School Safety

The School Committee works to maintain a safe and secure environment for its students, staff, visitors, and facilities.  Security means more than having locks and making certain that doors are locked at the proper times. Security also means minimizing fire hazards, reducing the possibility of faulty equipment, keeping records and valuables in a safe place, protection against vandalism and burglary, the prosecution of vandals, and developing crisis plans.

Lockdown Drills

Families and communities expect schools to keep their children safe from all threats including human-caused emergencies such as crimes of violence. The North Andover Public Schools utilize the ALICE protocol at all levels from Pre-K to 12th grade. ALICE stands for: for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. Although it is highly unlikely that we will ever have to use this protocol, it is better to be prepared and practiced in the event that we have to act. All school employees and students in the district have been taught and trained and we strive to conduct four drills at each school per year. Periodically, information nights are held for parents so they can learn more about ALICE. Any specific questions can be directed to the principal at your child's school. Additionally you can watch the following video for more information about the five ALICE options: 

Transportation Safety

The purpose of school transportation is to provide safe, comfortable and economical transportation for students. The safety and welfare of student riders will be the first consideration in all matters pertaining to transportation. Safety precautions will include the following:

• Children will be instructed as to the proper procedure for boarding and exiting from a school bus and in proper and safe conduct while aboard.
• Emergency evacuation drills will be conducted at least twice a year to acquaint student riders with procedures in emergency situations.
• All vehicles used to transport children will be inspected periodically for conformance with state and federal safety requirements.

More information can be found on the Transportation Department's webpage.

For walkers, North Andover joined Safe Routes to School in 2009 and has secured $630,000 of state and federal funds for safety infrastructure improvements such as new or reconstructed sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic lights, and more.

Additional Safety Information

More information about safety and Support Services can be found in the School Committee's Policy Manual

School Resource Officers

Our School Resource Officers helps to ensure the safety of all students in school and out in the community. This also leads to lending support to those who are experiencing difficulty at home. The School Resource Officers works very closely with the administrators and guidance counselors at each of the schools, as well as with the youth center and individual teachers.