BONDUEL, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – School safety protocols are changing in Bonduel. The district is moving to more uniform practices.
While students go to school for an education, security and safety are just as important as the ABCs. The School District of Bonduel recently moving to an SRP or Standard Response Protocol when incidents happen on campus.
“The changes are pretty subtle, but I think it’s going to be much more simplified,” said district administrator Joe Dawidziak.
Teaming up with the “I Love U Guys” foundation’s programs for crisis response, the district’s SRP focuses on five actions. They are hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in the high school, the middle school, or elementary building — should an incident occur, and one of those protocols are announced — the steps that need to be taken to protect everyone are clear.
Dawidziak said, “So, you can see on here, if it says we’re in a hold this is what students are going to do, this is what adults are going to do. If we’re in a secure this is what students are going to do, this is what adults are going to do for all five of those situations.”
Posters explaining the SRP are hanging in every classroom and hallway. Staff and teachers, along with students are practicing the protocols too.
The changes, according to students, make them more comfortable.
According to Bonduel senior, Rachyl Hutter, “I just like the way it’s run now before it wasn’t really set one, like situation-wise. Here we know that there’s one thing we need to do.”
The new SRP follows the installation of an upgraded public address notification system in the district.
With the SRP now implemented teachers and staff have the ability to set off an alert at the touch of a button, in a situation where time matters.
Dave DeBerge is the district’s technology director. He said, “We really wanted a scenario where teachers were empowered and even our teacher aides potentially where in any room at any given time, if they saw something that they would be able to trigger a lockdown situation from that location without having to call the office, call the principal, take multiple steps.”
The use of the PA system, with a universal message, is just the beginning. The district is looking to take additional steps to expand its notification ability moving forward.
Some of the other steps the district wants to take with its SRP are tied to a referendum voters will be asked to approve in November.
There will be two referendum questions on the ballot for voters.
Question one asks for $2.7 million over six years starting with the 2025-2026 school year for technology needs, as well as funding for safety and security.
Question two asks for $1.8 million over six years to provide benefits to the district’s part-time employees.