Safety and Security

Carolina Day School places great emphasis on ensuring the safety and security of its students and staff members. The school takes proactive measures to establish a secure and safe environment and increase its response capabilities in the event of a crisis. Managing risk and maintaining the school's open and welcoming community is an ongoing process that the school continuously refines and improves.

The Head of School, Stephanie Whitney, regularly updates the community on the school's long-term plan for maintaining a safe and secure campus for employees and students. [See recent updates from the Head of School.]

School Access for Visitors

Carolina Day School extends a warm welcome to parents and others to visit our schools. At the same time, we must ensure that our students and staff are safe and learning is not disrupted. Schools must be aware of who is in the building and why they are there. Carolina Day School uses the SchoolPass visitor management system to screen visitors and enable school staff to know in real-time all visitors and students coming and going from our campus, increasing the safety of students, teachers and staff. ​​

A Shared Community Responsibility

The safety and security of students are considered a shared responsibility, and all employees undergo opening-of-school-year training sessions and ongoing classroom and hands-on training. They also participate in monthly fire drills with students when school is in session to reinforce the school's priority on safety and security. Employees participate in security training and drills, and beginning in the 2023-24 school year, students will also participate in these security drills. A school security drill is an exercise other than a fire drill used to practice procedures that respond to an emergency situation including, but not limited to, a non-fire evacuation or lockdown, and that is similar in duration to a fire drill.

There are other groups whose central purpose relates to the safety and security of our students:

  • Risk Management Committee (Board of Trustees and Administration)

  • Crisis Response Team (Administration, Faculty and Staff)

  • School Nurse and Athletic Trainer

  • School Counselors

  • Biltmore Forest Police Department

Thank You Parents For Being Key Partners!

Carolina Day School highly values the partnership with parents in ensuring their children's safety. Parents' feedback is welcomed, and the school will continue to reevaluate its policies, plans, and procedures to ensure that they follow best practices suitable for the school's environment. For any suggestions or concerns, parents can contact the Head of School at headofschool@carolinaday.org.