Safety Measures

The safety of our students and staff is the number one priority of Bradford Academy, and we will continue to be proactive to keep our school safe.

We promote a culture where everyone has a responsibility to be vigilant and focused on safety because we are serious about our mission and core values. At school, students students need a secure, positive and comfortable environment to help them learn. Isolated incidents at our school and other schools can make students feel less secure, and these situations can make it more difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach.

Here are some safety measures that Bradford has in place:

  • Emergency Operations Plan
    • Bradford Academy has a crisis plan that contains procedures from the Michigan State Police, FEMA and the MDE.
  • Safety Drills for Fire, Severe Weather and Lock Down
    • Bradford Academy continues to run all required safety drills with students and staff. Results of the drills are posted on the school website.
  • Cardiac Response Planning
    • Bradford Academy has a team of staff trained in CPR and the use of an AED that is available on campus.
  • School Safety Audit
    • Bradford Academy conducts an annual facility and equipment audit using a checklist created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  • Communication through CrisisGo
    • All staff use a smartphone application called “Crisis Go” that alerts them to possible problems, notifies them of emergencies, provides online access to their emergency checklist, allows them to take attendance when students are evacuated from the building for drills or a real event, and allows them to contact parents after the evacuation.
  • Communication through School Messenger
    • Bradford Academy uses School Messenger to send important communication quickly to parents by text, phone and email.
  • First Alert Security System
    • Bradford Academy is in the process of installing a First Alert security system that will notify school administration and the Southfield police department of any type of threat related to burglary or other building concerns.
  • Law Enforcement Collaboration and Partnership
    • Bradford Academy Leadership maintains constant communication with the local police and routinely requests their review of our security plans and procedures.

Home Safety Measures

There are specific things you can do as parents to make going to school a safer and more valuable learning experience for your students. Students need to feel safe and comfortable in their environment to learn to the best of their capabilities. Parents, guardians and other adults can help make sure students have a positive school experience.

  • Talk to your students about their day. Sometimes students won’t tell you right away if they are having problems at school. Ask your students if they have seen anyone bullied, if they have been bullied or if anything else makes them feel uncomfortable. Look for warning signs, such as a sudden drop in grades, loss of friends, missing items or torn clothing.
  • Set an example and teach students to resolve problems without fighting. Explain that fighting could lead to them getting hurt, hurting someone else or earning a reputation as a bully. Talk to them about other ways they can work out a problem, such as talking it out, walking away, sticking with friends or telling a trusted adult.
  • Show your support for school policies and rules. If your child feels a rule is wrong, explain how the rule can increase school safety. Please note, if you also feel that a policy or rule is wrong and/or unfair – please come talk to us! As always, we operate under an open door policy and we are always here to listen and talk through any concerns.
  • Keep an eye on your student’s internet, social media and video game use. Talk to your students about what they do online – what sites they visit, who they email and who they chat with online and during a online game. Let them know they can talk to you if anything they see online makes them uncomfortable, whether it’s an explicit website or a classmate bullying them or someone else through Facebook. Remind your students that saying something on social media is the same as saying something out loud, despite the fact that it might feel different or make-believe.
  • Get involved in the school and take part in the school day. We encourage parents with approved presence to be in our building and in our classrooms to show your students our unified cooperation when it comes to keeping our students and staff safe!

If you notice anything out of the ordinary with your student, please share your concerns with your child’s teacher, principal or our superintendent. We encourage students and parents to come forward immediately if they know of a student who exhibits any of the following warning signs. All reports are kept confidential. Remind students that their friends will not know if they report suspicious activity such as:

  • Threats to bring a bomb to school
  • Threats to bring a weapon to school
  • Threats to physically harm a student or teacher
  • Social media posts about hurting people with bombs or weapons
  • Talk about retaliation or a copycat crimes
  • Overhearing or seeing a “hit list” at school or online
  • Troubling essays or other disturbing writing
  • Sudden changes in a student’s behavior or mood swings
  • Students with difficulty controlling or handling conflict and anger
  • Students experiencing bullying or other means of peer isolation
  • Mention of an upcoming anniversary date of a past shooting
  • Glorification of another school shooter or criminal

On behalf of all of us at Bradford Academy, thank you for your trust and support as we work together to keep the Bradford Academy school community safe and secure. As always, we encourage you to reach out to one of us directly at 248-351-0000 if you have any immediate questions or concerns