December 4, 2023
Lawrence Families, Community and Staff,
In collaboration with the Van Buren County Intermediate School district’s Emergency Management Administrator, Bob Kirk, and suggestions from the Michigan Office of School Safety, Lawrence Public Schools have updated the terms used for responding to incidents that may arise while students, staff and community members are on campus.
The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is principled in action and based on responses to any given situation not on individual scenarios. The SRP demands a specific vocabulary, but also allows for great flexibility. The premise is simple, these five specific actions can be performed during an identified incident. When communicating a response protocol, the action is announced and is then followed by a directive. Execution of the action is performed by all active participants.
The Lawrence Board of Education has recently adopted the I Love You Guys Foundation Standard Response Protocol to better identify situations and responsive measures. Our district feels it is important to share these out so that all stakeholders can become familiar with the different types of responses and terms which will be used on campus. Additionally, on November 29th, the district staff received training on these new terms and response protocols. As always, school safety is a top priority and sharing this information with families is a critical step for all to understand how we will respond. The I Love You Guys Foundation has established these response protocols in a universal manner and can be used by many different organization types. You can find additional information at their website: https://iloveuguys.org/The-Standard-Response-Protocol.html.
Please take time to review this new information and hold discussion with your student(s) to reinforce the training our staff is providing on campus. Lawrence has also communicated the change in response protocol to local law enforcement agencies and will also be included in our Emergency Operating Procedures. LPS will continue to strive for excellence in communication and preparation should a crisis arise. We appreciate the support and trust you bestow to us as we welcome and protect your children daily.
With Tiger Pride,
Gretchen Gendron, Superintendent
