Parent Education
Thank you to all of our families who attended our first Parent Education event of the academic year titled “Responding to School Safety Incidents: The Standard Response Protocol.” A
recording of this presentation is available now.
This important safety presentation detailed
the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) that D39 adopted for school safety. Under this framework, our learning community will use clear and consistent language so that students, staff, and families know what to do in an emergency situation. By using common and consistent terminology, everyone will know what to do and how to respond to different situations. The SRP includes five specific actions:
• Hold! — Stay in your classroom or area. Clear the halls.
• Secure! — Get inside. Lock outside doors.
• Lockdown! — Locks, lights, out of sight.
• Evacuate! — Move to a new location.
• Shelter! — Take protective action based on the situation.
Each year, all six District 39 schools conduct school safety drills to practice our emergency procedures and how to respond quickly, calmly, and safely during an emergency situation. Among them is a lockdown drill that will be conducted in partnership with the Wilmette Police Department. Our school will communicate with students, in an age-appropriate manner, on what to do in the event of a lockdown. Additionally, all building occupants, including any visitors who may be in the building at this time, participate in this drill. School administrators, at their discretion, may exempt student(s) from participating in lockdown activities. There will not be any simulations or gunfire during the drill.
Families should be aware of the following provisions detailed in the Illinois School Safety Drill Act, Public Act 102-0395:
• A student may be exempt from participating in lockdown exercises through written notification from a parent or guardian at least 24 hours prior to the start of the exercises.
• Schools are required to provide education and instruction related to lockdown procedures to non-participating students.
• Students are allowed to ask questions during the exercises.
Dates for these drills will be communicated to families in advance via principal newsletters.
Transportation Waitlist Information
Michelle McGregor, District 39 Transportation Liaison, is continuing to notify families on our transportation waitlist of their updated status. Waitlist requests are being processed in the order in which they were received. Families who receive a spot on the bus are asked to remit payment by Thursday, Sept. 3. Their child(ren)’s bus pass will then be available for pickup in their school office on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and they will be eligible to ride the bus beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 9. For more information, please visit
our D39 Transportation webpage.
Late Activity Bus Serving Highcrest and WJHS
District 39 is also providing Late Activity Bus service for students who participate in after-school sports and clubs at Highcrest and/or WJHS. Buses will depart from WJHS at 4:45 pm and proceed to Highcrest to pick up students at HMS. You do not have to be signed up for D39 transportation to utilize the late activity bus. However, since there will not be any staff present at drop-off locations, these buses are to be used by independent riders. The Activity Bus schedule is below:
• Bus #1: Drops off students at Central Elementary School (9th St. entrance)
• Bus #2: Drops off students at McKenzie Elementary School (15th St. entrance) and then proceeds to Harper Elementary School (front entrance)
• Bus #3: Drops off students at Romona Elementary School (front entrance) and then proceeds to the Community Recreation Center, Indian Rd. and New Glenview Rd. Students who take this bus will NOT have to cross Glenview Rd.
Board of Education
The Board of Education gathered on Monday night for its monthly business meeting. In addition to committee reports, the Board received
District 39’s response to the
2026 Community Review Committee report titled “Supporting Educator Well-Being,” which was presented to the Board during its May 2026 meeting, heard D39’s
annual Enrollment Report, conducted its
annual tax compliance review, and performed a first reading of several Board policies.
Agendas and materials for Board of Education meetings are posted online the Friday prior to the meeting.
Follow District 39 on Social Media!
Make sure to follow our District 39 social media accounts on
Facebook and
Instagram for fun and engaging content and events from around the District! Additionally, all of our D39 schools are also active on social media. Please reference principal newsletters to follow social media accounts for your child(ren)’s school.