Loup City Elementary School
"Find Your Joy”
Principal’s Message to Parents & Guardians
October 3rd, 2026
LCES Families,
At Loup City Elementary, we believe that every student deserves to feel safe, supported, connected, and ready to learn. As we continue our yearly theme, “Find Your Joy,” we are encouraging our students to discover the people, activities, relationships, and experiences that make school a joyful place to be. At the same time, our district mission, “Empowering Continual Success,” reminds us that success is built through consistent expectations, responsible choices, and a strong partnership between school and home.
The safety and well-being of our students and staff are among our highest priorities. To help ensure that our school community is prepared to respond appropriately in the event of an emergency, we will be conducting school safety drills throughout the school year.
These drills are an important part of our emergency preparedness efforts and provide students and staff with opportunities to practice appropriate procedures in a safe, structured, and age-appropriate manner. Drills may include fire evacuation, severe weather, lockdown, and other emergency response scenarios, as appropriate.
Our school utilizes the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a set of clear, concise, and repeatable protocols designed to support immediate emergency response actions. The SRP is used by schools and local law enforcement agencies to establish a common language and consistent response during emergency situations.
The SRP consists of five key actions:
HOLD – Clear the hallways and remain in the classroom or area until the situation is resolved.
SECURE – Bring everyone inside the building and secure the perimeter.
LOCKDOWN – Secure individual rooms and maintain silence while remaining out of sight.
EVACUATE – Move students and staff to a designated location outside the building.
SHELTER – Move to a designated location and follow specific instructions based on the identified hazard.
We encourage you to review these actions with your student(s) so they become familiar with the terminology and understand the importance of remaining calm, listening carefully, and following directions from staff during a drill or emergency.
Additional information regarding drill schedules, procedures, and any specific responsibilities will be communicated as appropriate.
We hope this information provides helpful insight into the processes and procedures we have in place to help keep our students and staff safe. Thank you for your continued involvement and support. Together, we are making Loup City Elementary a place where students thrive, grow, and succeed every day! If you ever need to contact me, don’t hesitate to do so at paul.barker@lcpublic.org or through the main office at 308-745-0603.
Warm regards,
Mr. Paul Barker, M.Ed
Principal, Loup City Elementary School
“Find Your Joy”