• Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available; when on a street with no sidewalk, walk facing the traffic.

• Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming.

• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections.

• Stay alert and avoid distracted walking.

• Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in a single file.

• Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street.

• Stay alert and avoid distracted riding.

• Wear a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing.

• Make sure you get off and on the bus at your designated stop.

• Make sure you get on the right bus to and from school.

• Stand 6 feet (or three giant steps) away from the curb.

• If you must cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the side of the road until you are ten feet ahead of the bus; you and the bus driver should always be able to see each other.

• Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school's drop-off/parking procedure.

• Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street.

• Never pass a bus loading or unloading children.

• The area ten feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus.

Crossing guards are stationed at hazardous intersections as assigned by the Oklahoma City Traffic Control Division and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Crossing guards are normally on duty 30 minutes before and after school. Parents/guardians are asked to stress with students the importance of cooperating with the school safety crossing guards. Call 297-1142 for more information. 

Please partner with us to be certain the school is able to contact parents/guardians whenever students become ill or suffer an accident. Call the school office any time phone numbers change or update contact information through the Campus Parent Portal. The school should have at least four numbers of persons to contact in case of emergencies. While the nurse or designated person will provide immediate first aid, the next step is to contact the parent. EMSA or other emergency medical services may be called if immediate medical attention is needed. Expenses for emergency care will be directed to the parents.  OKCPS is not responsible for expenses for emergency care.

All OKCPS Sites conduct regular emergency response drills as required by State and Federal Regulations. In order to promote common terminology and best practices in an emergency OKCPS has adopted the I Love U Guys Foundation: Standard Response Protocols found at http://iloveuguys.org/.

Regular drills include: 

• Evacuation and Fire Drills, 

• Shelter Drills for severe weather, 

• Secure Drills for external threats, 

• Lockdown Drills for internal threats, and 

• Hold Drills for medical emergencies. 

Other Drills may be conducted at the discretion of the school site with the assistance of the Safety & Security Offices. Drills are required to be reported to the Oklahoma School Security Institute (OSSI)  OKCPS exceeds the number of emergency drills required by federal and state standards.

Oklahoma City Public Schools has adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS) standard in order to promote preparedness and response efforts within the school district, and to develop Site Specific Safety Plans for each District location.

During a crisis or emergency, any staff member can activate an emergency response. Administrators and school staff will then focus on managing the emergency situation. In an event that poses threat or potential for serious injury or loss of life, staff will call 9-1-1  & 587-SAFE immediately.

Families and community members will receive timely, accurate, and useful information about an unfolding situation through the District Communications Department. Please refer all media inquiries to the District Communications Department 405-587-NEWS.

In certain situations, school employees may make necessary body contact with students in incidences such as: administering first aid, breaking up fights, protecting themselves from physical attacks, addressing emergencies, developing physical skills through coaching, employing passive restraint to behaviorally disruptive students to protect them and others from harm, and other actions deemed necessary to gain control of a situation. 

Threat Assessment, Incident Management and Prevention Services (TIPS) is the district site for any community person to report school and student concerns. The TIPS reporting system allows for reports to be made by students, parents, teachers, neighbors, and anyone concerned about the safety of students in our local schools. Reports can be made confidentially, and anonymously, any time you know of activity threatening you, another student, or your school by calling the TIPS Hotline at 587-STOP - or completing a TIPS Incident Report. The link for TIPS from the OKCPS is on the front page of the website www.okcps.org. School and district personnel are notified immediately when your incident is submitted and your case will be investigated and appropriate action taken. 

Examples of threats that could be reported through TIPS include instances of assault, bullying, bus incident, cyberbullying, drugs/alcohol, parent complaint, possession of weapons, school vandalism, self-harm or suicidal ideation, student assistance referral, suspected abuse/safety concern, suspension appeal, threats of violence and truancy.

Students in grades 3-12 may ride bicycles to and from school but may not ride bikes on the school campus. When students arrive at school, they walk bicycles to the designated parking area and lock the bicycles to prevent theft. Bicycles remain parked until school is dismissed for the day and students walk bicycles off school grounds. Bicycle safety includes following traffic laws and maintaining bicycle equipment. The school and district are not responsible for replacement of lost, stolen, or damaged bicycles.

District policy prohibits and does not tolerate bullying, harassment, or discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, alienage, and veteran, parental, family and marital status or for any other reason. Bullying fosters a climate of fear and disrespect that can seriously impair the physical and psychological health of its victims and create conditions that negatively affect learning, thereby undermining the ability of students to achieve their full potential. 

Behaviors that place another student or group of students in fear of harm, or insult or demean any student or group of students will not be permitted. Bullying behaviors are prohibited on school premises, at school-sponsored or related activities, events or functions, or anywhere that students are under the supervision of school personnel. Bullying is not considered normal conflict. 

Bullying behavior is different from normal conflict between persons. The OKCPS website Resources for Families page includes information for understanding the difference, Bullying vs. Normal Conflict, and recognizing if your child may be bullied, What are the Warning Signs?. Normal conflict occurs between students with equal power. 

Normal conflict happens occasionally, may be accidental, is not serious, results in an equal emotional reaction. In normal conflict, student(s):

• Are not seeking power or attention

• Are not trying to get something, 

• Usually show remorse and take responsibility, and 

• Make an effort to solve their conflict. 

Bullying is defined as any pattern of harassment, intimidation, threatening behavior, physical acts, verbal or electronic communication directed toward a student or group of students that results in or is reasonably perceived as being done with the intent to cause negative educational ro physical results for the targeted individual or group and is communicated in such a way as to disrupt or interfere with the school’s educational mission or the education of any student. The perpetrator may be attempting to gain power, material things, or gain popularity. Bullying may include, but is not limited to, words or other behavior, such as name calling, threatening and/or shunning, or starting rumors, and may be committed by one or more students against another. Bullying may be physical, verbal, emotional, social, sexual, or by electronic communication.   

• Physical bullying includes, but is not limited to, punching, poking, strangling, hair pulling, beating, biting and excessive tickling. 

• Verbal bullying includes, but is not limited to, hurtful name calling, teasing and gossiping. 

• Emotional bullying includes, but is not limited to, rejecting, terrorizing, extorting, defaming, humiliating, blackmailing, rating/ranking of personal characteristics such as race, disability, ethnicity, manipulating friendships, isolating, ostracizing and peer pressure. 

• Social bullying includes harm to another’s group acceptance, including but not limited to, harm resulting from intentional gossiping about another student or intentionally spreading negative rumors about another student that result in the victim being excluded from a school activity or student group.

• Cyberbullying includes, but is not limited to, any written, verbal, pictorial information or video content by means of an electronic device such as a telephone, a cell telephone or wireless telecommunication device or computer. Electronic communications include, but may not be limited to, communications made through social media, email, or other online forums. 

• Sexual bullying includes any unwelcome sexual advances, but is not limited to, sexual exhibitionism (attracting attention to yourself), voyeurism (seeing, talking, or writing about intimacy considered to be private), sexual propositioning, sexual harassment, physical contact, and sexual assault. Sexual advances may include, but are not limited to requests for sexual acts or favors, with or without accompanying promises, threats or reciprocal favors or actions, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature including, but not limited to: lewd or sexually suggestive comments, off-color language or jokes of a sexual nature, gestures, slurs and other verbal, graphic or physical conduct relating to an individual’s sex; or any display of sexually explicit pictures, greeting cards, articles, books, magazines, photos, cartoons, or electronic communication devices which adversely affect a student’s performance.

Victims of bullying will be referred to the school counselor or principal. Perpetrators will also be referred to the school counselor or principal for education regarding the significance of bullying behavior, disciplinary action for repeat or ongoing offenses. Perpetrators may also be reported to the police.

Any student or groups of students, who have been the victim of discriminatory harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, alienage, or veteran, parental, family and marital status or for any other reason, immediately report the incident to a school or district administrator, the district’s safe schools hotline at 587-STOP, or complete a TIPS Report online. If the incident is not resolved at the building level, the student may file a discrimination complaint with Legal Services: 

Legal Services

(405) 587-0350

Email: legal@okcps.org 

All visitors must report directly to the office when they arrive on school grounds. Once at the office, visitors who will enter the school beyond the office provide photo identification to check through the Raptor system prior to being allowed to enter the building and interact with children. Upon clearance, each person will receive a visitor’s badge which is required to be worn in a manner that is visible while on school property. Visitors who are not authorized to be on school property on a daily basis, including students suspended from school and students from other campuses, are trespassing unless they have been cleared through the office. 

Parents/guardians are responsible for providing students with health or accident insurance. The Oklahoma City Public School District does not provide student insurance.

Students are released during school hours only to authorized persons. The custodial parent/guardian must notify the school of restrictions related to the release of a child and provide supporting documentation when appropriate, including custody agreements that restrict parent access to a child. Photo identification is required for release. Early pick up of students is reserved for emergencies and occasional doctor appointments. Early pick up on a daily basis is not permitted as student absences during class time result in a loss of instruction. Please understand safety is the key consideration when students are not immediately available to be checked out during a school-wide lockdown.

Every person having reason to believe a child is a victim of abuse or neglect has a legal responsibility to report it immediately to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Anonymous reports can be made at any time,  24 hours a day and 7 days a week, to: 

Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services 

Abuse & Neglect Hotline 

1-800-522-3511