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Safe Schools

2020 - 2021

Safe School Hotline:  (623) 376-3262

School Status Line: (623) 376-4636

Dear Families,

The Deer Valley Unified School District has made a strong commitment to maintaining school campuses that are safe and conducive to learning. To accomplish this, the District has a comprehensive Safe Schools Plan and discipline standards. Many hours of research and development have been spent creating these plans and customizing them to the individual campuses.

In maintaining a safe school campus, there are many aspects to consider. Our plan is comprehensive and includes a school-wide discipline plan, character development, daily security measures, and procedures for emergency situations that are understood, communicated and practiced regularly.

Our school-wide discipline plan is listed and explained on our website in the SV Parent/Student Handbook, and included as a broader topic of PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Systems) in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.  We hold our students to high standards in behavior to ensure a continual education process with little interruption. Emphasis on character development is a part of the daily routine for teaching students how to make ethical decisions and choices. We have a school-wide Positive Behavior System, Viper Pride, aimed at promoting positive behaviors, character, and . Our goal is to build a community of learners at Sierra Verde, where respect and responsibility are at the forefront of our thinking as we develop good citizenship skills and attitudes.

…Our security measure includes the locking of gates after student arrival. All visitors and volunteers are required to check in at the office, provide proof of photo identification, and obtain a visitor sticker. A security buzz door has also been installed to ensure access to the campus is monitored at all times.  All gates remain locked until dismissal, leaving the administration building as the only access to the rest of the campus. Campus monitors and crossing guards have two way radios to communicate directly with the administration office should a situation arise that requires assistance. We will continue to revisit our procedures to make sure we are doing everything we can to secure our students’ safety.

To prepare for unforeseen dangers, we have developed a plan for emergency evacuations. We practice fire drills monthly and lock down drills quarterly. In the event that we would have to dismiss students from school early, parents would be notified at home/work concerning the need to release students. Students will only be released to parents or designee listed on emergency cards. The pick up location will depend on the reason for the evacuation. Our three areas for pick up are the front parking lot, the park east of the school, or the bus turn around lot on 74th Ave. If there is a reason to evacuate the site immediately, you will be notified where you can pick up your children. If for some reason we are required to evacuate the campus completely, we will relocate to our off-campus evacuation site, Deer Valley High School, 18424 N 51^st Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308.  District office Safe Schools teams will be present to support our staff and students in this evacuation process.  

Rest assured we continue to evaluate our safety and emergency procedures and make adjustments as necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, staff, and community members on our campus.  Please visit the district Safe Schools webpage to see how our district promotes safety as well.

Sincerely,