Safety & Security

WELCOME!
We are thrilled to welcome families back to our campus! 
Please call the Office to schedule your visit at 720-842-5400.

All visitors, including parents and volunteers, must check in at the office immediately upon entering the building and must wear the Virtus nametag. DO NOT proceed directly to any classroom.
Safety Response Protocal
Ave Maria Catholic School has adopted Emergency Operations Guidelines, to provide for efficient, effective management of emergency situations that may occur on the Campus. The Ave Maria Campus is defined as the school building, church building and rectory, parking lots, playgrounds, Ave Maria busses (whether or not on the Campus property), and all surrounding associated property owned and/or managed by Ave Maria or the Diocese of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The purpose of these guidelines is to outline a recommended, predetermined response to any given scenario. These guidelines are based upon the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and its included guidance, as published by the “i love u guys Foundation”. These guidelines are to be considered a point of reference only, and the specific circumstances of an incident may dictate that additional or different actions be taken by staff, students, or visitors at the Ave Maria Campus.
Response Actions
​The SRP is based not on individual scenarios, but on the response to any given scenario. The premise is simple – there are four specific actions that can be performed during an incident-LOCKOUT, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, and SHELTER.

When communicating these actions, the action is announced. This is called a “Term of Art”. It is then followed by a “Directive”. Execution of the action is performed by active participants, including students, staff, teachers, and first responders.
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  1. Lockout is followed by the Directive: “Secure the Perimeter” and is the protocol used to safeguard students and staff within the building from a threat outside.

  2. Lockdown is followed by “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” and is the protocol used to secure individual rooms and keep students quiet and in place, generally in response to a threat inside the building.

  3. Evacuate is always followed by a location, and is used to move students and staff from one location to a different location, usually away from the building.
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  4. Shelter is followed by a type and a method, and is the protocol for group and self- protection. Shelter can be on site or at another location after an evacuation.

These specific actions can act as both a verb and a noun. For example, if the action is Lockdown, it would be announced on public address as “Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.” Communication to local Law Enforcement would then be “We are under Lockdown.”

Each response has specific student and staff action. For example, the Evacuate response is always followed by a location: “Evacuate to the Bus Zone.” Responses can also be chained. Example: ” Evacuate to Hallway. Shelter for Tornado. Cover and Hold.”

Each protocol has specific staff and student actions that are unique to the action. All staff must be familiar with these guidelines and the responses required under the Standard Response Protocol.