Waconia Public Schools is committed to providing safe and welcoming schools for all of our students, staff, families and visitors. In Waconia, school safety is a multi-faceted undertaking that involves building design, technology, drills, timely communication, building relationships with local law enforcement, and continuously reviewing and improving our procedures and protocols.
In an emergency, impacted staff, parents/guardians, and potentially students depending on the age-level, will receive communication through Waconia Public Schools' Infinite Campus mass communication notification system. In many cases, an email, text message, and recorded phone message will be sent with important information. It's also recommended that parents and guardians follow the District's social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) and bookmark the District's website (isd110.org) as timely information will also be shared through these communication channels during an emergency.
Families are reminded to login to Infinite Campus to make sure their contact information is up to date and accurate in order to ensure that they receive timely notifications via email, text and phone. Watch the short video below for instructions on how to update your contact information in Infinite Campus.
Please help us welcome our new School Resource Officer, Joelle Diersen, to Waconia Public Schools! We are ecstatic to have Deputy Diersen on board!
Deputy Diersen has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Bethel University and has been in law enforcement since 2014. Prior to joining the Carver County Sheriff's Office, she worked as a Reserve Officer in Columbia Heights, a Community Service Officer in St. Louis Park, and a Police Officer in West St. Paul.
While she will mostly be stationed at Waconia High School, Deputy Diersen will have a presence at all our schools during the 2024-25 school year.
Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, Waconia Public Schools is shifting the language used to communicate incidents and will use the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation. This protocol is used in more than 30,000 schools, districts, departments, agencies, organizations, and communities around the world. The SRP is based on five actions and each action is followed by a directive. The outcome is shared language and shared expectations between people in a crisis. The SRP is not a replacement for a school safety plan or program. It is simply a classroom response enhancement for critical incidents, designed to provide consistent, clear, shared language and actions among all students, staff, and first responders. See below for further information about the five actions.
HOLD
A HOLD is commonly used when the halls need to be be kept clear due to either an altercation in the hallways or a medical emergency related to a student or staff members. Students are expected to remain in their classroom until the situation is resolved.
SECURE
When a threat is outside of the building or occurring adjacent to the building, a SECURE is used to safeguard the occupants inside the building. Students will be instructed to get inside and all exterior doors will be locked. Nobody leaves or enters the building, but classroom activities would likely continue uninterrupted.
LOCKDOWN
When a threat is inside of the building, a LOCKDOWN is used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place. "Locks. Lights. Out of Sight." Individual classrooms and offices are locked, occupants move out of the line of sight of corridor windows, lights are turned off, and everyone remains silent.
EVACUATE
Used to move people from one location to a different location, in or out of the building. Each building in the District has designated evacuation sites.
SHELTER
Used when specific protective actions are needed based on a threat or hazard, such as a tornado warning.
Standard Response Protocol (SRP) Resources
SRP Informational Video for Students in Grades 6-12
Student Handbooks
Many of our procedures and protocols to support safety and security are embedded in the student handbooks, and can be reviewed here:
The District has a team of administrators and staff who meet regularly to discuss safety and security topics.
2024-25 Safety Team Members:
Tim Bisek, Director of Buildings and Grounds
Joelle Diersen, School Resource Officer
Sara Eischens, Health Services Manager
Steven Jensen, Director of Community Education
Jill Sabol, Waconia High School Assistant Principal
Enid Schonewise, Director of Human Resources
Paul Sparby, Waconia High School Principal
Ann Swanson, Bayview Elementary Principal
Matt Thomas, Director of Communications