"I Love You Guys"
Standard Response Protocol

Student and staff safety is our highest priority, and we are always evaluating our procedures to ensure a secure learning environment. As part of this commitment, Harrisonville Schools adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) developed by the "I Love U Guys" Foundation in 2025. This protocol provides a clear, common language for emergency situations, ensuring that everyone—students, staff, families, and first responders—understands what to expect.

The SRP is a nationally developed system that is continuously reviewed by school administrators, psychologists, safety experts, families, and first responders. It includes five simple, understandable, and actionable instructions that can be applied to various situations:

• HOLD – Keep hallways clear
• SECURE – Lock outside doors
• LOCKDOWN – Secure individual rooms
• EVACUATE – Move people to a new location
• SHELTER – Take safety measures for specific hazards

Standard Response Protocol for Parents

Stop the Bleed Initiative 

At Harrisonville Schools, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priority. To enhance our preparedness for medical emergencies, our district has adopted new protocols in response to Missouri bill SB 68 and the Stop the Bleed awareness campaign. This proactive measure equips our schools with the resources and training necessary to respond effectively to severe bleeding injuries.

Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death from trauma. In emergency situations, it can take several minutes for first responders to arrive. The "Stop the Bleed" program empowers bystanders to act as immediate first responders, providing life-saving care in those critical moments. By training our staff and equipping our schools, we are building a safer environment for everyone.

What This Means for Our Schools

To comply with the new state mandate, we've implemented the following measures:

• Bleeding Control Kits: We have placed bleeding control kits in strategic, easily accessible locations throughout all our schools. These kits are stocked with essential supplies, including tourniquets, gauze, and gloves.
• Staff Training: Our staff will receive comprehensive training on how to use these kits and apply life-saving bleeding control techniques. The training focuses on three key actions: applying direct pressure to a wound, packing a wound with gauze or clothing, and applying a tourniquet when appropriate.
• Developed Protocols: We have developed clear protocols for responding to traumatic blood loss, ensuring a coordinated and swift response in an emergency.

We are proud to take these steps to strengthen our emergency response capabilities and provide a safer environment for our students and staff. We believe that empowering our school community with these skills can make a life-saving difference.

If emergency treatment is not needed, bleeding can usually be stopped by applying steady, direct pressure and elevating the wound. The following steps will protect the skin wound and protect you from exposure to another person's blood.

Stop the Bleed Emergency Response

If emergency treatment is not needed, bleeding can usually be stopped by applying steady, direct pressure and elevating the wound. The following steps will protect the skin wound and protect you from exposure to another person's blood.

Before you try to stop the bleeding:

1. Wash your hands well with soap and water, if available.
2. Put on medical gloves, if available, before applying direct pressure to the wound. If gloves are not available, use many layers of clean cloth, plastic bags, or the cleanest material available between your hands and the wound.
3. Have the injured person hold direct pressure on the wound, if possible, and elevate the injured area.
4. Use your bare hands to apply direct pressure only as a last resort.

To stop the bleeding:

1. Have the injured person lie down and elevate the site that is bleeding.
2. Remove any visible objects in the wound that are easy to remove. Control the bleeding before trying to clean the wound.
3. Remove or cut clothing from around the wound. Remove any jewelry from the general area of the wound so if the area swells, the jewelry will not affect blood flow.
4. Apply steady, direct pressure and elevate the area for a full 15 minutes. Use a clock—15 minutes can seem like a long time. Resist the urge to peek after a few minutes to see whether bleeding has stopped. If blood soaks through the cloth, apply another one without lifting the first. If there is an object in the wound, apply pressure around the object, not directly over it.
5. If moderate to severe bleeding has not slowed or stopped, continue direct pressure while getting help. Do not use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Do all you can to keep the wound clean and avoid further injury to the area.

Mild bleeding usually stops on its own or slows to an ooze or trickle after 15 minutes of pressure. It may ooze or trickle for up to 45 minutes.

Occasionally, a puncture wound causes bleeding underneath the skin, but only a small amount of blood comes out of the wound. When this happens, the area around the puncture wound may become swollen and bruised. If the bleeding causes blood to collect in the wound site (wound hematoma), the risk of an infection increases.

While following the steps to stop the bleeding, watch for signs of shock in the injured person, including:

• Passing out (losing consciousness).
• Feeling very dizzy or light-headed, like the person may pass out.
• Feeling very weak or having trouble standing up.
• Being less alert. The person may suddenly be unable to respond to questions, or they may be confused, restless, or fearful.

Inclement Weather Policy

School Closing Procedures

Dear Parent:

The winter weather will soon be upon us, and it is important to review procedures for school closing or delaying the opening of school due to snow and inclement weather.

The State allows schools to use AMI (alternative methods of instruction) on snow days so they do not have to make up the days.  Since we are not fully 1:1 (only HHS students take home computers each night), computers will be sent home with HMS and McEowen students if we anticipate a short-term closure.  K-3 students will only use paper packets on AMI days. If we see a large storm coming that could result in several days out of school, we will also use paper packets for HMS and McEowen students due to not having enough chargers to send with students for multiple days.

The Harrisonville School District may delay the opening of school by two hours when it appears conditions might improve. The decision to close school or to delay the opening of school by two hours will be made by 5:30 a.m. to allow time for the media to broadcast this decision prior to most students preparing for the school day. When school is delayed by two hours, Harrisonville High School (including Wildcat Academy) and Cass Career Center will begin at 9:35 a.m., Harrisonville Middle School will begin at 9:25 a.m., and McEowen Intermediate, Harrisonville Elementary, and the Early Childhood Center will begin at 10:40 a.m. A few notes about a late start…

*No breakfast will be served on these days.
*There will be no morning preschool at ECC.
*There will be no morning Cass Career Center sending school classes.
*Regular school closing time will be observed on delayed school opening days.

Local Kansas City TV stations (4, 5, 9, and 41) will be notified by the school district of any delay, early dismissal or cancellation of school. Blackboard, the automated calling, texting and emailing system, will also be used for all inclement weather notices, and well as the school district app (available by searching Harrisonville Schools in the Google Play or App stores), Facebook (www.facebook.com/HarrisonvilleSchools), and the district website.  Please check multiple sources for school district notifications when the weather is questionable.

Once children are in school, approximately three hours are required to get the last child home after a decision is made to close school. For this reason, it is unlikely school will be canceled once classes are in session. However, when conditions dictate an early release, school will be dismissed. The Blackboard calling and texting system will notify parents of any early school dismissal. It is also a good idea to listen to a radio or television station any time weather conditions are changing or in question. The district website will carry early school dismissal information as soon as decisions are made.

It is very important that parents have plans for younger children if school is dismissed early. In the event a parent is not or cannot be home, arrangements should be made for the child to stay with a friend or neighbor. Parents should insist their children dress for protection against prolonged exposure to the weather as a safety precaution.

The decision to hold school or not to hold school is always a difficult one. Every effort will be made to consider the safety of the students, the safety of the faculty, and the convenience to parents when making such decisions. Your cooperation and assistance is appreciated. It is always the parent or guardian’s decision to determine the safety for their child during inclement weather. If you have questions regarding school dismissal, call the building in which your child attends or the district office at 380-2727. 

Sincerely,
Josh Chastain, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Winter Weather Reminders

Winter weather - cold, snow & ice - is going to happen at some point during the winter months. When winter weather strikes, the district monitors temperatures, wind chills, and road conditions, and will inform parents as early as possible if a decision is made to cancel school. Safety is priority number one when making the determination to cancel school on any given day due to inclement weather. If snow, ice, or extreme cold make conditions unsafe, we will cancel school. However, there will be days we have school and it will be very cold.  Here are a few reminders for those days...

• Please make sure that your children come to school dressed for the weather, with winter coats, hats, and gloves. 
• If a child walks to school, we ask that parents try to make arrangements for the child to be given a ride to school. In some neighborhoods, parents form emergency carpools and this works well.
• If the child is a bus rider, we again encourage parents to make sure their child is dressed appropriately. We also encourage parents to let the child wait in the car with them until the bus comes (or, again, make arrangements so that several children can wait together in one car).

Being in school is important for many reasons, including that instructional time is valuable to all students. Additionally, schools are safe places to be for students. Students have adult supervision throughout the day and, should they stay home on a cold day, in some cases there may be no supervision available.   

Safe Water at School

Get The Lead out of School Drinking Water State Law

Per the Missouri “Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act” - a new law to ensure safe drinking water in all school districts throughout the state - the district hired a professional environmental consulting firm to conduct lead testing for all drinking and food preparing (cooking/cleaning) water sources in our school buildings.

Our testing identified water sources in our district with lead concentration at or above the new five (5) parts per billion (ppb) (5 micrograms per liter) standard. The 5 ppb level now required by the state is more stringent than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended action level of 15 ppb.

As part of its commitment to safety, Harrisonville Schools also chose to perform some additional tests of water sources intended for hand washing, cleaning, or other non-drinking purposes.

This communication provides information to keep our school community fully informed about the safety of our water systems.
 

Remedial Actions

The district has taken immediate steps to restrict access to all water sources identified through testing.

We are evaluating each source for the best remediation option, such as removing or replacing equipment or inserting industry-standard filters certified for lead reduction. The district will retest all water sources identified through this process to ensure successful remediation.

Harrisonville Schools Safe Drinking Water Plan

Mental Wellness Resources

Suicide Awareness & Prevention

The District must strive to ensure students are safe at school, in part, by implementing suicide awareness and prevention programs and responding to students who are at possible risk of suicide.  Efforts will include, but are not limited to, training and education for District employees, identifying students at possible risk of suicide, implementing strategies for helping students at possible risk of suicide, and creating protocols for responding to a suicide.  The District authorizes the Superintendent or designee to develop procedures to prevent, assess risk for, intervene, and respond to suicide.

School-Based Therapy

Did you know that students who qualify for mental health services may have access to work with a Licensed Professional Counselor within the school district? Harrisonville School District has partnered with Compass Health Network to offer School-Based Therapy to offer evidence based clinical services embedded in each of the school buildings. We have three School-Based therapists available from elementary to high school. Our School-Based Therapists provide interventions to help your student resolve issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, oppositional behaviors, trauma, family conflict, and more.

Compass Health Network offers School-Based Therapy services to any student who carries MO HealthNet as primary or secondary insurance. If your student has private insurance or no insurance; please contact your school counselor or Compass Health Network as other resources may be available.

If you’re interested in your child receiving School-based Therapy, please reach out to your corresponding School-Based Therapist, or contact your school’s counselor for more information.

Contact Us

Sara Krska
816-680-8062
HHS, HMS

Krystin Ryan
816-380-4545
ECC, HES, McEowen

988 Mental Health Crisis Line

988 is now the national three-digit dialing code for all mental health, substance use and suicide-related crises. 988 calls will be routed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline centers in each state.

When you call, chat or text 988, you will be connected to a crisis specialist who is trained and prepared to deliver support to anyone experiencing a mental health, substance use or suicide crisis.

Tips & Reminders for Families

As soon as possible, please:

• Ensure your contact information in Campus parent is current and accurate, including emergency contacts.

  • We will use this information and multiple communication channels (phone call, email, text message to provide accurate and timely information in the event of an emergency.

  • We would suggest that emergency contacts be local so that they can respond and pick up your student if necessary. Older siblings that drive may be listed as emergency contacts.

  • If necessary, we may also use our District website and local news outlets may be asked to broadcast information.
     

• Explain to your student that cell phones should not be used during an emergency unless directed by an adult. Your student must pay attention to instructions from trained personnel.

What you can expect if an emergency occurs:

• The emergency plan will be implemented and the district/school emergency teams will respond.

• All appropriate emergency response agencies will be dispatched to the school.

• Depending on the situation, students and employees will be secured within the building or relocated to a Reunification Site.

• Families will be kept informed on the situation with as much detail as possible. The first and official way for us to contact you in an emergency is using our automated phone calling system.

• In an emergency situation, phones are needed to manage the situation. Please do not call the school or your student. Calling could also put students and employees at risk in an intruder situation.

• You will not be allowed on school grounds during an emergency. Emergency personnel responding to the situation need the area clear to do their job. After emergency responders determine that a safe student release is possible, arrangements will be made to reunite students with their families. This will occur at a reunification site. Reunification sites have been established, but we do not publicize those locations prior to an emergency to maintain student safety. 

• Students will not be allowed to take their property (coat, backpack, etc.) with them in an emergency. If your child has a medical condition, please make sure to have two sets of necessary items (medication/testers/etc) available (one with you or at home) in case we cannot re-enter the school to retrieve it.

After an Emergency:

• You may be directed to a reunification site, where you will need to show photo identification.

  • Students will only be released to a parent, guardian, or emergency contact.

  • Please be aware that reunification can be very time-consuming, and we appreciate your patience.
     

• It is important to remain calm as students are greatly influenced by their family’s sense of well-being. At the same time, families need to be compassionate listeners when their student speaks of an emergency. Please seek help from the school, district, or community resources if you/your student have concerns.

Additionally, all Harrisonville Schools employees, students, families, and community members are encouraged to report anything they see, hear, or are made aware of that may impact a school.

• When providing information, please be as detailed as possible. Include the name of the school(s), person(s) involved, type of alleged activities, when they occurred/may occur.

• All threats are taken seriously. Police are notified, and officers and school administrators work together to thoroughly investigate any threat, whether it is made verbally, in writing, email, text message, or online. The earlier we know about a potential threat, the earlier an investigation can begin.

• Anyone who makes a threat against a school could face criminal charges. If a student is involved in making a threat, the school/district will respond as outlined in the student handbook.

WARNING: it is against policy to impersonate an official Harrisonville Schools social media account or post false information about or from the school system under an anonymous account or alias. Depending on the nature of the post, such action may result in notification to local law enforcement. If made by an employee or student, it could result in disciplinary action.

How we respond to an emergency is greatly influenced by the specifics of an incident. Our plans do not replace the authority of emergency personnel. Our employees work in full cooperation with these agencies. 

For security reasons, components of our emergency plans are not publicly available.

Anti-Bullying Policy

The District strictly prohibits bullying, including hazing, and cyberbullying on school grounds, at any school function, or on District transportation.

Definitions:

Bullying – Intimidation, unwanted aggressive behavior or harassment that is repetitive or is substantially likely to be repeated and causes a reasonable student to fear for his or her physical safety or property; substantially interferes with the educational performance, opportunities, or benefits of any student without exception; or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school.  Bullying may consist of physical actions, including gestures, or oral, cyberbullying electronic, or written communication, and any threat of retaliation for reporting such acts.

Cyberbullying – Bullying as defined above through the transmission of a communication including, but not limited to a telephone, wireless telephone, or other wireless communication device, computer, or pager.  The district has jurisdiction to prohibit cyberbullying that originates on district property or at a district activity if the communication was made using district technological resources, if there is sufficient nexus to the educational environment, or if the electronic communication was made on the district’s property or at a District activity using the student’s own personal technological resource.

Anti-bullying Coordinator – The superintendent will ensure an individual at each school is designated to serve as the anti-bullying coordinator.  All anti-bullying coordinators will be teacher-level or above and a list of coordinators will be kept on file at the district administration office and updated annually.  Additionally, a district anti-bullying coordinator will be designated.

School Day – A day on the district calendar when students are required to attend school.

Reporting Bullying or Cyberbullying 

District employees are required to report any instance of bullying of which the employee has firsthand knowledge.  Any employee, substitute, or volunteer who witnesses an incident of bullying must report the incident to the building anti-bullying coordinator within two school days of witnessing the incident.  If the anti-bullying coordinator is unavailable or is the subject of the report, the employee should contact the district’s Compliance Officer.  In addition, all district employees, substitutes, or volunteers must direct all persons seeking to report an incident of bullying to the building anti-bullying coordinator.

Any individual making a verbal report of bullying will be asked to submit a written complaint to the anti-bullying coordinator.  If the person refuses or is unable to submit a written complaint, the anti-bullying coordinator will summarize the verbal complaint in writing.

When an anti-bullying coordinator is informed about a possible bullying or cyberbullying incident, verbal, written, or otherwise, the district will conduct a prompt, impartial, and thorough investigation to determine whether misconduct, including unlawful conduct, occurred.  The district will implement interim measures as necessary.  When it is determined that bullying or cyberbullying occurred, the district will take appropriate action for violations of district expectations and rules.

Investigation

The district prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of bullying or cyberbullying, testifies, or participates in any manner with an investigation proceeding, or hearing.  The district will take appropriate remedial action for any student, teacher, administrator, or other school personnel who retaliates.

Consequences of Bullying, Cyberbullying, or Retaliation

When the district receives a report of bullying, cyberbullying, or retaliation, interim measures to protect the victim(s) will be taken.  If an investigation determines that bullying, cyberbullying, or retaliation occurred, the district will act to end the bullying, cyberbullying, or retaliation.  Students who are determined to have participated in bullying, cyberbullying, or retaliation will be disciplined in accordance with the district discipline policy.

Consequences may include, but are not limited to, loss of privileges, detention, in- or out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and referral to law enforcement.  Any determination of consequences will consider factors such as the age of the student(s), developmental level of the student(s), degree of harm, severity of behavior, disciplinary history, and other educationally relevant factors.

District employees and substitutes who violate this policy will be disciplined, up to and including termination.  Volunteers, visitors, patrons, or others who violate this policy may be prohibited from district property or activities, or other remedial action.

Public Notice

This policy will be published on the District website and in the Student/Parent Handbook annually.  In addition, the District will:

1. Provide information and appropriate training to District staff who have significant contact with students regarding the policy.
2. Provide education and information to students regarding bullying, including information regarding the District policy prohibiting bullying, the harmful effects of bullying, and applicable initiatives to address bullying, including student peer-to-peer initiatives to provide accountability and policy enforcement for those found to have engaged in bullying, cyberbullying, and/or retaliation against any person who reports an act of bullying.
3. Instruct school counselors, school and licensed social workers, mental health professionals, and school psychologists to educate students who are victims of bullying on techniques for overcoming bullying’s negative effects. Techniques will include, but are not limited to, cultivating the student’s self-worth and self-esteem; teaching the student to defend himself/herself assertively and effectively; helping the student develop social skills; and/or encouraging the student to develop an internal locus of control.
4. Implement programs and other initiatives to address and respond to bullying in a manner that does not stigmatize the victim and makes resources or referrals available to victims of bullying.

Complaints alleging unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation in violation of District policy will be referred for investigation to the District Compliance Officer, Dr. Tricia Falke.

Adoption Date(s): July 28, 2020