October 2017
Staying focused on safety during emergencies Lincoln Public Schools staged an emergency exercise on September 15 that focused on the process after the evacuation of a school, when parents would need to pick up their children at a safe, alternative site.
and state agencies were on hand to offer feedback, including the Lincoln Police and Fire departments, Lancaster County Emergency Management and the Nebraska Department of Education.
The exercise involved more than 100 4th- and 5th-grade students from Randolph Elementary School, who were bused to Lincoln Southwest High School because of a mock emergency. Southwest, due to its size, design and security features, is where all elementary and middle schools would relocate during a serious emergency.
“This is a work in progress,” Wright said. “That’s why we’re doing this - to get feedback from as many people as possible.”
The exercise is part of the district’s continuous efforts to plan for the unexpected and ensure the safety of its students, said LPS Director of Security Joseph Wright. All LPS schools have evacuation plans in place, but Friday’s exercise took those plans one step further - to the “reunification” phase. “What we’d like parents to know is that we’re looking closely at this process and that we have a plan in place to handle a serious situation,” Wright explained. The exercise’s primary purpose was to identify potential issues with the school district’s reunification plan - reuniting students and families after a possible crisis - and address them before a real emergency occurs. Representatives from numerous local
Randolph students stayed with their teachers and watched a movie in the main gym for about an hour while most of the drill occurred - just outside the gym in the hallway and south entrance area. LPS staff posed as parents arriving at the school and were led through the process of individually being reunified with their children. “If we are confronted with this situation, we need to safeguard the students and their environment so we can make a controlled handoff to their parents,” Wright said. Southwest Principal Mike Gillotti played an integral role in planning and carrying out Friday’s exercise, which he deemed a success. “As a district goes, we are way out in front as far as how we’re planning for this.”
(above): 4th and 5th grade students leave Randolph Elementary and head to their evacuation point. (left): Southwest and Randolph staff help students wait for parents during the mock exercise. (right): Principal Mike Gillotti gives instructions to staff before the emergency exercise.
ACT scores stay steady, solid: 100 percent student participation We are
testing so
ACT scores for Lincoln Public Schools continued consistent and solid with results in light of the sixth year in which all LPS high school juniors now take the college-ready test for free.
many more
“We are testing so many more kids who are taking the ACT, and we are more inclusive than ever before, so holding steady indicates we are doing well,” said Leslie Eastman, director of assessment and evaluation for LPS.
kids who are
As LPS student enrollment increases, more high school juniors take the test every year – a record 2,409 took the test last year – while the composite test score has remained steady, with the same composite score over the past four years.
ACT, and
Before the pilot program began, only about 65 percent of LPS graduates took the ACT, but now virtually 100 percent take the test, one of the most common standardized college entrance examinations, Eastman said.
inclusive than
taking the we are more ever before,...
In April 2012, LPS started participation in the pilot of what is called the District Choice inSchool Testing (DCST) program for the state of Nebraska, in which all LPS juniors take the ACT at no cost on a regularly scheduled school day (as opposed to the previous process of paying for the test and taking it on a Saturday morning).
What’s Inside Section A: • Students Help Harvey Victims. . A2 • Family Acitvity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 • Beautiful Lincoln High . . . . . . . . A3 • Puzzles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Humann Open House. . . . . . . . . A5 • Belmont Streets Alive!. . . . . . . . . A6 • Meet the New CLC Director. . . . A7 • Huntington Red Ribbon Week. . A9 • Coloring Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A10 • Kate Larson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11 • LPS Scrap Metal Drive. . . . . . . A11 • Family Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11 What’s Inside Section B: • DeVos Visit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 • East Celebrates 50 Years!. . . . . . B2 • Mickle Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3 • TeamMates Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . B5 • First Responders Honored. . . . . B7 • Puzzles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B8 • Wellness Training . . . . . . . . . . . . B9 • School Lunch Menus. . . . . . . . . B11 • Green Schools Recognition. . . . B12