Safety and Security

The first priority of school staff is to ensure the safety of those on campus during an emergency situation.  Additionally, it is critically important that parents and students have accurate information, not rumors.  District staff will work with school staff to notify families of the situation as quickly as possible. In an emergency situation, you can expect to receive communications in multiple ways including:

• Infinite Campus (Parent Portal): A message system for parents/guardians. When necessary, the District will send out messages via email, phone and text message to inform families of unexpected events and to communicate in the midst of an emergency (school closing due to extreme weather, lockdown situation, etc.) To ensure that you receive emergency communications please check your Contact Preferences within Infinite Campus. 

PARENTS: Please update your phone numbers and email addresses with your school when they change so that the district has your most up-to-date information in order to notify you of an emergency. Detailed instructions are also available (see below) for you to review and update your contact information within Infinite Campus as/if needed.

Instructions: Updating Emergency Notification Settings in IC

• Website: Oshkosh Area School District website (updates are posted on the home page);
• Social Media: The District has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@OshkoshSchools) and will post emergency information and updates on these pages. You must like the District’s Facebook page and follow the District on Twitter in order to receive these posts. 
• Local Media: The District will provide timely updates to local television stations, radio stations, and newspapers for their broadcasts, publications, websites and social media sites.

2022-23 Inclement Weather Day Plan (updated)

During the 2022-23 school year, the OASD will use a combination of inclement weather days and digital learning days in response to winter weather. The OASD’s 2022-23 academic calendar has one inclement weather/emergency day built in. At this time and per an update provided on January 18, 2023, the following approach will be followed district-wide.

• High School: There is NO change to how high schools will handle digital learning days due to inclement weather.
  • What: As updated on December 20, any additional inclement weather days this school year will automatically be digital learning days for high school students.
  • Why: High schools do not have enough minutes to absorb a full day without needing to add time - either minutes to the school day or days in the school year.
• Middle School: There is NO change to how middle schools will handle digital learning days due to inclement weather. 
  • What: As previously shared, any additional inclement weather days this school year will automatically be digital learning days for middle school students.
  • Why: This is the same process for high schools, with the understanding that both middle and high school students are expected to take Chromebooks home every day and are capable of logging on and getting their coursework online with little or no assistance needed at home.
• Elementary School: There IS a change to how elementary schools will handle digital learning days due to inclement weather. 
  • What: Updated process for elementary schools:  
    • If inclement weather can be predicted and an inclement weather day is called before 1 p.m., elementary students will have a digital learning day and Chromebooks will be sent home with students. 
    • If inclement weather is not predicted and an inclement weather day is decided after 1 p.m. (including late evening or early morning) elementary students will have a “traditional snow day”. 
  • Why: Elementary students do not take their Chromebooks home every day. Enough time is needed for elementary staff to send Chromebooks, instructions, and other material home with elementary students.
  • Reminder:  We understand that elementary students will need support from home in order to log on and engage in their coursework if a digital learning day is decided for elementary students. Additionally, it is important for families to understand that digital learning will be pre-recorded and self-paced. 

4K and Early Childhood (PK): There is NO change for 4K and Early Childhood. As previously shared, 4K and Early Childhood will have “traditional snow days” when school is canceled for inclement weather. 

REMINDER: If school is closed due to weather (resulting in a digital learning day for some or all schools or a traditional snow day for elementary schools) all school district-sponsored activities, athletics, before and after-school programs, and Oshkosh Recreation Department activities are also canceled. Should weather conditions improve dramatically during the day, high school co-curricular activities may be held; an official announcement from the OASD would be made.

When an inclement weather decision is made, the expectations for each level (high, middle, elementary, and early learning) will be clearly communicated. In making this decision, the District aims to find a balance between appropriately responding to Wisconsin’s winter weather, and taking advantage of our ability to provide virtual instruction. 

In our continual effort to increase safety and security at our schools, the Oshkosh Area School District has expanded its safety protocols. Effective March 16, 2020 all OASD schools will begin using the Raptor Visitor Management System

Keeping students and staff safe is a top priority for the Oshkosh Area School District, and knowing who is in our buildings, as well as having an orderly check-in/out process, is a key component of providing a safe environment throughout the District.  

Upon entering a school building, visitors will be asked to present a valid state-issued ID, which will be checked against a national sex offender database to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our buildings. If a parent/guardian or visitor does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name and date of birth into the Raptor system. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. The only data collected is the individual’s name, date of birth, and picture. No other pieces of information are collected nor is any of this information shared with any outside agency. NOTE: 

• All visitors that wish to enter student areas of a school OR pick-up a student during school hours will be required to sign-in using the Raptor system. Visitors that are simply dropping something off at the office or meeting with office staff will not need to use the system. 
• Acceptable forms of identification include driver’s license, state ID, U.S. military ID, or passport.

To provide further clarity and understanding, please be aware of the following: 

• Social Security Numbers are NOT collected or even viewable via the Raptor system. 
• The only data collected is the individual’s name, date of birth, and picture. No other pieces of information are collected nor is any of this information shared with any outside agency.
• State-issued IDs are NOT required, more specifically, having a driver’s license is NOT a barrier to entry. If a parent/guardian or visitor does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name and date of birth into the Raptor system.

Once entry is approved, the system will issue a badge that identifies the visitor (with photo), the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork. Volunteers and all contractors or subcontractors will be subject to the same procedure as visitors at all times. If identity cannot be verified through an acceptable form of identification, individuals will not be allowed to proceed further.

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Raptor Visitor System

ENGLISH - OASD Letter: New Visitor Management System

SPANISH - OASD Letter: New Visitor Management System

ARABIC - OASD Letter: New Visitor Management System

HMONG - OASD Letter: New Visitor Management System