Shawnee Mission School District Superintendent outlines safety measures for school year

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - The 2025-26 school year has officially kicked off in the Shawnee Mission School District, as thousands of students head back to the classroom.

As in years past, one of the main priorities across the district is student safety.

SMSD Superintendent, Dr. Michael Schumacher, greeted students at Tomahawk Elementary as they walked into the new school for the very first time.

The building took 18 months to replace after the former building was torn down. Similar to every other school in the district, it has a secured entrance at the front doors.

During the previous school year, the SMSD innovated a crisis alert badge for all teachers and staff. Dr. Shumacher said this is an added safety feature that gets staff instant help.

“Any of our employees can push that badge and get immediate assistance,” Dr. Schumacher said. “A three-button or eight-button push gets an immediate response, just one more level of security.”

According to the district’s website, the Shawnee Mission Board of Education employs District Police Officers (DPO) and Campus Police Officers (CPO) to help keep schools safe across the district. Both DPOs and CPOs are certified commissioned law enforcement officers in the state of Kansas.

The district practices three safety procedures: lockdown, code red, and evacuation. Each procedure has an outlined plan if it were to be called.

If there is an emergency, call 911 immediately. You can learn more about Shawnee Mission’s safety plans here.