One of our deepest commitments at Murray City School District (MCSD) is ensuring the safety of every student and staff member. The Utah Legislature recently reinforced this commitment with House Bill 140 (HB 140), passed in the 2023 session, which further streamlines how schools prepare for and respond to incidents and threats. This builds upon a robust system we’ve had in place for years, designed to create a calm, clear, and coordinated response when it matters most.

Our Shared Language of Safety: The Standard Response Protocol (SRP)

MCSD utilizes the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a system developed by The I Love U Guys Foundation. This non-profit was formed after a school tragedy in Colorado, honoring Emily Keyes, whose final text message to her parents became the Foundation’s namesake. SRP is widely recognized as a “gold standard” for school incident response, providing a common, simple language for everyone.

Per state law, MCSD annually reinforces the SRP system with students and families. This ensures that drills, specific strategies, and preparations become instinctive, creating a unified understanding across our entire education community. The SRP system is built on five clear commands, each followed by a simple directive, creating a shared understanding with no confusion during critical moments. Should an incident significantly alter a school day, families will be notified promptly through ParentSquare communication channels.

---

5 SRP Commands and Directives

Hold!

Initial Public Announcement: “Hold in your room or area. Clear the halls.” 

Schools will restrict student movement in the building to their current location, take role, and resume activities. Students in the hallways will join the nearest secure room.

Examples: Medical issues, altercations, unfinished maintenance operations, or other disruptions. 

Secure!

Initial Public Announcement: “Secure! Get inside. Lock outside Doors.”

Schools will lock exterior doors, restrict student movement to inside the building, take role, and resume activities. 

Examples: Nearby criminal activity, civil unrest, wild animal, or other exterior disruptions. 

Lockdown!

Initial Public Announcement: “Lockdown! Locks, lights, out of sight.”

Schools will restrict student movement to their current location, take role, turn off lights, and move students to a pre-designated area that is out of immediate visibility.

Examples of Use: Campus intruder, active assailant, wild animal entering the building, or other elevated incidents.

Evacuate!

Initial Public Announcement: “Evacuate to … [specified location].”

Schools will direct students to leave the building, gather at pre-designated locations, and take role. Students not with their class will join the nearest group. 

Examples of Use: Power outages, compromised facility safety, or threats of violence.

Shelter!

Initial Public Announcement: “Shelter for … [specified incident and instruction].”

Schools will direct students to take shelter at specific locations, depending on the disruption, where role will be taken. 

Examples of Use: Possibly Hazmat spills, earthquakes, flooding, lightning, or other severe weather conditions.

5 Ways Families Can Help?

We recognize school safety and potential incidents shared here are unpleasant topics. But your cooperation and support are critical to the execution of SRP. Here are five ways you can help ensure the safety of all students, educators, and emergency responders:

1. Official Sources for Communication: If an incident unfolds, you will be notified through ParentSquare communication channels (ie email, SMS/Text, phone, and in-app notifications). Social media and the school or district website will NOT always be an immediate channel for communication as some incidents are isolated to one school. They will be relied on as secondary communication sources. Some information takes time to verify to ensure accuracy – be patient as we prepare and release information. And please resist sharing information from unconfirmed sources.
2. Stay Home: Parents are advised not to come to the school. Doing so can endanger yourself, students, educators, and first responders. Professional emergency responders are trained to handle incidents and threats – they need to focus on keeping kids and educators safe.
3. Do Not Call the School: As you can imagine, managing the safety of students and educators is paramount. In some situations, calls will be diverted to the District Office. But please understand when information is limited beyond what we share using ParentSquare communications.
4. Be Ready: When reunification with your student is necessary, it must be conducted swiftly and orderly. Again, ParentSquare will be the tool for communicating those instructions. Please stand by for instructions and be prepared to act on them quickly.
5. Avoid Immediate Communications with Students: Understand that some incidents are volatile or evolving when you first learn about them. Do not call or text your student at that moment, as phone notifications could jeopardize their safety and/or compromise the instruction they are given to remain quiet during an incident.

Two More Thoughts

There are two more very important ways you can support your student and protect all students and educators.

First, if you see something, say something. Students and their families often know about potential or real conditions and threats first. Even if you are unsure if a threat is credible, please report it to school, district, and/or law enforcement officials. 

Secondly, keep an open channel of communication with your student. Talk with them regularly about safety prevention and response topics. Rehearse with them these SRP protocols so they are instinctive. And lastly, if they experience an incident, talk with them about it. Help them process it opening so that they feel heard and understood.

Thank you for your support of the SRP program. Preparedness is the key to safety. MCSD values our partnership with you and our first responders to keep students prepared and safe.