It is wonderful to have students back in the building! Over the summer, this place is entirely too quiet! I've loved seeing all our smiling Eagles renewing friendships, meeting new classmates and teachers, and learning! We are off to a GREAT start!
As we begin the year, I wanted to remind you of our safety procedures and processes.
All our exterior doors and gates are locked. The front door is the only point of entry and exit for visitors. Visitors must request entry to the school and be admitted by a staff member. Visitors may be asked to show a photo ID before the door is unlocked. The front desk has camera video of our exterior doors. This is another form of monitoring for safety and security. All visitors must present a government-issued driver’s license or picture ID including date of birth to be processed through our Raptor® visitor management system. All visitors must wear the visitor badge provided for the entirety of their visit on campus. These state the purpose and location of the visit. Badges must be returned to the front office prior to leaving campus.
All classroom doors are closed and locked during the instructional day. Our teachers have radios that allow them to communicate with all campus personnel. Key staff members wear an emergency response button. If pressed, this button alerts law enforcement to come to the campus immediately. (Last year, a button was pressed accidentally, and 4 police cars arrived in less than 2 minutes!) All teachers will soon have access to a "panic alarm" as well. This will go through our Raptor® system. Spring Forest Middle School has a police officer on campus at all times, and SFMS is also a "hub" for the SBISD PD. This means officers are nearby at all times.
All students are given IDs and lanyards to wear daily, as per our SBISD Safety policy protocol. These badges are used as a safety measure during emergencies, reunification, etc. All adults on campus are required to wear identification badges at all times. All Spring Branch Independent School District staff, including teachers, maintenance workers, substitute teachers, and other district personnel, are required to wear district-issued badges. Parents and other visitors are required to report to the office and show proper identification upon arrival, sign in, and obtain a visitor’s badge. Any adult who is not properly identified either by a district or visitor’s badge will be immediately directed to the office. Upon leaving campus, visitor badges must be turned in to the front office. For large/whole school events, guests will pre-register prior to the event.
All volunteers must register with SBISD and be approved prior to assisting on campus. This application is processed through our police department. Uncleared persons are not permitted to volunteer, chaperone, etc. They follow the same entry and badge procedures as any campus visitor.
No student will be released from school except to a parent, guardian, or designee, as indicated on Skyward Family Access. Anyone taking a child from school will be asked to show proper identification. Lunch visitors must be included on the student’s emergency card or written permission from the parents must be provided. All visitors must sign in at the front office, with the appropriate ID. Visitors should not return to the classroom with their student or visit any other area of the building without permission.
Parents of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten bus riders are to display to the bus driver a campus-issued blue card verifying that they are authorized to pick up the child at the bus stop. Children who do not have a parent or parent designee with the appropriate blue card at the drop-off location will be returned to the campus. Parents of pre-kinder, kinder, and first-grade walkers must show a yellow (Bateswood) or green (Memorial) card. Parents will be required to come to the front office and show identification without these cards. Car riders must have a school issued hang tag. Without a hang tag, the person picking up the child must come into the front office and show their ID. Students will only be released to persons on the emergency contact list.
Meadow Wood has a morning and afternoon crossing guard at the intersection of Memorial and Clear Springs. Students are instructed to cross following the crossing guard's instructions. Bike riders should walk their bikes to cross the street and on school property.
Meadow Wood students and staff participate in the following drills: Lock Down, Secure, Hold, Shelter, and Evacuate. These drills address the unlikely occurrence of incidents that are potentially dangerous to student safety. All staff members are trained in all procedures associated with these critical issues. Any staff member can call a secure at any time they feel it is needed.
Meadow Wood has a full-time nurse on campus. Nurse Gruenberger is an RN. She assists students if they are sick or injured or if they need to take medication at school. She also ensures all students are up to date on immunizations and is our contact point for health-related rules/laws.
Please help us keep our school as safe as possible by following these additional safety and security reminders. Please:
- Do not enter or exit through any door other than the front door.
- Do not ask anyone to open a side door for you to enter. Do not prop open any door or open any door for anyone. Direct all visitors to the front entry.
- Be ready to show identification when requesting a student.
- Follow our “See Something. Say Something.” protocol. Should you or your child have a safety concern, please alert a school administrator immediately.
- Your child cannot possess, use, exhibit, or transmit weapons or any items that give the appearance of a weapon (e.g. a toy) on any SBISD campus or facility or at any SBISD activity. This includes Airsofts, pellet guns, BB guns, water guns, or any similar toy.
If you have any questions about any of our safety protocols, please feel free to reach out!
We are better together.
