Medical incident prompts CMS ‘HOLD’ protocol

Eden Prairie Schools informed families Monday afternoon that Central Middle School (CMS) was placed on a 40-minute “HOLD” while a staff member received medical assistance from emergency responders in the cafeteria.

A HOLD is a key step in Eden Prairie Schools’ standard response protocol. In an email, CMS Principal Cedric Fuller explained that during a HOLD, students remain in their classrooms or areas and continue learning.

He said some students may have witnessed the incident and/or the emergency response. “Students may have seen an ambulance, fire vehicle or police car on site, and if your student was at lunch at the time the HOLD started, they may have seen emergency responders enter the cafeteria,” he said.

The school extended the lunch period to give students enough time to eat. Fuller assured families that all students had the regular amount of time for lunch, even though some lunch periods began later than usual.

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Eden Prairie Schools’ standard response protocol

The email also included a video explaining the district’s enhanced standard response protocols, implemented last year. These protocols are designed to help all students and staff know where to go and what to do when an event requires movement around or within the building.

On its website, the district said these protocols were developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation, “a highly respected community safety organization whose response programs are used in more than 40,000 schools, districts, and communities around the world.”

The district said that although students will continue to practice each response in drills required by the state, they would use slightly different language than in previous years.

The response protocols are:

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• Hold: Used to keep hallways clear when an incident occurs inside the building. Everyone stays in their current locations and learning continues as normal.
• Secure: Used to keep everyone inside due to activity outside the building. Once everyone comes inside, learning continues as normal.
• Lockdown: Used only when there is an active threat and imminent danger toward people in the building and it is not safe to evacuate. Doors are locked, lights are turned off, and everyone stays out of sight.
• Evacuate: Used to leave the building when it is no longer safe for anyone to be inside. Everyone walks toward the closest emergency exit and moves away from the building.
• Shelter: Used when there is a severe weather or environment-related hazard. Everyone walks to a weather shelter location and takes a duck-and-cover position.

Anyone interested in learning more can visit Eden Prairie Schools’ enhanced emergency response language website.