Safe and Welcoming Schools and Policies

Building Safety Team at McDonald

Every school has a building safety team. At McDonald International our team consists of teachers, staff, and administrators. The Building Safety Team (BST) members meet monthly to ensure the building has an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), schedules monthly drills (fire, earthquake, lockdown, and shelter in place), and evaluates other concerns to keep students and staff safe.

Health

Seattle Public Schools follows the Washington Department of Health, Public Health, and CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting guidelines.

Daily cleaning schedule: High touch surfaces/points cleaning and disinfecting occurs each night after students leave and includes but is not limited to the following: doorknobs, door hardware, drinking fountains, stair rails, common areas, desks, tables, light switches, elevator buttons, restrooms, and any other touchpoints in high traffic/common spaces.

Late Arrivals

If your student(s) arrive late to school, the front door will be locked. Please ring the bell. A staff member will admit your child into school.

Illness

Keep kids who are sick at home.
Please encourage your students to wash their hands, get plenty of rest, and drink lots of fluids. If your kids have a fever, diarrhea, or have vomited, they need to stay home for at least 24 hours.

Pick up and drop-off procedures:
Please treat NE 54th west-bound and NE 55th east-bound as one-way streets to reduce car traffic and congestion and to promote walking and biking to and from school. Parents who drive should park on a neighboring street and walk to school for drop-off and pick-up daily.

Student and School Safety and Wellness

Safety and wellness is a top priority for Seattle Public Schools (SPS). Students are more likely to be successful when they feel safe and welcome at school.

Read recent district Safety and Wellness News

Student and School Safety
Student Health and Wellness

Student and School Safety

Ensure your contact information is updated

Be sure your school has your current telephone number and emergency contact information. Contact your school to update your contact information. Learn more about staying connected with Seattle Public Schools.

Know who to contact when concerns arise

First, contact the teacher or counselor.
If the concern is not resolved, contact a school leader.
If the concern remains unsolved after talking with your school principal or assistant principal, please visit the link below to learn about additional options.

Learn more about steps to resolve concerns

Be aware of safety procedures and processes

We all play a role in school safety. It is important that everyone in our school knows and follows our safety procedures and processes.

All visitors should sign in at the main office when on campus.
All adults should wear SPS staff or visitor identification while in school buildings.
School exterior doors should be kept closed and locked.
Please let your school leader and school staff know if you have concerns or questions regarding student safety and well-being.

Personal safety tips for students and families

You can help your student(s) stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. Some tips to discuss include:

Report incidents as soon as they happen.
Be aware of surroundings.
Not talking to strangers or going anywhere with them.
Walking to school or activities in pairs or groups.

District policies and procedures related to safety

The district is committed to our long-established focus on safety and security for all students and staff. You may want to learn more about our polices and procedures around student and school safety. Below are district resources, board policies and procedures around student and school safety.

Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook

Seattle Public Schools has a no tolerance policy against firearms and dangerous weapons and Superintendent Procedure regarding weapons on its campuses and at District-sponsored activities.

Seattle Public Schools Policy 3207 details the prohibition against harassment, intimidation, and bullying.

Superintendent Procedure 3207SP describes the procedures the district uses when addressing concerns that a student may be experiencing harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

Seattle Public Schools 3210 Non-Discrimination

Seattle Public Schools Policy 3432 directs all schools to develop a emergency management plan. This includes plans for student and family reunification, a listing of staff assignments and responsibilities during an emergency, location of disaster supplies, and more.

Seattle Public Schools Policy 3143 Notification of threats of violence or harm

Seattle Public Schools Policy 3225 School-based threat assessment

Seattle Public Schools Policy 5201 Drug-free schools, community and workplace

Seattle Public Schools Policy 6800 Safety operations and maintenance of school property

Student Health and Wellness

Health Services

Health Services partners with families and communities to ensure that all students are healthy, safe, and ready to learn.

SPS Health Services

Mental Health Services

The Mental Health Program at Seattle Public Schools supports the promotion and access of mental health and wellness.

SPS Mental Health Services

Prevention and Intervention

SPS Prevention and Intervention’s goal is to encourage healthy choices and positive attitudes, and discourage risky and unhealthy behaviors.

Prevention and Intervention

Opioids and Overdose Prevention

Suicide Prevention and Intervention

If you are concerned about a child or adolescent call the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line by texting “home” to 741741.

Suicide Prevention and Intervention