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Charlestown Elementary

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Safety

The Great Valley School District is committed to the safety of every student and staff member on our campuses. Our comprehensive safety plan calls us to practice our emergency plans and implement measures to increase the safety of our buildings.
Highlights include: 

  • locked exterior doors during instructional hours; 
  • mandatory visitor check-in procedures and protocols; 
  • video surveillance and alarms; 
  • safety drills throughout the year; 
  • strong partnership with law enforcement.

Entry Procedures

Each of our schools uses a visitor entry system in which visitors are buzzed into the office. Every person (or family) visiting the school must ring the bell and be admitted by the office staff.  Visitors are asked to please not hold the door open for anyone who was not already buzzed in by office staff. 

Once a visitor is buzzed inside the office, staff will ask for identification (like a driver's license) so that a visitor's badge may be prepared. Visitors are asked to wear the badge the entire time they are in a school or office. Upon exit, the badge should be surrendered to the office. 

Threat Assessment

Act 18 of 2019 required all school entities in Pennsylvania to have at least one Threat Assessment Team in place by the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. The teams are responsible for “the assessment of and intervention with students whose behavior may indicate a threat to the safety of the student, other students, school employees, school facilities, the community or others.” Threat Assessment Teams are also responsible for providing training, education, and information to members of their school communities.

The Great Valley School District has established threat assessment teams in all seven (7) school buildings.  The teams are comprised of trained administrators, school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and mental health specialists.  When a threat assessment occurs, caregivers are provided guidance and information regarding local resources.

The Board is committed to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of its students and the school community and providing resources and support to address identified student needs. The Board adopts the following Policy and Administrative Guideline to address student behavior that may indicate a threat to the safety of the student, other students, school employees, school facilities, the community and others, as required by Pennsylvania Act 18 of 2019.

Understanding Safety Terminology

  • Evacuation is used for situations like fires or utility emergencies where we need to move everyone out of the building quickly and safely.  

  • Shelter in Place occurs during severe weather events or hazardous material incidents when it's safer to remain inside with specific protective measures. 

  • Restrictive Movement happens when first responders need clear hallways to quickly reach their destination in response to a medical situation or a nearby incident causing concern (e.g., police chase, robbery), requiring students and staff to remain in their current locations temporarily. Students outdoors come inside, while teachers continue instruction in classrooms until the all-clear is given. 

  • Lockdown procedures are implemented when there is a hazard in the building or a suspicious or unknown person on campus.  

  • Active Threat/Intruder protocols are reserved for the most serious situations involving an individual in the building who is actively causing harm. 

Safety Council

To proactively ensure student and staff safety, the District established a Safety Council that convenes quarterly. This council, comprised of educators and administrators from each school building, as well as local law enforcement representatives, facilitates crucial information sharing, conducts safety and security exercises, and collaboratively develops comprehensive safety plans.

Act 44: Parental and Employee Weapons Notification Policy

Pennsylvania Act 44 of 2025 went into effect on January 6, 2026 and requires Pennsylvania schools to notify parents, guardians, and employees within 24 hours of a weapon-related incident on school property, transportation, or at school-sponsored events.

The Great Valley weapons policy (School Board Policy 218.1) covers a wide range of items, including knives, cutting instruments, cutting tools, firearms, shotguns, rifles, and any other tool or implement capable of inflicting serious bodily injury. The policy also applies to look-alike weapons, replicas, models, and facsimiles, which includes toys and 3D-printed weapons. 

Great Valley School District will communicate via email to the parents/caregivers and employees of a campus when a violation takes place. For the secondary campus of Great Valley High School and Great Valley Middle School, and the campus for the Great Valley 5/6 Center and K.D. Markley Elementary, parents, caregivers, and employees of both schools will receive notification due to the shared campus.

Receiving these notifications can be alarming, and we want to assure you that a notification does not automatically mean that your child or our school community was in danger. Because the new law requires us to report all violations, including accidental and non-threatening incidents, you may notice these notifications becoming more frequent. Please know that we take safety very seriously and will always share as many details as we are permitted to provide.

 

Contact

Andrew Thurston, Safety and Security Liaison

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions