Safety & Wellness

Our highly-trained safety and security staff monitor, protect and respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Our paramount duty is to create a safe learning environment where each child can thrive.

Safety and security staff support and assist in the training of all district staff to be prepared to respond to natural- or human-caused emergencies. We work with communications and school staff to inform families about emergencies as soon as we can with as much information as possible.

We are committed to creating a safe environment in every school. Our safety and security staff are proactive and help keep our district’s promise that every student is empowered to learn in an inclusive setting and is prepared for the future of their choice.

Learn how to report an issue at your school by clicking the button below.

How to report a safety concern

How We Investigate Safety Incidents

Every report of a potential threat is investigated thoroughly and promptly in partnership with law enforcement and district safety personnel.

We are committed to demonstrating accountability through concrete actions and ongoing communication in several key areas:

Clear Protocols: Every safety incident will be evaluated through our established safety assessment procedures, which involve collaboration between school leaders, district safety officials, and law enforcement. This assessment generally follows these procedures:
- Step 1: Receive the initial report and investigate the claim
- Step 2: If there is imminent danger we initiate a lockdown/lockout and call 911
- Step 3: If there is not an imminent danger but still a possible risk, we:
  - Contact law enforcement
  - Exclude/remove student(s)
  - Continue to gather details and review information
  - Perform Level 1 (Salem-Kaiser) threat assessment
  - Make one of the following determinations:
    - Student(s) can return to instructional setting with a safety plan (may include bag searches, adult check in, and other safety steps depending on the situation)
    - A Level 2 Threat Assessment done in partnership with our local Educational Service District to determine if and how the student(s) will return to school
    - Student(s) will not return to school and alternative placement is determined to continue education
Transparency Within Legal Boundaries: While privacy laws limit our ability to disclose specific disciplinary actions taken against individual students, we will make every effort to communicate the steps we are taking to ensure the safety of all students and staff.
Re-evaluation of Current Practices: The district routinely conducts internal reviews of our current safety procedures and make adjustments where needed to ensure our response meets the community's expectations and adheres to state and federal laws.

Resources

How You Can Help

We urge families and students to continue practicing our “Report, Don’t Repost” guideline for handling potential threats. Sharing alleged threats, unconfirmed reports, or misinformation online can unintentionally spread fear and impede investigations. Please report concerns directly to school administrators or law enforcement.

We ask families to discuss the lessons regarding safety expectations with their students.

School Resource Officer

The School Resource Deputy utilizes the concept of educator, informal counselor, and law enforcer, working to:

Bridge the gap and build relationships between law enforcement and youth
Assist schools in keeping campuses safe and drug-free
Investigate school-related criminal activity
Assist with serious school violations as deemed necessary

The School Resource Deputy works to reduce juvenile crime through mentoring, teaching, and displaying a personal interest in students and their activities. The officer provides information and training on public safety and other related topics for students, parents, and school staff.

Bud McCurry, SCSD School Resource Officer and SCSO Deputy

Email Snohomish County Sheriff Deputy Bud McCurry at bmccurry@stanwood.wednet.edu

Phone: 360-629-1337

Safety & Wellness resources

Emergency Preparedness

Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying

Stanwood-Camano Schools maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all students. In accordance with the Washington State RCW 28A.300.285 HIB, harassment, intimidation or bullying of students by other student, by teacher, by staff member, by parent or by volunteers is prohibited according to District Policy 3207 and Procedure 3207.

For more information, visit our How to Report Safety Concerns page.

How to Report Safety Concerns

Lockout vs Lockdown?

What is the difference between a lockdown and a lockout?

In the event of an emergency at your child's school, it is important to know these terms.

In a lockdown: An announcement will be made over the intercom and repeated several times. If there's an intruder, the announcement may include a description. Teachers will pull students and visitors into their classrooms and lock the doors and close the blinds immediately. They will keep everyone sitting on the floor away from the door and windows. Everyone is encouraged to remain calm and quiet. The teachers will take attendance and prepare a list of missing students and extra students in the room. Everyone will remain in the room until a formal announcement is made signifying the end of the lockdown.
In a lockout: All exterior doors are locked, blinds are closed and students are kept in the building, but movement between rooms within the school may be permitted. A Lockout protects students and staff from a potential threat on or near campus when it may be dangerous to go outside. Each staff member has the ability and authority to use the school phones as an intercom to order a Lockout if they see an imminent threat outside the building. Lockouts are most often called by law enforcement who are searching for a person in the immediate area.

Other important safety terms to know:

SHELTER IN PLACE — Students take refuge in designated areas to protect them from hazardous materials or severe weather. No entry into or exit from the school will be allowed until an "all -clear"; announcement is made. Shelter in Place is used when there is an environmental threat where the outside air is considered at risk. Some examples include highway tank truck accidents, neighborhood fires and volcanic eruptions. All windows and exterior doors are locked. The ventilation systems are shut down and students remain inside the building.

EVACUATION — is used when leaving the building is the safest alternative. For example, we may order an evacuation in the case of a fire or earthquake. During evacuations a designated point is used for assembly. Attendance is taken to assure all staff and students are safely out of the building.

REUNIFICATION — Parents/guardians will be directed by school or district communication, or public safety officials via media to their child's specific location. Students will be released ONLY to parents/guardians or those who are documented as emergency contacts and who present a picture ID (driver's license, military ID or passport)

Report an Emergency

Reunification Sites

If public safety officials require that a school be evacuated, students and staff members will be safely transported to a designated parent-student reunification center. Parents will be informed of the reunification location via the school system emergency messaging system and local media.

Why can't I be given the evacuation and parent reunification locations ahead of time?

During emergency situations, circumstances could arise that might force changes to previously designated locations. Parents will be informed of parent-student reunification center locations via the local media and through school resources.

Safety Dos and Dont's for Families

We pride ourselves in making student safety our top priority. We need your help as part of the solution.

Please help us keep your child safe by following these emergency DOs and DON’Ts.

Emergency DOs

Bookmark our website:We will post the latest available information on our homepage and via email. Check back frequently for updates and instructions on when and where you can pick up your child if parent pick-up is necessary.
Get Connected: Having accurate and updated information is critical. Call our schools if your Skyward information is outdated. Don't wait, call today! You can also opt-in to receive important informational text messages from your child’s school by texting “Y” to 67587.
Follow Us On Social Media: We post immediately on our social media pages. Search for Stanwood-Camano School District or find us at @SCSD_401 on Twitter and StanwoodCamanoSD on Facebook.
Stay calm: If your student contacts you, stay calm and reassuring. Encourage them to follow the directions of school staff. Ask them to turn off their cell phone and not use social media. Rely only on official communication from school or public safety officials. Wait for direction from the district about if you need to pick up your child, and if so, when and where.

Emergency DON'Ts

Don't rush to the school:Going to campus may put you or your child at great risk. Additional people on the scene distract first responders from their primary job — student safety. Instead, check our website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, email, or phone for information and instructions.
Don’t call the school: Resources are stretched thin during emergencies. All school staff have a role in the response, and your calls may distract them. Phone lines and staff will be needed for emergency response efforts.
Don't call your child: It may not always be safe for students or staff to answer incoming calls during an emergency or lockdown.

Salem-Keizer Threat Assessment System

The Salem-Keizer Student Threat Assessment System is set of assessment protocols and safety planning procedures overseen and administered by a unique collaborative team comprised of schools, law enforcement, public mental health, the judiciary and juvenile corrections to promote safe school environments. The primary goal is to provide an immediate and systematic response to youth who pose a serious threat to commit violence to others. The process is a three-level system that includes the different perspectives of a school site-based multi-disciplinary team.

Goals
- Keep students who are at risk from committing violent acts in school.
- Help protect other students and staff members from potential violence.
- Provide a comprehensive, multidimensional tool for schools to assess students who may pose a threat.
- Provide a student-specific safety plan utilizing community resources to mitigate the threat of violence.
- Standardize the process for addressing students who pose a threat in schools that participate in student threat assessment.
- Involve parents in the threat assessment process.
- Document the program’s effectiveness in dealing with students who make threats of violence, including student academic and behavioral success.
- Work in collaboration with community partners to coordinate resources for the safety and well being of youth, families and communities.
Objectives
- Assess threats of potentially harmful or lethal behavior and determine the level of concern and action required.
- Organize resources and strategies to manage situations involving students that pose threats to other students and/or staff.
- Maintain a sense of psychological safety among our students, teachers and parents
- Reduce the number of expulsions for students who can be maintained safely in the school environment.

ShakeAlert earthquake warning system

Each year, students and staff across the school district — and the state — participate in the annual Great American ShakeOut drill in October to practice earthquake safety and test our early warning system.

The district deployed an earthquake early warning system in 2019 at Stanwood Elementary — the first school in the state to connect to the USGS’s ShakeAlert system. We have since added sensors to all 13 of its buildings and connected them to a centralized intercom that is automatically activated by a seismic event.

The sensors are part of the automated earthquake early warning system, called ShakeAlert, that is now available to more than 50 million residents within the country's most earthquake-prone region. You can download the ShakeAlert app to be automatically notified of earthquakes.

ShakeAlert uses a network of more than 1,600 seismometers on the West Coast that constantly monitor for location, magnitude and intensity of an earthquake. When a quake does strike, seismic waves travel out in all directions. But primary waves (p-waves) — what the technology detects — travel faster than the slower secondary waves (s-waves), which can produce violent shaking.

The warning to seek shelter can come just seconds before shaking starts or up to a minute before the earth starts to move, depending on the location of the quake’s epicenter. The early warning allows time for students and staff to seek shelter as well as other vital automated systems such as utility pipelines shutdown before they are damaged.

Who can pick up my Child?

Children will only be released to individuals who are authorized on the student's emergency care card or who have written parent authorization.

Parents and guardians are responsible for the accuracy of the information on their child's emergency care card. If parents have not completed a card, they need to do so. If information has changed, parents need to update the card.

Friends and neighbors may sign a child or children out with written permission from a parent or parents. Schools prefer to have written permission on the day that a child's pickup will change, but schools will also keep written permission on file. School offices will keep the permission notes; usually they will attach them to the emergency care cards. Schools will also ask for identification when the child is released to the ones mentioned in the permission note. At the elementary level, it is advisable to communicate with the teacher as well, perhaps with a copy of the signed written note.

Additional resources from our community partners, by subject:

Child Abuse or Neglect

Child Safety

Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault

Snohomish County Special Investigations Unit
Snohomish County Human Trafficking hotline: 425-258-9037
Snohomish County tip line: 425-388-3845
Snohomish County crisis line: 425-252-4800
Domestic Violence Services Snohomish County: Education
Domestic Violence Services Snohomish County: How to Get Help
Citizens Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse
National Domestic Violence Support & Hotline
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: Confidential 24/7 Support

Eating Disorders

Family Resources

Food & Housing

The Stanwood-Camano School District employs three Student Support Advocates (SSA) to help students and families get connected to needed resources, information and community services.

Examples include: clothing, school supplies, medical/behavioral health access, food, hygiene items, and other basic needs. Student Support Advocates are located in all buildings: high school, middle schools and elementary schools and can be accessed directly by calling the SSA line at: 360-629-1480. This is a message line only so please leave a detailed message with your name, need and phone number, and one of the SSAs will return your phone call in a timely manner.

Food

2-1-1 Essential Community Resources: Dial 211
DSHS Food Assistance: 1-877-501-2233
Free or Reduced Lunch
Stanwood-Camano Food Bank: 360-629-2789
Stanwood-Camano School District Food Services: 360-629-1200
SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
WIC - Woman, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program: 1-800-841-1410

Housing

2-1-1 Essential Community Resources: Dial 211
Catholic Community Services: 425-257-2111
Cocoon House: 425-877-5171
DSHS: 877-501-2233
Everett Housing Authority: 425-258-9222
Housing Authority of Snohomish County: 425-290-8499
Housing Hope: 425-347-6556
Skagit Friendship House: 360-336-6138
YWCA: 425-258-2766

Crisis Residential Centers (Long & Short Term Alternative Housing)

Cocoon House: 425-877-5171
Friends of Youth: 206-236-KIDS (5437)
Oasis Teen Shelter - Skagit YMCA: 360-419-9058
Provides youth with a safe place to spend the night every day of the year. Other than being age 13-17, there are no strict eligibility requirements.
The PAD of Bellingham: 360-393-0116
The PAD is an emergency housing program in Bellingham that offers housing for 13-17 year olds.
Youth Care: 800-495-7802 (Emergency Shelter ages 12-17)

Immigration

Local Safety Resources

Mental Health

2-1-1 Essential Community Resources | Dial 211
A local resource providing help and connection throughout the county (counseling, medical, dental, etc.).

Catholic Community Children's Mental Health Services | 425-257-2111
CCS provides children's mental health services to Medicaid eligible children and their families in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish Counties.

Center For Human Services | 206-362-7282
The mission of Center for Human Services is to strengthen the community through counseling, education, and support to children, youth, adults, and families.

Compass Health
Arlington: 425-349-8700 | Mount Vernon: 360-419-7575
Compass Health provides comprehensive services to treat behavioral health conditions, and are there to support anyone who needs care.

Eastside Psychological Associates | 425-481-5700

Everett Clinic Behavioral Health | 425-339-5453

FairFax Behavioral Health
Fairfax Health has designed evidenced-based inpatient teen programs (ages 13-17) for teens experiencing an emotional or behavioral crisis and may need the safety of 24-hour care by trained psychiatric professionals.

Fleet and Family Support Center (TRICARE) | 866-854-0638
The Fleet and Family Support Center in Smokey Point is geared towards helping military families. They offer free, short term counseling for kids and adults for military families, either virtual or in-person. Call the appointment line(above) and tell them you want a child counselor. If you have questions, you can call the Fleet and Family Support Center directly at 425-304-3367.

Island County Behavioral Health (Online Referral) | 360-678-2346 (Leave a voicemail, they will call back.)

Mill Creek Family Services | 425-357-9111
Mill Creek Family Services provide youth and teen counseling services. They have locations in Mill Creek and Everett, and also provide telehealth video counseling services.

NAMI Help Line | 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. HelpLine staff and volunteers are experienced, well-trained and able to provide guidance.

Psychology Today
Search for a counselor in your area who meets your needs.

SeaMar Behavioral Health
Mount Vernon: 360-542-8810 | Oak Harbor: 360-679-7676 | Everett: 360-609-5505
Provides outpatient services, counseling, med management in Everett, Lynnwood and Monroe. Accepts Apple Health/Medicaid.

Seattle Children's Mental Health Referral Line | 833-303-5437
Connects families with mental health providers in the community who accept new patients, work with your insurance and fit your child's treatment needs . The Referral Service is accessible to children and teens 17 and under living in Washington State.

Skagit Counseling Center | 360-939-1450
Now accepting new clients for in-person and telehealth mental health counseling. We work with children, adolescents, and adults. We offer weekend and evening appointments.

Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital | 844-202-5555
Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital offers both inpatient care & outpatient services for a multitude of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD, and postpartum depression. Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital also treats substance abuse disorders such as abusing alcohol, prescription drugs, and recreational drugs.

Wrightway Counseling Services | 360-474-6262
Wrightway Counseling Services have an office in Arlington and also provide telehealth video counseling services.

Other Online Resources

Parent Resources

Student Discipline

The State of Washington began the process of looking at student discipline data several years ago. In their research, they found that some groups of students were more likely to be suspended than others. In order to ensure school discipline policies were fair across the state, districts are being asked to take a more preventative approach.

The State's preventative approach includes early family engagement, student protections, best practices and educational services. In short, the intent is to keep more students in school with fewer suspensions, use of more interventions prior to suspension and more work with the individuals to get at the root cause of behaviors.

State's documents describing the disciplinary changes are, "Student Discipline Rules" and "Discipline in Schools: A Parent Guide". Additional resources can also be found on the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction website.

The Stanwood-Camano School District has up-dated the Student Discipline Policy 3241 and Procedures 3241P to align with the rules and regulations. These policies and procedures may be found on the Stanwood-Camano School District website under School Board and Policies.

Substance Abuse

Suicidal Ideation / Self-Harm

If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing thoughts of suicide, please:
- Call the crisis line 425-258-4357
- Chat Online
- Text "HOME" to 741-741
- Crisis support for students of color: Text "STEVE" to 741-741
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Suicide is Preventable - Know the Signs
Crisis Connections: 1-866-427-4747
I'm Hurting: 1-800-584-3578
Snohomish County Crisis Services: 425-388-7215
Teen Link: 1-866-833-6546