Safety and Security Information for Diller Odell Public Schools

All schools in the state of Nebraska must adhere to the rules and regulations under Rule 10 (Accreditation guidelines for Nebraska Schools).  Each school system in Nebraska must have a school safety and security committee, which includes representatives of faculty, parents, and the community.  The committee must meet at least annually to review safety and security plans and procedures.  During our annual safety and security meeting in August, our safety and security committee recommended sharing our required safety information for Diller-Odell Public Schools with both parents and patrons.  The following is a breakdown of our required safety drills that must be conducted:

1. Fire Drills – Every school must conduct one fire drill every month the facility is in session and one extra drill within the first 30 days of operation (Eleven drills a year).
2. Tornado Drills – Every school must conduct two tornado drills a year (A tornado drill during severe weather week is optional).
3. Bus Evacuation Drills – Every school must conduct two emergency bus evacuation drills and provide instructions over safe riding practices.  This is a requirement for any students or staff members that ride the bus for any extra-curricular activities, field trips, bus routes before and after school, etc.
4. Lock-Down Drills – There are no state statutes that require a certain number of lock-down drills to be conducted throughout the school year.  We currently conduct one lock-down drill a year in the fall.
5. Bomb Threat Drills – There are no state statutes that require a certain number of bomb threat drills to be conducted throughout the school year.  We currently just review our policy at the beginning of the school year and we do not conduct any bomb threat drills.
6. Drug Dog Searches – There are no state statutes that require drug dog searches to be conducted during the school year.  The safety and security committee recommended at our August meeting that we conduct one drug dog search a semester at the high school.
7. Safety and Security Visit – Every school is required to have a safety and security visit.  Bruce Lang, the Chief of Police in Beatrice, conducts our visit once a year. 

Your child’s safety is of utmost importance to all of the faculty and staff at Diller-Odell Public Schools.  The district has made great strides over the past five-years.  One major improvement has been the installation of a new security system at both the Diller and the Odell sites that requires all visitors to buzz in before they enter the building.  This new system requires all doors to be locked during the school day.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding the safety information at Diller-Odell Public Schools.

Christopher Prososki, Ed.D.

PK-12 Principal

Link (Rule 10): http://www.education.ne.gov/Legal/webrulespdf/CLEANRule10_2015.pdf

Safety & Security Members: Amy Coufal, Christopher Prososki, Eric McMurray, Janel Hynek, Jeff Nelson, Mark Billesbach, Mike Meyerle, & Rita Becker