Campus Safety

Bishop Lynch has uniformed Dallas Police officers who maintain a visual presence on campus during the week. BL maintains a collaborative relationship with Dallas Police and with the Northeast Dispatch Station.  

Bishop Lynch High School utilizes the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation. The SRP is posted in every classroom, office, and public space. These protocols provide direction for Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter scenarios. Drills are held regularly throughout the school year.  

Standard Response protocol (srp)

Students, faculty, and staff are issued photo ID badges to be worn on a lanyard around their neck. Campus visitors and volunteers are also issued a lanyard and ID badge to identify them as individuals who are approved to be on campus.
 

All exterior doors on campus as well as the doors leading from the Welcome Center into the main building remain locked at all times. Access is only through the use of a coded identification badge.  

All visitors to campus must check in at the Safety Kiosk located at the entrance off of Ferguson Road. They are directed to the Welcome Center at the Main Entrance, where they will be required to present identification to check in through the Visitor Aware system before being issued a visitor or volunteer lanyard. All visitors must be accompanied by a member of faculty and staff while on campus, and must check out through the same system when they depart.

Bishop Lynch High School uses a robust Crisis Management Plan to ensure a consistent and appropriate response to unexpected events on campus or in our area. The Crisis Management Plan is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Crisis Management Team and regularly updated to align with new data and best practices in school safety.

Bishop Lynch High School maintains a strong relationship with the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and the DPD has a direct line of communication to school personnel should safety concerns arise in our area. Bishop Lynch consults with the office of security and emergency management at the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, and Safety Team members receive ongoing training in the Standard Response Protocols and campus safety best practices. Bishop Lynch also participates in regular security audits by the Department of Homeland Security. The DPD SWAT team uses BL athletic facilities for their fitness testing. 

If you have non-emergency concerns about a BL student’s physical or mental health, you may send an anonymous report to BL administration via BL CareLink. The information is forwarded to the Guidance Department and other appropriate personnel for individualized follow-up. Concerns about a student’s safety should always be reported first to 911.

Bishop Lynch has a team of licensed guidance counselors on site to address the mental health needs of our students. Each student is assigned a guidance counselor to accompany them throughout their BL journey. 

The Guidance Department cultivates positive mental health practices through ongoing education of our community, and provides a supportive environment for students who may be experiencing social, emotional, or mental health challenges. They maintain a network of referrals for students who would benefit from additional care.

All BL faculty, staff and volunteers must be cleared through the Diocese of Dallas Safe Environment Program. You can learn more here. 

In case of emergency, Bishop Lynch will employ its text messaging system and email communications to reach parents/guardians (or other family members) listed as the student’s emergency contact. 

To ensure that parents/guardians recieve timely communication through text and email, parents should ensure that their information is correct and communication permissions are toggled on in the Family Profile section of the FriarNET Parent Portal.

The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God; “[e]ndowed with ‘a spiritual and immortal’ soul, the human person is ‘the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1700, 1703). The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred, and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.  (Unless otherwise noted, information is from Catholic Community Services regarding Catholic Social Teaching, www.ccsww.org.)