Safety

Safety is a far-reaching, complex idea. Physical safety is at the forefront of everyone’s mind when it comes to schooling choices for their children, and we prioritize physical safety. We also know that caring for your child goes beyond physical safety: it includes emotional, relational, and theological well-being too. We want to tell you what safety means to us and how we prioritize it on campus each day.

Physical Safety

We take the current climate very seriously, recognizing the possibilities of physical danger or violence in the world we live in. We’ve taken steps to prepare for any situation that endangers children.

• Our buildings remain locked at all times.
• Our teachers and staff members participate in child safety training every year, and our safety team routinely participates in even more specialized training.
• Both Upper and Lower Schools regularly drill for fire, tornado, earthquake, and emergency lockdown procedures.
• We have staff members strategically placed on campus with crisis training and concealed carry permits for school.
• Multiple teachers and staff are Red Cross or EMT certified.

Emotional & Relational Safety

We promise to LOVE your child. This is at the core of who we are, and it really means something to us. It’s a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love, which means we will treat your child (and you, as a parent) as a person—part of the family—with respect and care. Working with people can be a challenge. It’s seldom efficient and can be rather messy at times. It starts with the realization that we’re all flawed human beings . . . made in the image of God but marred by sin. We want your child to feel relationally and emotionally safe here—safe to struggle, safe to fail—and know they’ll be loved and discipled through the process.

• We promise to start from a position of trust: we give the benefit of the doubt and guard against making assumptions.
• We promise to engage, to care: we love our students and aren’t just here for a paycheck.
• We promise to make ourselves available: we love to listen, and we welcome student and parent interaction.

Theological Safety

Spiritual and theological safety isn’t just a matter of having all the right facts. It’s about learning how all the facts form a cohesive whole and experiencing how the truth lives out practically in everyday life.

• We maintain a high view of Scripture, teaching from a biblical perspective and encouraging students to develop a biblical worldview.
• On matters of preference, we point students to their pastors and their parents.
• In addition to Bible classes, we meet weekly for chapel.
• Our Upper School students participate regularly in Get Real Groups: small groups led by faculty and staff members to encourage asking and addressing real-life questions and situations in a safe, theologically informed environment. Get Real Groups are an important component of our discipleship emphasis.