Safety and Security

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Durham District School Board (DDSB) is committed to maintaining Positive School Climates and positive learning environments. This includes ensuring safe arrival and emergency response procedures are in place and school facilities are safe and secured throughout the day.

School security

All exterior school doors will lock 10 minutes after the entry bell. They may be unlocked during the lunch period and will be unlocked after school. If you need to enter a locked school, you must contact the school office using the front door buzzer.

Safe arrivals

Durham District School Board Safe Arrivals policy requires every school to have a Safe Arrival procedure. The procedure states that school principals must:

  • Check that each child arrives at school
  • Contact caregivers about any unexplained failure to arrive at school

Report a student absence

You can report an absence by:

Emergency response

The DDSB Emergency Flipchart provides principals and administrators with a quick reference tool to assist with an emergency response.

Violent Risk Assessment

The Durham District School Board and community partners are committed to making our schools safe for students, staff and visitors. As a result the Board will respond to all student behaviours that pose a potential risk to other students, staff and members of the community. The VTRA Protocol is one of many strategies that is in place in order to create a safe, secure and supportive learning environment.

Safe learning environments

The Ministry of Education offers educators with a variety of resources to assist with creating a safe school environment. Similarly, the Ontario College of Teachers offers tips for ensuring that your classroom and school environment are safe for all students.