Just in Time Communications
from Bishop Kelly High School
What you need to know, when you need to know it.
BK Parents and Students,
 
I want to inform you of some of the Safety and Security measures here at Bishop Kelly. This is not an exhaustive list, but I believe it points out some high points of what we are doing.

We take safety and security very seriously at Bishop Kelly and are constantly looking at ways to make our school the safest we can. 

Thank you for your support in this effort. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Mrs. Cheryl K. Hutchinson
Vice-Principal of Student Affairs
Bishop Kelly High School
Relationships and Connections
At Bishop Kelly we believe our first and foremost most important strategy to provide a safe and caring place for students, faculty and staff is to build and foster trusting and caring relationships. It is not an accident that BK has low student to teacher ratios in classrooms, low student to counselor ratios, and have built in House time to ensure all students have a sense of belonging. Our priority is to make meaningful connections with each other and create a welcoming environment at Bishop Kelly.

Monthly Safety Drills
We conduct monthly safety drills at BK. Below you will find our emergency command responses. We use specific terminology that reflects the appropriate measures we will take should we encounter a variety of threats or hazards. Representatives from BK have been coordinating closely with responders and school districts around the State to develop the following concepts that will be the standard for all schools in Idaho.  Please familiarize yourself with these terms described. We schedule opportunities to train and exercise students, staff, and parents in these actions over the course of the year. 

Evacuation:​  An evacuation is an effective response to remove students and staff from dangerous situations inside a building to a pre-designated safe location.  All students and personnel are accounted for and will prepare for further action.  Following an evacuation, reunification processes will take place at the evacuation facility. Parents will be made aware of critical information via our emergency text notification system.

Reverse Evacuation: A reverse evacuation will be used to remove students and staff from dangerous situations exterior to the building. Students and teachers will return to their classrooms or other secure areas where roll will be taken.  Reverse evacuations shall be instituted at the discretion of the principal/designee for any situation (e.g., suspicious persons, police activity, severe weather or other environmental threats such as air quality and dangerous wild animals) that poses a threat to the safety of students, staff, or visitors.

Hall Check (also known as shelter/secure-in-place): This response provides security for students and staff from lower level threat situations while normal activities continue inside the building.  All perimeter doors will be secured and movement in and out of the building will stop.  Staff will search the campus for suspicious or unauthorized persons, and then lock classroom doors.  

Lockdown:​ Used when there is a perceived danger inside the building. Classroom and external doors are locked, windows are closed and locked, and blinds are closed. All occupied spaces are secured.  People are directed to move away from windows and doors. Hallways are cleared of students and school staff. 

In the Event of an Emergency
Please​ ​do​ ​not​ ​call​ ​and​ ​do​ ​not​ ​go​ ​to​ ​the​ ​school.
  • In an emergency, onsite staff are focused solely on getting to safety. Showing up to the site can create unnecessary traffic, preventing emergency vehicles from responding quickly. You could also put yourself or others in danger.
  • If you get a call or text from your student, help him or her remain calm. Remind your student that school staff know what to do in an emergency situation, and the staff will work to keep everyone safe.
  • Please know we will communicate reunification plans for all students with parents and guardians should such plans be warranted.

Text​ ​Messaging/ Email notification:
  • We will use our emergency text notification system to contact families. Please make sure your emergency contact information is always up to date at Bishop Kelly.  We are currently in the process of refining this system.  As such, we will continually test, evaluate, and improve this feature over the school year.

Our first priority is the safety of our students and staff. Information will be sent to parents in a timely manner.  
Visiting Campus During the School Day
  • Parents and family members, we ask that you refrain from coming to school to see your student during the school day. Students will not be taken out of class to visit with a family member.

  • If you have an emergency and need to see your student during the school day, or if you have a meeting or volunteer commitment with faculty or staff at BK during the school day, please go directly to the front office to sign in and receive a visitor's badge. Visitors must remain in the front office or front atrium if they are meeting with a student.

  • NO FOOD DELIVERIES are allowed at Bishop Kelly during the school day. A family member may drop off food items at the drop off table near the front doors, but we do not allow Uber Eats, Door Dash, pizza delivery, etc.

  • This is a closed campus, students cannot leave for lunch or any other reason, unless approved by the office first. Please see the Attendance Page for more information about what to do if your student needs to leave school during the day.

Dress Code
When BK students are in dress code, it helps everyone recognize strangers on campus more quickly. Everyone has a part to keep our dress code effective. From the students abiding, teachers and administrators enforcing, and parents supporting the Bishop Kelly Dress Code.

Full Time Security Guard and SRO
Our full time security guard, Mr. Eric Aitken, is highly visible to our students and staff by patrolling the interior and exterior of the campus to enforce school rules. As a former police officer, he is another resource for our students. 

Our School Resource Officer is Det. Lori Bourgeau. She has been a member of the Boise Police Department for 20 years; 17 of those years as an SRO.  We feel very fortunate to have her in our building! She brings a wealth of knowledge and a love for kids!

Gaggle and Smoothwall

Gaggle and Smoothwall are our filtering systems for Google Apps and BK internet. They alert us of dangerous, inappropriate, or illegal activity. 
Random Drug Testing/Drug Dog Searches
We conduct monthly random drug testing and quarterly drug dog searches. This random testing will pull from the total student population. We do this not because we feel we have a major drug issue, but because we want our students to have another reason to say “no” and realize drugs are not worth the risk. In all instances, parents will be notified if your student was selected for a random drug test or if a drug dog “hit” on a car, locker, or backpack.
School Parent Partnership
Finally, know that you are your child’s biggest influence to keep them away from drugs and alcohol. Below are some ways to help prevent drug/alcohol use provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse:

Help Children and Teens Stay Drug-Free: 
  • Talk with your children about drugs. Explain how taking drugs can hurt their health, their friends and family, and their future. Tell them you don't want them to do drugs.
  • Be a part of their lives. Spend time together. Even when times are hard, kids can make it when they know that the adults in their life care about them.
  • Know where your children are and what they're doing. Keeping track of your children helps you protect them. It gives them fewer chances to get into drugs.
  • Set clear rules and enforce them fairly. Kids need rules they can count on. That is how they learn for themselves what is safe and what can get them in trouble.
  • Be a good example for your children. You might not think so, but kids look up to their parents. Show them how you get along with people and deal with stress, so they can learn how to do it.
  • Teach your children how to refuse drugs. Kids often do drugs just to fit in with the other kids. Help them practice how to say no if someone offers them drugs.
  • Make your home safe. Do not have people in the house who abuse drugs and alcohol. Keep track of medicines and cleaning products.

Contact BK
  • Front Office: 375-6010
  • Fax: 375-3626
  • Business Office Manager: 947-1209
  • BK Development Office: 947-1325
  • BK Foundation Office: 323-4789

To add, remove, or change your email address, or to remove your name from our regular mailing lists, please contact Chrissy at cbeckner@bk.org.