Incident Updates

This Incident Updates page provides important information about safety, health, and other pertinent topics in addition to the latest updates about school related safety incidents. Updates on this page will not replace other forms of emergency communication, but this serves as a place for parents to find more information concerning timely issues. It’s essential that you continue to check your phone, email and ParentSquare app for up to date information.

Updates will be removed from this page shortly after the alert is resolved.

Stay informed! Updates will also be posted on this Incident Update web page, and the Alert Box on the District homepage, in addition to direct communication through ParentSquare.

Be Informed and Prepared

Hutto ISD uses the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) safety program. Staff members are trained in the protocol, and students and staff participate in regular drills. SRP is based on five actions: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter. SRP provides a common language for both schools and local law enforcement agencies.

When our families are educated regarding Hutto ISD’s Safety Response Protocols, it helps us to better prioritize our students' safety in the event of a crisis.

Response Safety Protocol

Response Safety Protocol

HOLD: In your Room or Area.

During a Hold, students will remain in the classroom, and classroom doors will remain locked. Inside the classroom, it will be business as usual.

A Hold could be used during a medical situation, for example, so halls can be cleared in case outside medical assistance is required. Also, an altercation in the hallway may require keeping students out of the halls until it is resolved. There may be a need for students who are not in a classroom to proceed to an area where they can be supervised and remain safe.

Secure Icon

SECURE: Get Inside, Lock Outside Doors.

Secure is called when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building. Students and staff are brought into the building,and the outside doors will be locked. Inside, it will be business as usual. This could be a police situation in the area such as a warrant being served or a police chase in the immediate neighborhood, or a dangerous animal in the playground. Secure uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection.

SECURE AND HOLD

Sometimes people become confused about the difference between “Secure” and “Hold.” During a Hold, the halls are cleared, students remain in their classrooms with their teachers and business continues as usual. If people are outside, they remain outside.

During a Secure, people are brought inside, and all activities inside the school continue as usual but no one will move in or out of the building. The main difference is that during a Secure the halls are open and may be utilized by students and staff as needed. People inside the school may not notice any difference in their daily routines during a Secure. Remember, the main difference between the two is that a Secure is enacted when a threat or hazard is outside of the school. A Hold is used when there is a need for the halls to remain empty, meaning the issue is inside the building. During both instances, classroom instruction should continue as normal.

Lockdown Icon

LOCKDOWN: Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.

A Lockdown is called when there is a threat or hazard inside of the building. Students and staff are trained to enter or remain in a room that can be locked, and maintain silence. A Lockdown is only initiated when there is an active threat inside or very close to the building. From parental custody disputes, to intruders or an active assailant, Lockdown uses classroom and school security.

The Lockdown Action demands locking interior doors, moving occupants out of the line of sight of corridor windows, turning off lights to make the room seem unoccupied, and having occupants maintain silence. If students are unable to get behind a locked door, they are trained to self-evacuate. If your child contacts you to let you know that they safely self-evacuated, please contact the District Emergency Number at 512-759-2059 to notify us your child is safe.

EVACUATE: To a location

Evacuate is called when there is a need to move people from one location to another for safety reasons.

An on-site evacuation is conducted usually because of a mechanical failure that would disrupt the school day, such as a power outage or water disruption. If it can’t be resolved quickly, the school may have to plan for early dismissal. An offsite evacuation may be necessary when it’s no longer safe to stay in the building such as a gas leak or bomb threat. In this case, people will be allowed to bring their personal items with them. If there has been a violent event at the school, an off-site evacuation will almost always be necessary since the school will be deemed a crime scene. People may or may not be able to bring their personal items with them.

REUNIFICATION AFTER AN EVACUATION

When the students and staff are evacuated off-site, they may be walking to a different location or being transported to the location and there will be an organized reunification of students and parents/guardians at that site. For in-depth information about conducting a Reunification, please refer to The Standard Reunification Method: https://iloveuguys.org/The-Standard-ReunificationMethod.html

SHELTER: State the Hazard and Safety Strategy

Shelter is called when specific protective actions are needed based on a threat or hazard. Training should include response to threats such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hazardous materials situations or other local threats.

HAZARDS MAY INCLUDE

• Tornado
• Severe weather
• Wildfires
• Flooding
• Hazmat spill or release
• Earthquake

SAFETY STRATEGIES MAY INCLUDE

• Evacuate to Shelter area
• Seal the room
• Drop, cover and hold
• Get to high ground

IMPORTANT: Any of the above types of emergencies could result in delays in the normal drop-off or release schedule for a campus.
We will provide frequent updates to families with schedule changes and drop-off or pick-up locations in the incident updates portion of this page.

FAQs

What type of communication can you expect if there are weather emergencies?

What type of communication can you expect if there is a bus related incident?

What type of communication can you expect if my child’s school goes to a Hold status?

What type of communication can you expect if my child’s school goes to a Secure status?

Should parents come to the school during a Secure event?

What if parents need to pick up their student and the school is in Secure status?

What type of communication can you expect if my child’s school goes to a Lockdown status?

Should parents come to the school during a Lockdown?

No. Parents should remain where they are; ready to receive notifications. The natural inclination for parents is to go to the school during a Lockdown. If there is a threat inside the building, law enforcement will be responding. It is unlikely that parents will be granted access to the building or even the campus. If parents are already in the school, they will be instructed to Lockdown as well.

Should parents text their students during a Lockdown?

Yes. The school recognizes the importance of communication between parents and students during a Lockdown event. Parents should be aware though, during the initial period of a Lockdown, it may not be safe for students to text their parents. As the situation resolves, students may be asked to update their parents on a regular basis. In some cases, students may be evacuated and transported off-site for a student-parent reunification.

What type of communication can you expect if my child’s school goes to an Evacuate status?

We will communicate with parents and guardians by sending instant notifications via ParentSquare to include text, email, app notification, voicemail and activate the Hutto ISD Incident Updates webpage for updates. When buildings are evacuated, parents may need to pick up their students at another district or community location as the original structure may be unsafe. In this scenario, the District will call for a reunification event and will provide parents with specific instructions on when and where to reunite with their students. Parents must be prepared to show ID. Students will only be released to those listed as emergency contacts in Skyward.

What type of communication can you expect if my child’s school goes to a Shelter status?

Should I head straight to the school in an emergency?

No. While we understand you feel your place is with your child/children, your presence at the school will only take resources away from protecting students, or placing you in harm's way. Please allow first responders to handle the situation to restore safety as soon as possible and await updates and confirmation on the reunification process from a safe distance away from the school.

What type of drills will my student’s school do?

All Hutto ISD schools perform Evacuation, Fire Evacuation, Shelter-in-Place, Shelter for Severe Weather, Lockdown and Secure drills.

❖ Minimum Drill Requirements

➢ Secure Drill: 1 per school year

➢ Lockdown Drill: 2 per school year (one per semester).

➢ Evacuation Drill: 1 per school year

➢ Shelter-in-Place for Hazmat Drill: 1 per school year

➢ Shelter for Severe Weather Drill: 1 per school year

➢ Fire Evacuation Drill: four per school year (two per semester)

How do I report safety concerns to my student’s campus?

Where can I sign up to receive emergency notifications?

Hutto ISD Parents and Guardians in the Skyward Family Access system are automatically given accounts in our ParentSquare communication system to receive text, email and voice messages. Users can opt-out (unsubscribe). However, Urgent Smart Alerts cannot be turned off in the user's Notification Settings. It is imperative to update your Skyward Family Access or notify your student’s school registrar when a phone number previously provided to the district has changed.

How do I contact my student’s counselor or nurse?

Where can I find information about CPR courses?

Where can my student get a parking pass?

Hutto ISD no longer has a paper-based process for buying parking stickers and instead uses Google Forms. You will still need to have some items together before completing the form, including:

Your current valid driver's license
A copy of your insurance card, not to expire within 30 days. The student's name MUST be listed on the insurance.
A copy of your receipt of payment

Link to Google Form:

https://forms.gle/j9LUdAGGdekQ3J6dA

Link for Payment:

https://huttoisd.revtrak.net/high-schools/hhs/hhs-office-payments/#/v/hhs-parking-permit

**If the student driver is not listed on the insurance card or if a soon-to-expire insurance card is uploaded, that student will not be issued a parking sticker. In addition, any student that uploads an invalid driver's license or a driver's license with class "B" restrictions will not be issued a parking sticker.**

Hutto ISD Anonymous Alerts

Link to Anonymous Alerts page

Anonymous Alerts anti-bullying and safety app reporting system helps combat bullying and other negative activity in schools by empowering students to speak up. Students or parents can submit reports such as bullying, cyberbullying, depression, dating violence, drug or alcohol use, threats against the school, weapons on campus and more.

• Download the Anonymous Alerts® app for free from the Apple Store, Google Play store, or the Chrome store
• Start the App, enter login: hippos and password: hippos
• Send important reports to school officials

In an emergency, always call 911.

Are you receiving messages from Hutto ISD?

In the event of an emergency, it’s crucial that your contact information is up to date in Skyward, so you are receiving pertinent, timely updates from Hutto ISD.

Notifications Settings

Reunification with Students

Because things move quickly during emergency events, we cannot share in advance where everyone should go after the emergency has passed. We know this information is critical so our only goal will be to communicate a meeting location to you as quickly as possible.

As soon as it's safe, we will do everything we can to get you and your child reunited quickly. We will communicate the location, what you need to bring, where to report and anything else you need to know so you and your loved one can be reunited. Follow all instructions from law enforcement.

Unsubscribe Box

Parents and Guardians are automatically given accounts in our ParentSquare communication system to receive text, email and voice messages. Users can opt-out (unsubscribe):

Unsubscribe: Clicking "Unsubscribe" from an email notification brings the user to a screen where they can “Stop notifications”. Doing this turns all email/text/app notification preferences to off and School Alerts to off.

Stop Texts: Texting “STOP” will opt out the phone from future texts regardless of the user preference set under Notification Settings. If a text is still attempted, these phones will appear as failed text under the delivery report.

Note: Urgent Smart Alerts cannot be turned off in the user's Notification Settings.

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