The District must adopt and update as necessary a comprehensive District-wide school safety plan and building-level emergency response plans which address violence prevention, crisis intervention, emergency response and management, and pandemic planning.
Taken together, the District-wide and building level plans will provide a comprehensive approach to addressing school safety and violence prevention, and provide the structure where all individuals can fully understand their roles and responsibilities for promoting the safety of the entire school community. The plans will be designed to prevent or minimize the effects of serious violent incidents and emergencies and to facilitate the District’s coordination with local and county resources. The plans will also address risk reduction/prevention, response and recovery with respect to a variety of types of emergencies and violent incidents in District schools, and will address school closures and continuity of operations in the context of epidemics/pandemics.
In accordance with state law and regulation, the District will have the following safety teams and plans to deal with violence prevention, crisis intervention and emergency response and management:
The Board will annually appoint a District-wide school safety team that includes, but is not limited to, a representative from the following constituencies: the Board, teachers, administrators, and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other school personnel. This team will be responsible for the development and annual review of the comprehensive District-wide school safety plan. The plan will cover all District school buildings and will address violence prevention (taking into consideration a range of programs and approaches that are designed to create a positive school climate and culture), crisis intervention (including threats made by students against themselves, including suicide, and contacting parents/guardians in the event of such a threat), emergency response and management including communication protocols, at the District level, and pandemic planning. It will include all those elements required by law and regulation.
The Superintendent or designee will be the District’s Chief Emergency Officer, and will coordinate communication between school staff and law enforcement and first responders. The Chief Emergency Officer will ensure that all staff understand the District-wide school safety plan, and will also ensure that building-level emergency response plans are completed, reviewed annually, and updated as needed.
To maintain security and in accordance with law, the building-level emergency response plan(s) will be confidential and will not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law or any other law.
Each Principal will be responsible for annually appointing a building-level emergency response team that includes representation from teachers, administrators, parent organizations, school safety personnel, other school personnel, law enforcement officials, fire officials and other emergency response agencies. The emergency response team will be responsible for the development and review of the building-level emergency response plan for each District building. The plan(s) will address response to emergency situations, such as those requiring evacuation, sheltering and lock-down at the building level and will include all components required by law and regulation. These confidential plans will include evacuation routes, shelter sites, medical needs, transportation and emergency notification of parents and guardians.
Building-level emergency response plans will include protocols in response to carbon monoxide alarms or detection. Alarm or detection of carbon monoxide will result in the appropriate actions as described by the emergency response plan.
Building-level emergency response plans will designate:
an emergency response team for incidents that includes appropriate school personnel, law enforcement officials, fire officials, and representatives from local, regional and/or state emergency response agencies to assist the school community in responding to a serious violent incident or emergency; and
a post-incident response team that includes appropriate school personnel, medical personnel, mental health counselors and other related personnel to assist the community in coping with the aftermath of a serious violent incident or emergency.
During emergencies, staff are authorized to temporarily cover classroom door vision panels when it is likely to protect staff and students. During emergencies, staff are also authorized to temporarily block doors to slow the access of intruders. Building-level emergency response plans must address the temporary covering of door vision panels and the temporary blocking of doors during emergencies.
The Principal, in consultation with the Superintendent, will annually designate a threat assessment team to provide ongoing support and information in order to identify and assess individuals who may be potential threats to safety, with the intent of minimizing acts of violence in the school community. The threat assessment team will be composed of, but not limited to, the following personnel from both within the school and the larger community, as appropriate: building administrators, legal counsel, the medical director and/or school nurse, school counselors, local mental health and social service providers, law enforcement, school resource officers, security personnel, and facilities and maintenance personnel. The team will meet regularly. The team will be mindful of the need for discretion and observance of confidentiality requirements.
Students will be encouraged to bring their concerns to any District employee. If a District employee becomes aware of a threat to the school community, the employee must immediately inform the Principal, who will convene the threat assessment team. The Building Principal may request the participation of the following additional individuals who may have specific knowledge of the potential perpetrator: supervisors, teachers, students and parents. The Building Principal is responsible for keeping the Superintendent informed about the activities of the threat assessment team. Threat assessment team members will receive appropriate training.
The Principal will be responsible for conducting at least one test every school year of the emergency response procedures under this plan, including procedures for sheltering and early dismissal.
To maintain security and in accordance with law, the building-level emergency response plan(s) will be confidential and will not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law or any other law.
Training
The District will provide annual safety training to employees to address violence prevention and mental health. New employees will receive such training within 30 days of hire.
All plans will be annually reviewed and updated, if necessary, by the appropriate team by June 30. In conducting the review, the teams will consider any changes in organization, local conditions and other factors including an evaluation of the results of the annual test of the emergency response procedures which may necessitate updating of plans. If the plan requires no changes, then it will remain in effect. If the District-wide plan requires change, then the updated plan will be submitted to the Board in time to allow 30 days of public comment and to hold a public hearing which provides for the participation of school personnel, students and other interested parties prior to Board adoption. All plans must be adopted by the Board by the first Board of Education meeting in September of each school year.
The Superintendent will be responsible for submitting the District-level school safety plan and any amendments to the plan with the Commissioner within 30 days after their adoption, by no later than October 1 of each year. The District-wide plan will be posted on the District’s website. Each Principal is responsible for submitting the building-level emergency response plan for their building and any amendments to the plan to the appropriate local law enforcement agency and the state police within 30 days after its adoption, but no later than October 1 of each year.
Cross-ref:
0115, Bullying and Harassment Prevention and Intervention
5300, Code of Conduct
Ref:
Education Law §2801-a (school safety plans)
Executive Law §2B (state and local natural and manmade disaster preparedness)
8 NYCRR Part 155 (Educational Facilities)
19 NYCRR §1228.4 (carbon monoxide detection)
School Safety Plans Guidance, New York State Education Department, June 2010
Adopted date: June 20, 2016
Amended date: September 26, 2016
Amended date: March 8, 2021
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