Superintendent's Newsletter 9.19.2025

Dr. Jennifer O'Neill joneill@norton.k12.ma.us @joneill727  Superintendent’s Message For Norton Public Schools, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are always our top priority. A safe school environment allows students to focus on what matters most, learning! We work very closely with Norton Police and Fire departments to maintain strong protocols, and regularly review our practices to ensure that our schools are secure. As part of our ongoing commitment to student and staff well-being, we are refreshing our safety procedures this year to strengthen preparedness across our schools.

You may notice that all of our learning spaces now have updated Emergency Response Procedures posted in a visible location. These quick-reference guides are meant to support everyone in our schools—including substitutes, volunteers, and students—so that if an unusual situation arises, they know the appropriate steps to take. This is just one more way we are working to keep our schools safe, caring, and well-prepared learning environments. We are partnering with Wheaton College to ensure we have a safe and welcoming location available for families in the unlikely event that we would need to evacuate a school. While we hope never to use it, having this plan in place reflects our proactive approach and our strong community partnerships that keep student well-being at the center of all we do.

• We are working alongside our School Resource Officers to practice safety drills with students and staff. These drills are part of our regular safety routines and help everyone feel confident and prepared to respond calmly in the unlikely event of an emergency.

• Finally, we want to ensure that families, staff, and students share a common understanding of the safety terms we may use. Each protocol is designed to keep everyone calm and secure, depending on the situation:

• Stay in Place- “In Your Room or Area”: This is used when hallways need to remain clear, often during a medical emergency or when additional privacy is needed for a student that may be dysregulated.

• Secure- “Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors”: While our exterior doors are ALWAYS locked, in this situation staff ensure exterior doors are closed and locked to keep the building secure. This may be used if there is an incident in the neighborhood, such as nearby police activity.

• Lockdown- “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight”: This is used to secure classrooms and keep occupants safe and quiet inside.

• Evacuate: May be followed by a specific location. This means moving students and staff to another place, either inside or outside the building, such as for a power outage or gas leak.

• Shelter: Used for weather-related or environmental events. Staff will provide directions for group and self-protection based on the situation.

Families play an important role in this work as well, and we thank you for your partnership in fostering a culture of safety, care, and vigilance across our community. 

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