Should an emergency situation occur at your child's school, it is important that parents are familiar with the following terms.

Internal lockdown: all school interior doors are locked and students are confined to their classrooms and no entry or exit of the school is allowed. This takes place if there is a threat or possible threat inside the school. During an internal lockdown, the main entrance doors will be locked and a sign will be posted on the front door indicating that the school is in an internal lockdown. If there is no admittance to the building you will be referred to the VBCPS Emergency Hotline at 757.263.1000 for information regarding this incident.

External lockdown: all school exterior doors are locked. This takes place if the threat is outside of the school. If the situation allows, parents could be admitted into the school with proper identification. If it is deemed safe for you to enter the building, you will need to show a proper form of identification such as a driver's license, military I.D., VBCPS school I.D. or other valid photo identification.

Shelter-in-place: means selecting small, interior rooms in the school, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there until it is safe to release students. This is a precaution aimed to keep our students safe from hazardous materials that may have been released into the atmosphere. (This is not the same thing as going to a shelter in case of a storm.) This procedure is implemented if it is determined that evacuation or dismissal could possibly place students at risk.

Ensuring school safety is everyone's responsibility: staff, students, parents, and the entire community. Please report any safety concerns you have to your school principal. Additional school safety information can be found on www.vbschools.com.