue normal activities inside.

Staff: Bring students inside. Lock all exterior doors. Secure the perimeter. Continue teaching.

LOCKDOWN - Locks, Lights, Out of Sight

Used when: There is a threat inside the building (intruder, active threat, dangerous person on campus).

Students: Move away from doors and windows. Remain quiet. Turn off lights. Get out of sight. Wait silently for first responders or all-clear.

Staff: Lock doors immediately. Turn off lights. Move students away from sight. Account for students. Remain silent. Do not open door until given all-clear by law enforcement.

EVACUATE - To a Location

Used when: Students need to leave the building (fire, gas leak, bomb threat, structural damage).

Students: Leave belongings behind. Form a line. Remain quiet. Follow staff instructions to designated evacuation location.

Staff: Lead students to designated evacuation area. Take attendance. Account for all students. Report any missing individuals immediately.

SHELTER - For a Hazard Using Safety Strategy

Used when: There is an environmental hazard (tornado, severe weather, hazardous materials spill).

Students: Follow specific shelter instructions based on the hazard (e.g., move to interior rooms, drop and cover, evacuate to higher ground).

Staff: Direct students to appropriate shelter location. Implement specific safety strategy for the identified hazard.

Standard Reunification Method (SRM)

In the event of a significant incident requiring student evacuation, our Standard Reunification Method provides a systematic, practiced approach for safely reuniting students with their families at designated off-site locations. This protocol ensures:

• Orderly and accountable release of students
• Verification of authorized guardians before release
• Documentation of all student releases
• Clear communication with families throughout the process
• Support services for students and families during crisis

The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) is dedicated to providing the highest quality of training to school-based law enforcement officers to promote safer schools and safer children. NASRO is an association for school-based law enforcement officers, school administrators, and school security/safety professionals working as partners to protect students, faculty and staff, and their school community.

NASRO, the world’s leader in school-based policing, is a not-for-profit association founded in 1991 with an unrelenting commitment to school safety. Learn more about NASRO and school policing.

Our Frequently Asked Questions page provides answers to many important questions about school resource officers.

Our report, “To Protect & Educate: The School Resource Officer and the Prevention of Violence in Schools” provides valuable statistics that document the benefits of appropriately implemented school policing programs. Check out NASRO TO Protect & Educate.

NASRO has adopted Standards and Best Practices for the School Resource Officer Programs and supports the need for the standards to be used as a guide for new and existing SRO units and for the best practices to be reviewed and adopted by all law enforcement, school safety agencies and school boards, as recommended.

Read NASRO’s “Position Statement on Police Involvement in Student Discipline,” which provides important information on best practices for school policing.

All SPS Safety Team members have received and attended trainings through NASRO

If you see or hear something that could put a student, staff member, or school at risk, speak up. OK2SAY is Michigan's confidential student safety reporting program that allows students, parents, staff, and community members to report concerns such as bullying, threats, self-harm, violence, weapons, or other safety issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every tip is reviewed and shared with the appropriate school officials, law enforcement, or mental health professionals to help keep schools safe.

Report a Concern Through OK2SAY

Access Control System

Lenel Onguard

• Electronic door access management
• Controlled entry points throughout all facilities
• Individual access credentials for authorized personnel
• Real-time monitoring and logging of all access

Video Surveillance

Milestone X-Protect

• Comprehensive coverage of all campuses
• High-definition video recording
• Secure data storage and management
• Integration with access control systems

Visitor Management

Raptor Technologies Platform

• Secure check-in process for all campus visitors
• Background verification for volunteers
• ID scanning and verification
• Visitor badges and tracking
• Sex offender database screening

Emergency Management

Raptor Alert System

• Real-time emergency communication with staff and first responders
• Coordinated response system
• Drill management and tracking
• Direct connection to first responders
• Mass notification capabilities

Our top priority at Sturgis Public Schools is ensuring the safety and security of our students, staff, and visitors. The updated procedures for visitor check-in through Raptor Technologies are designed to help maintain a secure environment within our school community. By adhering to these protocols, we can effectively monitor and control who enters our buildings, ensuring that all visitors are authorized and accounted for.

These measures are not just administrative but critical to preventing unauthorized access and responding swiftly to potential threats. Compliance with these procedures allows us to maintain a safe learning environment for our students and helps provide peace of mind for parents, staff, and the community. Every step, from scanning IDs to monitoring visitor movement, is essential for school safety.

Sturgis Public Schools appreciates the staff and the community for their cooperation in following these updated protocols and contributing to the security of our educational environment.

Visitor Check-In Policy:

Identification Scanning: All first-time visitors to the building are required to have their state-issued identification scanned through the Raptor system. Once scanned, the visitor's information is saved in the system for future visits. This scanning is done in the main office of each school building.

Visitor Badge: After the visitor has been scanned and cleared to enter the building, a visitor badge will be printed. This badge should be placed in the upper chest area of the visitor's shirt and must be worn at all times while inside the building.

Visitor Sign-Out: When the visitor's visit is complete, they must return to the front office to turn in their badge. The front office staff will then sign the visitor out of the Raptor system.

Visitor Movement: It is imperative to log the visitor's intended location within the building. Visitors should only be in the area they have been approved for and are not permitted to walk freely throughout the building.

Alert System: If an alert is triggered, the safety director and the school resource officers will immediately receive a text message, email, or both about the alert. The front office should then receive support from the safety director and school resource officers.

Handling Alerts: If a visitor triggers an alert, they are not allowed to leave the front office. A staff member must remain with the visitor until they leave the building.

These updated procedures help ensure the safety and security of the school while allowing for efficient visitor management.

What is the Raptor system?
Raptor is a visitor management system that enhances school security by reading a visitors drivers' license (or other approved state-issued ID), comparing information to a sex offender database and alerting school administrators and local police if a match is found. Once cleared through the system, a visitor badge is produced that includes a photo of the visitor.

How does Raptor work?
Raptor compares state-issued ID information to a database that contains registered sex offenders from all 50 states.  In the event of a match, Raptor alerts designated school officials and law enforcement.

What is the purpose of the Raptor system
Raptor helps our schools keep unwanted visitors out and track visitors that have been allowed in.  By proactively alerting personnel to certain potential threats, Raptor allows school administrators and law enforcement personnel to take appropriate steps to help keep the students, staff, and visitors safe.  For valid visitors, the system also prints visitor badges that include the visitor's name, photo, date, and destination.  Those badges enable personnel within the building to quickly determine if visitors are in areas where they should, or should not, be.

Why is Sturgis Public Schools using this system?
The safety of our students, staff, and visitors is our highest priority.  Raptor will provide a consistent system to track visitors and volunteers while keeping away people who possibly present a danger to students.  The system quickly prints visitor badges that include a photo, the name of the visitor, time and date.

Does the School/District have the right to require visitors, even parents, to produce identification before entering the school?
Yes.  School officials need to know who is in the building and why they are there.  If the parent and or visitor is not leaving the main office area, their ID will not be scanned. If the parent, visitor, or contractor is going to be moving throughout the building, their ID would be scanned and a visitor badge would be issued.

What types of IDs will work in Raptor?
The scanner is able to scan all state licenses, state identification cards, concealed handgun licenses, consular ID cards, green cards, active military cards, and passport cards (not the full passport).  It does not officially scan other countries' IDs.

What other information is the school taking from driver's licenses?
Raptor is only scanning the visitor's name, date of birth and photo for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders and any private alerts at the school.
Additional visitor data will not be gathered, and no data will be shared with any outside company or organization.

What does a visitor do if he/she doesn't have a government-issued ID?
Visitors without a government-issued ID will still have to check-in using Raptor by giving their name and date of birth.

Is an ID card scan necessary each time a person comes into the building?
No.  After the first scanning, the Raptor operator would simply find the visitor's name in the system (first or last name look-up) and use the record of the previously-scanned ID to sign the visitor in and print a visitor's badge.  This makes check-in much easier after the initial visit.

What is the checkout process for Visitors leaving the building?
The checkout process doesn't involve scanning the card again.  The operator would simply find the name of the person who is signing out and click a "sign out" button.  This provides a record of entry, departure and time on any campus.  The Raptor badge should be returned to the operator and destroyed.

Will the Raptor System be used for after school activities?
No, the system will only be used during normal school hours, Monday through Friday.

Privacy of Information
Raptor Technologies, Inc. (Raptor) warrants that the confidentiality of data from our clients will be maintained according to all Federal and State laws, and any local policies that are communicated to us.  Raptor acts as an agent and representative for the client in the storage, import, and/or analysis of data.  Access to personally identifiable data will not be allowed for anyone other than Raptor staff directly responsible for the storage, import, and/or analysis of the data.  Data will be provided by Raptor only to persons or entities authorized by the client.  Data will be used by Raptor only according to the terms of our signed agreements.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Michigan law requires schools to provide families with information about the importance of safe firearm storage. This notification is part of a statewide effort to promote student safety and comply with MCL 28.435 (Public Act 17 of 2023).

Please review the resources provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS):
Safe Storage Resources for Families

Safe Storage Firearm Information

These materials explain safe storage practices and provide guidance to help ensure firearms are secured properly, reducing the risk of accidental injury.

Michigan Public Act 12 of 2014 modifies the frequency and recording requirements for school safety drills and is effective July 1, 2014.

Under the new requirements, any school that operates any grades K through 12 must conduct the following drills annually:

• 5 fire drills per school year.

  • 3 must be completed by December 1.

  • There must be a “reasonable” interval between each drill.

• 2 tornado drills per school year, with at least 1 taking place in March.

• 3 lockdown drills per school year, defined in the Act as “drills in which the occupants are restricted to the interior of the building”.

  • At least 1 taking place by December 1

  • At least 1 taking place after January 1

View Completed Drill Log