A Message from Mrs. Douthart
Principal, Five Forks Middle School
October 19, 2018
Dear Parents,
On Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 9:30am, we will conduct a PRACTICE hard lock down drill at Five Forks Middle School. During the drill, we will not allow anyone into the building-not even using the doorbell at the front of the school. Additionally, we will have several School Resource Officers (SRO) assist in the drill who will provide us with valuable feedback in any areas where they feel we could make improvements. In order to prepare our students for this PRACTICE lock down, we will share additional information during morning announcements the week of the drill.
At Five Forks Middle School, we do have an extensive safety plan in place. As many of you know, all exterior doors are locked during the school day. To gain access to our building, we have two camera-entry doorways. One is located at the front entrance and the other is at one of our back doors. This system enables us to see who we allow to enter our school, and the doors remain locked until they are buzzed in by the front office receptionist. Remember, for anyone visiting our campus, they are asked to provide us with information as it relates to the nature of their visit. These door cameras are also tied to several computers within the building for additional monitoring by other staff.
Next, we have a full-time School Resource Office (SRO) on campus who interacts with our students in the hallway, in the cafeteria, and at many of our extracurricular events. Officer Woytek is a visible presence on our campus and is always available to answer any questions you might have regarding security at our school. He works closely with our staff to monitor our building and help us plan strategies for keeping our students and staff safe.
We also have an extensive camera system that allows us to monitor the interior and exterior of our campus. Those cameras are viewed throughout the day. They are also tied to our GCPS system and can be viewed by county safety and security staff as well as Gwinnett County Police at any time. We have an emergency alert system that can be used internally to alert a number of staff throughout the building for situations that we can manage, but it can also be used to directly contact 911 should we need outside assistance. Finally, we conduct monthly drills for both weather and safety purposes. Our students and staff have been trained all throughout the year on what to do should an emergency occur.
The most important thing we have at Five Forks is our outstanding and alert staff and students who know that if they “see something…they should say something.” Everyone in this building has a role in keeping our school safe so that our focus can remain on teaching and learning.
Sincerely,
Christine Douthart, Principal
Five Forks Middle School
Email: five_forks_middle@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Website: fiveforksmiddleschool.org
Location: 3250 River Drive Southwest, Lawrenceville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-972-1506
Facebook: facebook.com/BuckyConnects
Twitter: @BuckyConnects