Enhancing safety was a key part of our 2024 referendum. Now, a year after voter approval, the district has made dozens of updates to further increase the safety of our students, staff, and families in our schools and online. 
 

Law Enforcement Partners

Inver Grove Heights Schools (ISD 199) stays in regular contact with the Inver Grove Heights Police Department to help prevent potential emergencies and respond to issues. Thanks to the 2024 referendum, the district now has a second School Resource Officer (SRO) from the IGH Police Department. Our SROs, Officer Ericka Eid and Officer Nathan Taarud, are present in our schools to immediately respond to urgent situations, foster positive relationships with students, and assist with and guide safety protocols.

Protocols

In addition to the local police department, the district works with the county as part of the Dakota County Safety Coalition. Our involvement has led to an update of our emergency protocols. The county and ISD 199 now use the I Love U Guys Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and Standard Response Method (SRM) to ensure that schools and first responders can communicate clearly and efficiently in the event of an emergency. Staff throughout the district were trained on the emergency protocols at the beginning of the school year. More information about the SRP and SRM is available at isd199.org/safety. 

Additionally, the district’s phone network was revised to ensure that emergency dispatch and first responders know where help is needed within a school. Building-level procedures were reviewed and updated, and thanks to funds from the state, ISD 199 is also updating shelter and evacuation maps districtwide.

Physical Safety Equipment

The district has also been looking into our physical safety equipment. Staff radios and protocols for using the radios have been updated after a year-long review. Since the beginning of the school year, our Facilities and Safety Department has been reviewing security cameras and entrance protocols at all of our buildings in order to make changes where needed. 

Cybersecurity

To improve safety online, we made changes to our portal over the summer. The new portal is supported by ClassLink, an international single sign-on or SSO provider focused on cybersecurity for thousands of schools. Multi-factor authentication has been implemented for staff to keep student and family data even safer. Staff have also begun cybersecurity training focused on helping them spot and address potential security threats. 

ISD 199 has continued to focus on safety since the referendum. There are more updates to come as we prioritize student safety while making our schools a welcoming place for students, families, staff, and approved visitors. Thank you to our community for its support of the 2024 referendum that made updates possible at a time when safety is critical but state and federal funds are dropping.