Our district contracts with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department to have full-time SROs on-site.

SRO Deputy Leah Estes and SRO Deputy Alex Arteaga work together to maintain a safe school culture, resolve issues and support the safety of both students and staff in all buildings:

• Deputy Leah Estes has served the district since 2019 and is primarily stationed at Hamilton High School
• Deputy Alex Arteaga, a Hamilton High School graduate and four-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, joined the district in 2025 and is stationed primarily at Templeton Middle School

The work of an SRO includes:

• Developing and coordinating crisis plans
• Creating protocols for handling specific emergencies
• Assisting in the facilitation of emergency response exercises

The goals of an SRO include:

• Building positive relationships between law enforcement and students
• Providing school staff with valuable resources to help maintain safe and supportive learning environments
• Ensuring the enforcement of local and state laws while maintaining public safety at school

The Hamilton School District has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP).

Hold

In your classroom or area.

Students are trained to:

• Clear the hallways and remain in their area or room until the “All Clear” is announced
• Do business as usual

Adults and staff are trained to:

• Close and lock the door
• Account for students and adults
• Do business as usual

Secure

Get inside. Lock outside doors.

Students are trained to:

• Return to inside of building
• Do business as usual

Adults and staff are trained to:

• Bring everyone indoors
• Lock the outside doors
• Increase situational awareness
• Account for students and adults
• Do business as usual

Lockdown

Locks, lights, out of sight.

Students are trained to:

• Move away from sight
• Maintain silence
• Do not open the door

Adults and staff are trained to:

• Recover students from hallway if possible
• Lock the classroom door
• Move away from sight
• Maintain silence
• Do not open the door
• Prepare to evade or defend

Evacuate

To a location.

Students are trained to:

• Leave stuff behind if required to
• If possible, bring their phone
• Follow instructions

Adults and staff are trained to:

• Bring roll sheet and go bag (unless instructed not to bring anything with them, dependent on reason for evacuation)
• Lead students to evacuation location
• Account for students and adults
• Report injuries or problems using the red card/green card method

Shelter

State hazard and safety strategy.

Hazards might include:

• Tornado
• Hazmat
• Earthquake
• Tsunami

Safety strategies might include:

• Evacuate to a shelter area
• Seal the room
• Drop, cover and hold
• Get to high ground

Students are trained in:

• Appropriate hazards and safety strategies

Adults and staff are trained in:

• Appropriate hazards and safety strategies
• Accounting for students and adults
• Report injuries or problems using the red card/green card method

For additional information please view the Parent Handout, which serves as an introduction to the SRP.

We follow the ALICE protocol (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) to train staff in responding to threats. Our SROs are ALICE-certified and collaborate in the development and review of our safety plan. All staff have received training on this protocol, ensuring preparedness for emergency situations. All students participate in drills at least once each semester. 

Hamilton School District encourages students to use the Speak Up Speak Out threat reporting system to share concerns that arise outside of normal school hours.

Speak Up Speak Out was created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Tips are used to identify not just threats to schools, but also other daily safety concerns students encounter, such as bullying, drug use, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and more. The Speak Up Speak Out resource center is staffed around the clock to respond to tips and deploy a local community response by communicating with school administrators, law enforcement and counselors. 

Tips can be submitted anonymously by phone, text or via the Speak Up Speak Out website. It is free and available for all community members to use.

• Call: 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 
• Text: “SUSO” to 738477
• Visit: speakup.widoj.gov

Each fall, representatives from local law enforcement and emergency services join our district administrators for a meeting to review safety protocols. This meeting includes table-top exercises that simulate various emergency situations such as severe weather, active shooter, bomb threats and social media threats. This annual practice allows us to refine our responses and ensure all parties are aligned in protecting our school community.

The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department is immediately notified of any threat. Law enforcement conducts a thorough investigation, including home visits when necessary, to ensure the safety of our students. This collaboration allows for informed decisions regarding appropriate actions and responses to maintain a safe environment for everyone.

In addition to our partnership with local law enforcement, the district also has a Threat Assessment Team which consists of our SROs and staff members from different school buildings. The team meets on a regular basis to review and respond to any questions or concerns that arise.

All visitors to our schools are screened through the Raptor Visitor Management System, which checks individuals against registered sex offender databases and maintains an accurate record of visitors. This system enhances the safety of our buildings by ensuring that only authorized individuals are allowed access.

Further ways we control access to our buildings include:

• Designation of a single point of entry at buildings for visitors during the school day
• Double door locked egress entrances
• Fortified entryways at all schools
• FOB access for all external doors and select internal doors
• Video surveillance on all campuses
• Tattle-Tale system connected with law enforcement
• Alarm system on select doors
• Safety bollards at key locations

Each school conducts regular response drills throughout the year. These drills are designed to prepare students and staff for a variety of emergency scenarios, ensuring that everyone knows how to respond swiftly and safely:

• Thirteen fire drills each year, with two in September to kick off the year and one every other month.
• Two safety or lock-down drills, one each semester, to make sure everyone knows the plan if a real safety issue occurs.
• One tornado or severe-weather drill each April, timed to align with Wisconsin’s Severe Weather Awareness Week

In the case of all drills, student emotional well-being is considered. Staff members and teachers will talk with students about what to expect and what they should do during each drill using age-appropriate language. It will also be made clear that our school is a safe place and that these drills are only for practice.

Clear and timely communication is essential during any emergency. The district has established protocols ensuring we can quickly reach the appropriate emergency personnel and provide families with timely and accurate updates if there is an imminent threat to safety.

Families can help by:

• Ensuring that your child’s emergency contact information is accurate in Campus Parent (Infinite Campus)
• Ensuring that your child’s health information is accurate and updated as needed
• Contacting your school office if you need assistance with updating this information

Supporting the mental health and well-being of students is important to keeping our educational community safe. Hamilton Cares is a webpage dedicated to caring for students’ mental health. It is available on the district’s website and brings together a wide range of both school and community resources in one easy-to-navigate location.

The decision to close school due to weather affects thousands of people and is never made lightly. The safety of students, staff and parents is always our top priority. Visit our Winter Weather Procedures page for more information.

This password-protected section is only for Hamilton School District staff.

Log in to the employee intranet for secure information. Once logged in, you will be able to view building-specific safety plans.