Milan Area Schools will introduce families, students and staff to new emergency response terms before the 2026-27 school year, so the language is familiar before it is ever needed.
The Board of Education unanimously approved updated emergency operations plans July 8 following the district’s required two-year review.
Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Bookout said the goal is to help families understand what school announcements mean without automatically assuming the worst.
“Our goal with these updates, especially regarding terms like ‘secure mode,’ is clarity,” Bookout said. “We want families to understand that these protocols are situation-specific responses to maintain a safe environment, not reasons to panic.”
Milan moved from one districtwide plan to four plans tailored to its school buildings. Bookout said about 85% of the material is consistent across the district, but each building has its own maps, evacuation routes, staff responsibilities and student needs.
At Paddock Elementary, for example, planning must account for infants and toddlers who may need to be carried. Other buildings serve students with mobility needs that staff and first responders must consider.
The detailed plans are not public because they contain sensitive information about facilities and security procedures.
Superintendent Ryan McMahon said the documents follow a new state template and were shared with local law enforcement and emergency officials for review.
“We’ve always had to have emergency operation plans, and we’ve always had to have them approved every other year,” McMahon said. “There’s just a new template, so they’re now updated.”
What the New Terms Mean
The public-facing portion follows the Standard Response Protocol, or SRP. It uses five common actions rather than code words that may mean different things from one school to another.
A Hold keeps students in classrooms and clears the hallways. Bookout said it could be used during a medical situation so first responders can help someone while protecting that person’s privacy and dignity.
A Secure response is used when there is a potential hazard outside the school. Exterior doors are locked, but classes and other activities may continue normally.
“If we say that it’s a secure mode, families understand that our students are still going around classes, they’re still using the bathroom, doing everything,” Bookout said.
A parent arriving for an appointment may be told a student cannot leave until the response ends. That does not necessarily mean there is an emergency inside the building.
“It just means right now, in school is the safest place,” Bookout said.
A Lockdown is used for a threat inside the building. Classroom doors are locked, lights are turned off, and students remain quiet and out of sight.
Evacuate means students and staff move to another location. Shelter is used when people need protection from severe weather or another environmental hazard.
Before school begins, each building will explain the terminology in its back-to-school newsletter. Students will learn the terms in age-appropriate ways, and staff will receive training.
The update also includes guidance for cellphone use during emergencies and a more detailed reunification process for situations in which students must be moved elsewhere. The reunification plan covers communication with families, identification checks, traffic flow and how students would be released.
Administrators have completed a tabletop exercise and plan additional practice over the summer. The plans were shared with Milan police and fire officials, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and county emergency management. At the time of the June presentation, county emergency management had reviewed the plans and offered no recommended changes.
Bookout said emergency situations can cause anxiety for families, which is why the district wants them to know a clear plan is in place.
Not every logistical detail can be released for security reasons, she said, but families will be told how the district will communicate and what they may be asked to do.
“Having clear, consistent terminology provides actionable steps that everyone understands and can follow in an emergency,” Bookout said.
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