Safety & Security

What to Do in a School Emergency

In any emergency, CFSD will communicate with families through ParentSquare via text and/or email. You do not need to contact the school. We will contact you.

Parents can help CFSD efficiently manage emergencies by following these steps:

Keep Emergency Contact Information Updated Ensure your child's emergency contact details, including phone numbers and email addresses, are current and on file at their school. This can be done during registration or by contacting the school office at any time throughout the year.

Ensure Medical Information Is Accurate Make sure your child's medical information is complete and available. This is critical for school nurses and may be vital to first responders during an emergency.

Wait for Official Communication CFSD will use ParentSquare to notify parents via text and email during an emergency. Updates and instructions will be provided through these channels. Do not rely on social media for accurate information. Rumors and misinformation can impede the District's ability to respond quickly and effectively.

Avoid Calling or Driving to the School In an emergency, calling the school ties up critical phone lines needed by staff and first responders. Driving to the school may block access for emergency vehicles. Wait for official instructions from CFSD before taking action.

Reunification Process If students are transported to an alternate location, CFSD will inform you of the new pickup site via ParentSquare. Bring a valid photo ID for student pickup, and remind all emergency contacts to do the same. Only individuals listed as emergency contacts will be able to pick up students.

Your cooperation with these protocols helps ensure the safety of every student, staff member, and faculty member during an emergency. Thank you.

Safety Reminders

If you see something threatening, call 911.

See Something, Say Something Report any concerning posts or behavior to 911 immediately. Sharing unsafe remarks — even in jest — can lead to significant disruptions and serious consequences for everyone involved.

Social Media Awareness Remind students to be mindful of their digital footprint. Online posts can have serious long-term effects on their safety and reputation.

Online Safety Overprotect your students when they are online. Frequently discuss online safety with them, and make sure they know they can seek help from trusted adults if anything online concerns them.

Emotional Support Students are encouraged to communicate any feelings of unease or unsafe observations to school counselors or trusted adults.

Anonymous Tip Line CFSD offers a Safe School Tip Line for students, parents, and community members to anonymously report suspicious activity that is not urgent. Messages are retrieved during regular District business hours and reported to the appropriate school principal. This line is for non-urgent concerns only — if you observe an immediate threat, call 911.

 

Anonymous Tip Line: 520-209-8599

 

Emergency Operations Plans (EOP)

Every CFSD school maintains a confidential, adaptable Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) designed to address a wide range of emergency scenarios.

Staff receive annual training on their roles during emergencies, and regular drills — including lockdown, evacuation, and shelter-in-place — are conducted at every campus.  Safety protocols are reviewed and updated after each drill to continuously improve preparedness.

CFSD collaborates with the Pima County Sheriff's Department to review and enhance emergency response plans. Staff and families are welcome to share safety suggestions with school principals or the superintendent at any time.

 

Centegix CrisisAlert™ System

CFSD uses the Centegix CrisisAlert™ system at all schools, giving every staff member an instant, discreet way to call for help in an emergency — without relying on a cell phone.

Every staff member wears a CrisisAlert™ badge while on campus. Pressing the badge button alerts trained on-campus responders to the exact location of the incident, down to the room number. The system operates on a private network at each campus and functions without Wi-Fi or cell service. In a serious emergency, staff can initiate a school-wide lockdown, instantly notifying staff, administrators, and law enforcement.

The system supports response to medical emergencies, behavioral incidents, suspicious persons, lockdown situations, and any other urgent need requiring an immediate response.

The CrisisAlert system reduces emergency response time to seconds, allows teachers to focus on keeping students safe and calm, and means that students do not need personal devices to be safe during the school day. In an emergency, trained staff can summon help immediately — without relying on student cell phones.

 

In-Depth Safety Review and Upgrades

A comprehensive safety review was conducted across all nine CFSD campuses in 2022-2023. Following that review, $5 million was allocated for safety upgrades including new office areas, perimeter fencing, video surveillance systems, and single-point entries at every campus.

Some specific security measures remain confidential in compliance with Arizona statutes. CFSD will continue reviewing and implementing effective strategies to enhance school safety on an ongoing basis.

 

School Resource Officers (SROs)

CFSD works with three highly qualified School Resource Officers (SROs) who are trained in active-assailant response and Stop the Bleed courses. While SROs are primarily assigned to each middle school and high school campus, they are available to assist at elementary schools when needed. SROs work closely with CFSD to ensure rapid emergency response and are an important part of our overall safety infrastructure, though they are not CFSD employees.

Increased Counseling Support

CFSD has expanded counseling staff to support crisis prevention, intervention, and response across all campuses. Our counseling approach emphasizes socio-emotional learning and strong student-adult relationships as foundational strategies for reducing risk.

CFSD is implementing Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) training through the Pima County Sheriff's Department for counselors and administrators districtwide.

 

Communication with Parents and Community

In any emergency, CFSD will communicate with families through the ParentSquare alert system via text and/or email. You do not need to contact the school. We will contact you. Contacting the school can tie up phone lines needed to reach emergency responders.

Parents sometimes ask how they will reach their child in an emergency when personal electronic devices are turned off and kept away during the school day. Don’t worry. CFSD will contact you. You do not need to rely on your child's phone.

Please do not share rumors. Misinformation can impede the District's ability to respond quickly and accurately.

In the event of a threat, here is what the District can and cannot share:

What We Can Share

The general nature of the threat, without specific details — for example, "We are aware of a threat made against the school."

The safety measures being implemented, such as a lockdown, evacuation, or increased security presence.

Confirmation that the District is working with law enforcement to investigate and ensure student safety.

Guidance for families on when and where to pick up students, or when it is safe to return to campus.

What We Cannot Share

Specific details of the threat, including exact wording or method of delivery, in order to prevent public panic and protect the integrity of the investigation.

Names or disciplinary information about any students involved. Under federal law (FERPA), schools cannot release personally identifiable information about students, including whether a specific student made a threat or what disciplinary action was taken. This protects student privacy and the safety of any ongoing investigation.

Specific elements of our security plans that could compromise their effectiveness, including details of lockdown procedures or security vulnerabilities.

 

Governing Board and School Safety

Specific school safety plans are not discussed at public board meetings to protect sensitive security information. The Arizona state legislature has exempted school safety discussions from open meeting requirements for this reason.

Student Discipline and School Threats

Threatening a school is a serious offense with severe and lasting consequences. CFSD asks every family to have a direct conversation with their child about what constitutes a threat and what happens when one is made.

Threats Are Always Treated as Real

In recent years, schools across the country have seen an increase in threatening remarks, images, and posts by students. Some were serious. Many were not. Regardless of intent, these statements cause real fear and anxiety among students, staff, and the entire community. It does not matter whether a student meant it as a joke. Under Arizona law, a threat against a school or its members carries severe consequences — and those consequences have a lasting impact on the students who make them.

What the Law Requires

Arizona law is unambiguous on this point.

A.R.S. 13-2911 makes it a criminal offense to interfere with or disrupt an educational institution. This includes threatening to cause physical injury to any student or employee, threatening to cause damage to school property, and any act that might reasonably lead to the evacuation or closure of a school or the cancellation of classes. The threat does not need to name a specific person or a specific school. An actual evacuation or closure is not required. The disruption it causes is the offense.

A.R.S. 15-841(H) requires Arizona school districts to expel any student for a minimum of one year who is determined to have threatened an educational institution as defined under A.R.S. 13-2911. This is state law, and CFSD is required to follow it without exception.

What Counts as a Threat

This is where many students — and some families — are caught off guard. A threat does not have to be a detailed plan. It can be:

A note left in a bathroom

A comment made to a friend between classes

A text message

A post on social media

A photo or video showing a weapon, real or fake, in a school context

It is very difficult to distinguish a joke from a genuine threat, and we are not in a position to guess. Every report is investigated thoroughly. A student who says "I was just kidding" has already set a process in motion that cannot be undone. The medium does not matter — whether the remark was made on campus, off campus, online, or in a private message, the legal and disciplinary consequences are the same.

How Families Can Help

CFSD asks for your help in two important ways.

First, please have a direct conversation with your child. Make sure they understand that a threatening remark about a school, a student, or a staff member — even one made as a joke — can result in expulsion for up to a year and criminal charges. This is true regardless of where or how the comment was made.

Second, remind your child that if they ever hear or see something that concerns them — a comment, a post, a note, an image — the right thing to do is tell a trusted adult immediately. If you or your child is aware of any threat, call 911. Students play a critical role in keeping our schools safe, and speaking up is one of the most important things they can do.

We also encourage families to stay attuned to how their child is managing frustration, stress, and strong emotions. When students feel overwhelmed and lack healthy ways to cope, they often make poor decisions. Talking openly with your child about how to handle those feelings — and making sure they know they can come to you or another trusted adult for support — can make all the difference. CFSD school counselors are available to help students develop these skills.

Confidentiality

Schools are prohibited by law from releasing disciplinary information about individual students, including whether a specific student made a threat or what consequences were imposed. This confidentiality is required under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is essential to protecting student privacy and the integrity of any ongoing investigation.

Our students and our staff deserve to come to school each day and focus on learning without fear. Protecting that environment requires all of us.

To report a non-urgent concern anonymously, contact the CFSD Safe School Tip Line at 520-209-8599. For any immediate threat, call 911.

Updated June 2026