Cairo-Durham News

As part of our continuous safety efforts, Cairo-Durham CSD is implementing an enhanced lockdown system effective immediately. 

The new lockdown system will activate blue lights at the main entrance whenever a lockdown is initiated in the building. The blue light system is an enhanced safety measure designed to provide a visual cue and alert people outside the building that it is not safe to approach or enter the building. It will only affect the building in which the lockdown button was pressed. 

The blue lights are in the following three locations: CDE Main Entrance, CDMS/HS Main Entrance, and the District Office Entrance. 

In addition to turning on the blue lights when activated, the new system will automatically contact the local authorities alerting them that a lockdown is in progress so they can respond immediately. There will also be an announcement over interior and exterior speakers. If you find yourself outdoors during a lockdown and you see the blue lights, you should remain outdoors away from the building until the situation is resolved and the blue lights are turned off. 

If you see blue lights at the school entrance, we ask that you please do not call the school to ask about the situation. During an emergency or drill, it is imperative that our telephone lines remain open and available for emergency response. Please understand that overloading the phone systems may interfere with response efforts. The school will issue updates about the situation to parents/guardians as soon as possible. We also advise against posting on social media to ask what is happening at the school. This could cause a large number of people to start calling the school and overloading the phones, or attempting to come to the school and further impeding response efforts. The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. Please be assured that the school will communicate updates to parents/guardians as soon as possible. Your understanding in this matter is appreciated.

We will be testing this new safety feature during lockdown drills within the next few weeks. Whether the blue lights go on due to a lockdown drill or an authentic emergency situation, please remember to stay away from the building if you see blue lights at the main entrance and wait for an update from the school. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s principal.

Sincerely,

Michael Wetherbee
Superintendent