The Whole Community Approach to Emergency Preparedness

Our Mission

To provide the safest learning environment possible for our children and our community. 

In times of crisis, effective and consistent plans and procedures are vital to minimize physical and mental harm to students, teachers, other staff, and our community as a whole.  Our greatest defense is a seamless response among our school districts and first responders, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.   

Commitment to this unified effort ensures that organizations remain part of a network of professionals who can work together to share information, learn from each other’s experiences, and identify ways to empower staff to achieve an even greater level of safety and security in our schools.

History

Cass Clay Unified School Response (CCUSR) started in 2005 after the Red Lake (MN) School shooting.  Following that crisis, the question was posed, “Is Fargo Public Schools ready for an active shooter situation,” and the unfortunate response was no.  It was determined that most districts within our region had different protocols, and at times, different campuses within the same school district had different responses to emergent situations.   Fast forward to 2024, CCUSR has grown to encompass 50,000 students, 7,500 staff, and 22 school districts across our region.

The Cass Clay Unified School Response website is a collection of knowledge and best practices that continue to get updated information as the board meets and new best practices are identified.  The board consists of Educators, Safety Directors, Law enforcement, Counselors, Emergency Managers, and Building and Ground Engineers.

Some of the best practices include, but are not limited to: Flip charts for the classroom, bus, building, and the district.  Resources are present for student death, special populations, incident scripts, threat assessments, and other concepts we feel are relevant to school safety. 

To request a copy of these resources, please fill out the contact sheet below.