TCSS Emergency Operations Plan

The Tuscaloosa County School System takes student, staff, and community safety as a high priority. Our most important role is to provide measures and safety precautions that will keep our students, staff, and visitors safe while on any school campus. Working in close consultation with the Alabama State Department of Education and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department, safety plans and procedures are developed to achieve that goal.

Heightened Awareness (Get Your Attention)

This means a potential MAY exist for an unusual situation and all parties should have heightened awareness to react as needed.

Follow school’s communication plan for information.

Limit movement to and from your classroom.

Be accountable for all students.

Be on the lookout for unusual behavior both in and out of the school.

Check exterior doors.

Secure Your Area of Responsibility (Classroom, Hallway, etc.)

Specific incident within your area of responsibility (medical, threat to self, or others).

Execute Alert methods.

Secure all people within your immediate area (may require you to move to a more secure area).

Lock or Secure doors.

Monitor/use communication devices.

Release by intercom or other personal contact.

Lock-Out (On Alert)

A potential threat or danger does exist within the community/neighborhood and all parties should be aware to react as needed.

Execute Alert methods.

Secure all people within the building

Lock external doors.

Cover windows.

Stay in secure area within the building until further notice from administration or law enforcement.

Monitor/use communication devices.

Leave unsecure areas such as fields, gym, playground, or library to a secure area.

Continue with instruction.

Release via intercom.

Lockdown (Immediate Threat)

Recognition of Danger. Take immediate action using the safest and best option for survival.

Execute Alert methods.

Secure yourself and others by assessing and using available information to decide if you should: HIDE (Secure and/or Barricade), RUN (Intelligent Escape), or FIGHT (Defend and Protect).

HIDE: (Secure and/or Barricade)

Lock doors; Lights off; Barricade entry; Quiet; Stay in place.

RUN: (Informed Escape)

Evacuate to a safer location; Remain with your group; Call 911 when safe; Follow HIDE protocol.

FIGHT: (Defend and Protect)

As a matter of survival, engage the intruder with any means necessary.

Monitor/use communication devices.

Release only by administration or law enforcement.

The Tuscaloosa County School System takes student, staff, and community safety as a high priority. Our most important role is to provide measures and safety precautions that will keep our students, staff, and visitors safe while on any school campus. Working in close consultation with the Alabama State Department of Education and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department, safety plans and procedures are developed to achieve that goal.  

The chart (also pictured on this page) outlines four modes in which our schools may respond to an emergency or potential emergency. This chart is posted throughout our schools.

Example scenarios in which each mode may apply:

Heightened Awareness: Potential for storms/other threatening weather conditions exist.

Secure Your Area of Responsibility: Incident, such as a medical emergency, occurs in a specific area.

Lock-Out: A threat or potential threat exists near the school. This threat or potential threat is outside the school, not inside the school. An example is a police investigation in the area of the school. When a lock-out is in place, normal operations continue within the school, but no one is allowed to leave or enter the building, until the lock-out is over.

Lockdown: A threat or potential threat exists inside the school. When a lockdown is in place, normal operations are suspended within the school. No one is allowed to leave or enter the building, until the lockdown is over.

See the Emergency Operations Plan chart for more details about each mode. The text of the chart is also listed on this page.