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Emergency & Safety

Safe schools are fundamental to the success of students in Bend-La Pine Schools. Our District Safety Team takes a comprehensive approach to safety hazards that is modeled on the five phases of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Bend-La Pine Schools participates in the I Love U Guys Foundation, a research-based crisis response program, to train staff and students on how to respond to varying levels of emergencies. Our district works to comply with state-mandated training requirements while ensuring students and staff feel safe and empowered to make decisions.

Bend-La Pine Schools views safety as a shared responsibility between our District Safety Team, staff members, families, and community partners. One of the most vital community partnerships is our School Resource Officer Program with the Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff's Department. We encourage open dialogue with families who have safety concerns or are looking for information on our district safety measures.

We look forward to a wonderful year continuing to build an environment where all students feel safe and can achieve their goals!

For more information about our safety resources, please visit our Safety page.

Delays, Early Release or Closures

School delays, closures and bus releases may be called district-wide or by north (Bend area) or south Deschutes County (La Pine/Sunriver areas). For more information, visit our Inclement Weather page.

What Does The Information Mean?

  • School Closure: Schools are closed for the day due to weather or emergency. In this scenario, the school building will not be used. Unless otherwise noted, all evening meetings and activities are canceled.
  • Delayed Start: School will have a delayed start. Most often, this is a two-hour delay. In this scenario, buses will run two hours later than normal schedule and will drive slowly, adjusting to conditions and may be delayed.
  • Early Release: Students who ride the bus can be released early in order to give the buses extra time to complete routes.
  • Early Closure: Schools may be closed early due to weather or emergency. In this scenario, the school building will not be used. Unless otherwise noted, all evening meetings and activities are canceled, including Kids Inc.

No news means no change. For more information please visit our Drills page.

How to Find Out if There is a Delay to the Start of the School Day, an Early Release or School Closure

Safety Protocols

Threats to school safety can vary widely to include fires, earthquakes, nearby police activity, gas leaks, or even a wild animal roaming campus. Instead of having complicated responses that vary for incident type, our district follows the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) from the "I Love U Guys" Foundation.

The SRP is a data-driven approach to incident response that uses five actions for schools to take: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter. If staff or students observe something concerning, school employees are empowered to take initiative and respond individually in implementing SRP procedures based on the information they have at the moment. Information may change, and therefore, the SRP actions might change.

Hold is used to clear a space in the school such as a hallway or classroom to keep students away from a hazard. Lockdown is used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place during a threat or other emergency. Secure is used to Safeguard people within the building. Everyone remains inside, and outside doors are locked. No one is allowed to enter the building when Secure is in place. Evacuation is used to move people from one location to a different location in or out of the building. Shelter is used to secure students and staff away from a natural hazard.

Access more information on our Safety webpage.

Emergency Alerts

The district will use the text messaging system — BL Connect — to alert families in the case of an evacuation, lockdown, emergency or weather-related event that calls for cancellation of a school day or changes to school day start or end times.

This notification will be sent AFTER students and staff have been secured and emergency responders have been notified.

The text alert system will not be used in the case of drills or medical incidents involving specific students. General press releases and community releases will not be sent using text messaging.

Signing up for the text message alerts through BLConnect allows families to hear news and updates directly from Bend- La Pine Schools, rather than from an alternate source. Sign up at bls.fyi/connect.

How Delay, Early Release or Closure Decisions are Made During Inclement Weather Events

Central Oregon is home to a variety of micro-climates, sometimes bringing snow, lightning, and wind storms to targeted areas of the district, while other areas are spared. During a weather event, teams are dispatched to assess conditions and determine whether changes to school operations may be necessary. Depending on weather and circumstances, these assessments may include:

  • Driving affected areas in Bend, La Pine and Sunriver in passenger vehicles to assess road conditions, weather hazards, and snow depth
  • Assessing school facility conditions to ensure parking lots and primary sidewalks are accessible to students and staff
  • Monitoring weather forecasts in partnership with NOAA
  • Communicating with local and state road departments
  • Monitoring regional TripCheck.com roadway cameras
  • Communicating with local and regional law enforcement agencies

Parent Choice

For many of our students, school is the safest place to be during inclement weather. In many cases, both parents/ guardians work outside the home. Schools provide a warm, supervised environment for children. However, parents/ guardians are always encouraged to consider the conditions of their neighborhood and the well-being of their students in deciding whether to keep their student home. Students are excused from school when parents/guardians so request.

Health and Safe Schools Plan

In compliance with OAR 581-022-2223, Bend-La Pine Schools has established a Healthy and Safe Schools Plan for all buildings where students and staff are present. This plan includes testing facilities for radon, lead in drinking water, and lead paint, as well as integrated pest management. More information about this plan, including testing results, is available on our Healthy and Safe Facilities page.