Milton adopts common emergency language: SRP and reunification emphasized in safety overview

The School District of Milton’s safety coordinator, Carrie, told the board that the district has adopted the I Love You Guys Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and a standard reunification method to ensure consistent public messaging and coordinated responses during critical incidents.

Carrie described five standardized actions used in an emergency — hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter — and explained how each term is applied (for example, 'secure' is used for threats outside the building to create a secure envelope while activities continue inside; 'lockdown' denotes an immediate inside threat and uses 'locks, lights, out of sight'). She said consistent language reduces confusion during an urgent event and improves responder coordination.

The district participates in a Rock County reunification task force and conducts tabletop exercises with Rock County Emergency Management and local fire and police agencies to practice keeping accountability for evacuated students and reuniting them with families. Carrie also noted the district shares safety resources with families through the Red Hawk app and on the district website and said administrators will provide printed materials for board members to keep in their folders.

Board members praised the effort, asked about training for newly hired administrators, and discussed communication procedures when parents receive early notifications from students or scanners. Carrie said new administrators receive additional safety training prior to the school year and that the district will email board members as soon as the superintendent has initial information about an incident.

The presentation did not result in a new policy vote at the meeting but underscored the district’s operational emphasis on shared language and interagency cooperation for emergency response and reunification.