School Safety

Safe and effective schools rely on strong operational systems that ensure safety from the moment a student boards the bus until they return home. This includes everything from our student management tools to well-defined policies and procedures that help ensure we operate school and activities in a safe and organized way. Westonka's success in this area is a direct result of our dedicated and caring leadership team and staff, who consistently review and refine our processes to meet the needs of our students and community.

One of Westonka’s key small school advantages is that we make it a priority to know our school families, and we rely on these close relationships every day to keep students and staff safe. We also work to foster a sense of belonging by encouraging student and parent involvement and engagement across all grade levels.

Westonka's Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework helps us proactively identify students’ academic, behavioral, and mental health needs and align families with appropriate support services. Additionally, we encourage all members of the community—students, staff, parents and community members—to report any concerns shared at school, on social media, or in the community to a trusted staff member. Open, proactive communication helps us address issues before they escalate.

Westonka High School also offers a Student Wellness and Safety Tip Line in Schoology for students to report various concerns. The Tip Line should NOT be used to report:

• An immediate concern regarding a student’s safety related to a student hurting themselves or thoughts of suicide. Call 911.
• An immediate concern related to the safety of an individual student or the school. Call 911.

Our schools conduct safety training for both staff and students, which includes regular drills and preparing for various safety scenarios. All schools in Minnesota are required to have five lockdown drills, five fire drills and one tornado drill each year by state law. The drills help students better understand their environments and give them confidence to respond in an emergency situation. The drills also help staff review their plans and provide them an opportunity to report any issues. 

Over 90% of Westonka middle and high school students report that they feel safe at school, which is a reflection of the comprehensive training and safety measures we have in place. We also work closely with our School Resource Officers (SROs) from the Orono and Minnetrista police departments, who actively participate in safety training and preparedness efforts.

In the 2025-26 school year, Westonka Public Schools implemented the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a safety framework that standardizes emergency responses into five clear actions: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter.

Westonka Public Schools is fortunate to be served by two dedicated police departments and a community-focused fire department. Our district is served by two School Resource Officers (SROs).

Westonka's school buildings have secure main entrances. During the school day, all visitors must use the intercom system located outside the main entrance to notify front office staff for access. This allows our staff to communicate directly with visitors and ensure only authorized individuals are admitted. Once inside, visitors are required to sign in before proceeding beyond the front office. 

Thanks to the community’s support of the 2023 bond referendum, Westonka is making significant upgrades to improve the safety and security of our school facilities. The new security systems now installed at Hilltop and Shirley Hills primary schools, the Westonka Early Learning Center, and Westonka Middle School include centralized lockdown capacity, alarms and strobes, allowing staff to quickly secure doors and hallways and limit access during a crisis. Schools will also be able to isolate specific areas within the building, providing public access only where it’s needed. The high school security upgrades will be completed as part of the building redesign in 2025 and 2026. For more information on the bond projects, please visit www.westonka.k12.mn.us/bondprojects.