Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School. District Wide School Safety Plan

Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District Wide School Safety Plan Fifth Edition (Updated January 2012) Table of Contents

District-wide School Safety National Terrorism Advisory System 3 Purpose 4 Identification of Original Teams (Historical Information/2002) 4 Concept of Operations 4 Plan Review (also 5-7, 15-17, 29, 37, 57, 96) 5 Risk Reduction 6 Prevention/Intervention Strategies 6 Training and Drills 6 Vital Agency Information 7 Early Detection 7 Hazard Identification 7 Response 7 Notification and Activation 7 Situational Responses 8 Multi-Hazard Response 8 Responses to Acts of Violence or Direct/Implied Threats 8 Acts of Violence 8 Response Protocols 9 Assistance from Local Government 9 District Resources 10 Procedures to Coordinate the Use of District Resources during Emergencies 10 Protective Action Options 10 Recovery 11 District Support for Buildings 11 Disaster Mental Health Services 11 2

The ultimate responsibility for actions taken in a district rests with district administration. These recommended actions are guidelines and should be implemented based on the judgment and discretion of authorized district officials. 3

District-Wide School Safety Plan May 2002 Initial Planning Team Section I General Considerations and Guidelines A. Purpose: The Cobleskill-Richmondville District-wide School Safety Plan was developed pursuant to Commissioner s Regulation 155.17. At the direction of the C-RCS District Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools of the C-RCS District appointed a district-wide emergency response team (ERT) and charged it with the development of and maintenance of the districtwide safety plan. B. Identification of School Teams The initial (i.e. original) district-wide safety and code of conduct team was composed of representatives from each of the four school buildings plus community, student, and agency representatives. These same people served on their building safety teams, when appropriate. The team consisted of the following: John Bates Thomas Duessler Effie Bennett-Powe Joseph Bernocco Steven Cole Sam Cooper William Downs Robin Hahn Joyce Holmes James Kerr Donald Macomber Betsy Matthias Jessica Meigel Kevin Neary Richard Palackas William Reardon Kelly Sperbeck Nicholas Testa Gayle Westervelt Schoharie County Sheriff Chief Cobleskill Police Department Parent Faculty member Parent Administrator/School Safety Officer Administrator Support Staff School Bus Driver Parent School Board President Administrator Student School Board Member/SEMO official Administrator Superintendent of Bldgs and Grds Parent Student Faculty C. Concept of Operations The building safety plans are derived from the model of the district safety team plan. The initial district safety team was the first to receive training in emergency procedures from BCL Solutions, Inc. In turn, the initial district-wide team and School Safety Officer trained building teams in parallel responses common to all buildings in the district by having common protocols for dealing with emergencies on a district-wide or building level. The district-wide team will respond to support all emergencies at the building level at the request of a building 4-Deep Commander, Superintendent of Schools, or School Safety Officer. Training at all levels remains current through collaboration with local and state first responders and the BOCES Safety Specialist. BCL Solutions, Inc, in the spring of 2000, trained a district team to respond to crises in the district. All other school districts in the county received identical training. Additionally, training was received from the NYS police bomb removal officers, SEMO procedures, Capital Region BOCES Risk Management, and School Health and Safety Personnel. Once the general plan was developed, it was presented to an audience composed of local law enforcement (state, county and local police) County Emergency Management, County Fire Control, and both local fire and ambulance departments at the time of a walk through of all district buildings. In June 2001, the plan was presented to the district school safety team for review while the team was in the development stages for the Code of Conduct policy development. The protocol for building response to any emergency has been established and practiced at least two times each year. A 4-Deep Incident Command has been established in each building. Each building has its own Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) whose members are identifiable by notation on their school identification badges. Each of the 4-Deep Incident Commanders have been trained to notify the district office what triggered that activation, if time permits, as their first action of 4

the activation of an emergency plan. Special confidential telephone numbers in the district have been printed on the back of each BERT member s identification badge. The district office 4-Deep Incident Command has in place procedures to notify Schoharie County Emergency Communications to activate access to law enforcement, fire departments, or ambulance corps. It will be the decision of the Superintendent or her designee to confer with the building 4-Deep Incident Commander to determine the need to activate the District Emergency Response Team. Through a common training with all schools in Schoharie County and law enforcement and fire control, assistance from other agencies may be requested by any building or district wide incident commander. Established protocols will result in the following responses: a. In the Village of Cobleskill, County Communications (9-1-1) will notify the Cobleskill police department and fire department. b. In buildings outside of the Village of Cobleskill, the Schoharie County Sheriff will respond along with the Richmondville Fire and Ambulance following notification by Schoharie County Communications. c. For temporary assistance with traffic and crowd control, the Schoharie County Probation Department will respond on request of the district 4-Deep Incident Command. d. For coverage of medical needs, the Schoharie County Emergency Medical Services staff will respond on request of the district 4-Deep Incident Command. e. For counseling needs, the Schoharie County Department of Social Services will respond on request of the district 4-Deep Incident Command to be paired with school guidance counselors. f. For additional assistance, counselors and social workers from Sharon Springs, Middleburgh, and Schoharie Central Schools will respond on request of the district 4-Deep Incident Command. g. For additional law enforcement, the New York State Police will respond. The District Emergency Response Team will conduct Tabletop Exercises annually. The Director of Pupil Personnel (PPS) is appointed annually as the District Education Official (DEO) to receive information from courts regarding students convicted of crimes. The PPS Director will keep appropriate school officials informed of students who may be considered violent or dangerous as per his position as DEO. The Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds is also designated as the School Safety Officer. Through training provided by Capital Region BOCES Risk Management, the School Safety officer will be familiar with current practices. D. Plan Review and updates The C-RCS District has appointed a district-wide emergency response team consisting of the District s designated safety officers, teachers, administrators, maintenance and custodial staff, support staff aides, secretaries, and transportation staff. Members of the team and their positions are as follows: School Safety Officer; BOCES Risk Management Specialist as assigned; building principals and assistant principals; school social workers; Guidance Coordinator; District Compensatory Education Coordinator; School Superintendent; Supervisor of Building and Grounds; Supervisor of Transportation; Food Service Supervisor; Special Education Coordinator; Technology Specialist. The district emergency response team (DERT) is charged with developing all protocols that are needed for student and employee safety in the event of a disaster, episode of specific danger or violence including a bomb, weather-related catastrophe, hostage, or weapons. The DERT is also charged with conducting exercises to prepare faculty and staff for implementation of district plans for possible lock downs, evacuations, or dismissals. The summary plan shall be made available for public review at least 30 days prior to its adoption by the Board of Education. Full copies of the district-wide safety plan will be sent to the State Education Department within 30 days of adoption. A copy of the plan, which shall be annually reviewed by the District Emergency Response Team prior to adoption by the Board of Education by July 1 of each year, shall be kept on file with the district School Safety Officer in the District Office. 5

Section II: Risk Reduction/Prevention and Intervention A. Prevention/Intervention Strategies The district may continue to train identified student leaders in peer mediation for grades 4 through 12. The building administrators will meet at least once each year, preferably during the first two weeks of school, to inform students of their rights and responsibilities, the Code of Conduct, and individual student rules and responsibilities where such written rules and responsibilities exist. The District s Character Education Committee shall continue to support building initiatives. Students will be informed during fall orientation assemblies and/or classroom presentations by teachers (depending on the development of the child) to report to responsible school representative suspicion of threats to the health and safety of the school community. These opportunities will be made known through announcements about anonymous reporting procedures, classroom presentations on harassment and bullying and other presentations. The District has issued employee photograph identification badges. These identify the employee by name, function, building assignment, and designation of either the District emergency response or Building Emergency Response Team. All school buildings have single entry control systems that require intercom and video identification and that have a two layer buzz-in structure. Once checked in, visitors are required to wear passes for the duration of their visit. > Training and Drills Teachers and staff will receive annual training on school safety including emergency procedures, identification of potential student generated threats, school Code of Conduct and Maintenance of Public Order policies, and Right-to-Know information. This training shall be a minimum of two hours per year. Each building will also conduct appropriate and necessary drills, including table top exercises for the Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) so that everyone is familiar with appropriate response procedures. This shall include informing substitute teachers of the district s procedures for emergency situations. All such exercises shall be under the direction of either the District Safety Officers or the building administrator. At least once each year, a walk through of each building will be required of the Building Emergency Response Team, appropriate law enforcement and other emergency responder personnel. The BOCES Risk Management Specialist and school social workers will train all personnel employed in security procedures. This training will be done annually or more frequently if needed. The training shall include responding to lock downs, de-escalation techniques, securing crime scenes, and chemical and other hazardous situations. The Schoharie County Sheriff, the Cobleskill Police Department, as well as the NYS Police will advise the school district and BOCES Risk Management about protocol changes and training techniques. Those employees with responsibility for maintaining a safe school environment, such as hall monitors, shall be given training by the building principal, BOCES Risk Management and any other appropriately certified agency. (See job description for Hall Monitor and see Employee Training Policy). Training of students will consist primarily of the annual Emergency Go-Home-Drill, conducted in conjunction with area schools in the Capital Region BOCES. Training of students such as for lock down procedures in the event of a weapon or intruder in the building will be at the discretion of the building principals. All employees are required to have three written references that are verified prior to employment. Additionally, all new employees are required to provide fingerprint evidence for a criminal background check. It is the responsibility of the employee s administrator or supervisor to verify completed background information. Employees hired in a security capacity will be screened by the supervisor or building administrator with local law enforcement. B. Early Detection: Prior to the opening of school, Risk Management and/or the School Safety Officer will provide training on the early warning signs that faculty and staff should know as indicators of potential violence or disruptive behaviors. Included in this training will be an emphasis on procedures for recognizing persons with a weapon, protocols for lock downs, evacuations, and similar emergency situations, etc. The school counselors and social workers will be provided training as needed in assessing violent or potentially violent student behaviors. Where appropriate, Functional Behavior Assessment plans will be developed for special education students. Hall monitor training in de-escalation will include a) identification of problem, b) giving space, empathetic responses, clarifying issues, venting and time, seeking assistance from trained counselors. Annually the District shall notify parents about information on identification of early warning signs for those who may exhibit potential for violence or disruptive behaviors. The list will include information from materials printed by the New York State Center for School Safety. 6

Students identified by faculty or staff in need of intervention are referred to school counselors or social workers. Both counselors and social worker groups have formal training through graduate work in de-escalation techniques. When suspicion demands, referral to County mental health is made. Additionally, hall monitors have been given training by the school social workers in de-escalation techniques. Study hall monitors and cafeteria monitors have received training from SETRC personnel from the Capital District BOCES. C. Hazard Identification The school district has a district-wide health and Safety Committee lead by the school business official. The team consists of a representative from the faculty and staff of each building, and the District Safety Officer and BOCES Safety Specialist. It investigates patterns of reported injuries to faculty and staff and monitors the environmental, building and property needs related to school safety. This team meets three times each year with the business administrator. This hazard safety team is also known as the Health and Safety Committee and it meets all requirements of the RESCUE Regulation. Right-to-Know training is provided by Capital Region BOCES and is required of all employees annually. * updated periodically Section III. Response A. Notification and Activation In the event of a report to the Building Incident Command, the highest-ranking incident commander (4-Deep) present must notify the Superintendent of Schools or her designee. The Superintendent and the reporting incident commander shall decide if an evacuation is needed or what safety measures would be appropriate. Should there not be sufficient time to contact the Superintendent, then the highest-ranking incident commander on the scene has the authority to initiate a lock down or lockout of the building or building evacuation and notification of law enforcement. If time has permitted the incident commander to communicate with the Superintendent, and the consensus is to activate an emergency response, the Superintendent shall notify Schoharie County Emergency Communications 911 and specify the assistance needed. The Superintendent shall then notify the School Safety Officer who may initiate the District Emergency Response Team, if backup support is needed for the Building Emergency Response Team (that is activated by the Building 4-Deep Incident Command). The Superintendent or District 4-Deep Incident Command is responsible for contacting all other buildings to alert them to the crisis, and to possibly prepare for housing evacuated students and staff. All school offices are equipped with fax machines, two-way radios, and often cell phones, which can be used to communicate either in written or verbal manner. On activation of a building response, the Building Emergency Response Team shall meet to implement its plan for responding to the crisis. Each law enforcement agency in the county has building floor plans, aerial plans, and maps of roads leading to the school buildings that indicate routes for emergency vehicles, assembly areas, and parent pickup locations. Walk through exercises in every building have been made. Contact with parents in the event of a violent situation or other dangerous incident will be via media, as ordered and managed by the Superintendent of Schools, and via telephone calls using private telephone lines in each building. Each building office shall have a list of telephone numbers, homeroom assignments, and other necessary documents in a box in the main office as well as another location in the building and at the primary evacuation site. Students are aware there have been practice drills for employees. The public address system, if operational, will be used to notify students of implementation or activation of a response plan. A system of employee runners, emergency signs, use of bullhorns, and telephone communications between rooms, including cell phones and two way radios, has been developed to notify students when a plan has been activated. B. Situational Responses > Multi-Hazard Response The district plan has protocols developed to respond to hostage, kidnapping situations and bomb threat situations. The district also maintains plans for responding to weather and hazardous chemical situations that can be found in each building main office and the district office that is updated annually by Risk Management. Copies of those manuals are in the Schoharie County Emergency Management Office. 7

Potential sites identified as hazard locations include the transportation facility, custodial supply areas, main state highways and Interstate 88, and the railroad. (See addendum for Schoharie County). > Responses to Acts of Violence or Implied or Direct Threats In each building, school counselors and social workers have been trained in techniques for de-escalation for acts of violence. Additionally, every faculty and staff member, custodian and maintenance, and school bus driver has been and will continue every fall to receive training in violence de-escalation techniques. As indicated in Section II Risk Reduction, all faculty and staff will receive information during the school year about early identification techniques and warning signs. Individuals who are the target of threats or become aware of threats of violence are required to report such incidents to the building administration. An assessment of the potential of such threats is required and is completed by a person trained in such assessments, including district social workers, school counselors, or County Mental Health personnel. On occasion, when the County Mental Health Department determines a more in-depth assessment is needed, hospitalization and subsequent hospital personnel may make such assessments. The district has determined that notification of law enforcement agencies may be appropriate while waiting for County Mental Health assistance to arrive. In such instances, law enforcement assistance may be requested immediately prior to the arrival of a County Mental Health worker. Notification shall come from the building administrators, school social workers or a counselor, whom ever is more appropriate given the emergency at hand. > Acts of Violence The Code of Conduct, building level students codes, and the district policy Strategies and Procedures for The Maintenance and Enforcement of Public Order on School Property, and the district policy Visitors to The Schools, detail how the district will respond to acts of violence by students, visitors, and employees. In each building, incident commanders are trained to respond to acts of violence or threats of violence. This training includes notification and discussion with the Superintendent or her designee if the Superintendent is not available, to determine the appropriate level of response. The level of response may include isolation and removal of an individual, lock down implementation, or evacuation of part or all of the building on the advice and counsel of law enforcement, including sheltering or early dismissal. > Response Protocols The District Emergency Response Team (DERT) consists of personnel assigned to the following tasks: Safety and crime scene protection Bldg and Grds Superintendent Transportation Transportation Supervisor Internal communications Remedial Coordinator Agency communications Secretary to the Superintendent Adult needs Senior Social Worker Student needs Guidance Coordinator Parent needs Special Education Coordinator Media Superintendent of schools ERT leader School Safety Officer The District has trained the above personnel in plans to handle lock downs, evacuations, weather and chemical related incidents, and other acts that may endanger persons or property. These plans are written in the Emergency Response Team manual for reaction. For each identified position, at least one other person has been trained to fill the position should the initial individual be unavailable. The district has established plans to transport students from one or more buildings to identified selected evacuation sites located in the district. The Emergency Response Team has mapped assembly areas, relocation sites, and parent arrival and student pick up sites. Notification to all other district buildings will come from the District Office 4-Deep personnel via telephone, walkie talkie, or runner. Parent notification will be via media and if possible via telephone calls from locations other than the normal office sites if such a site is not available. Parents will be directed via fire police and school personnel to specific locations away from the site where the problem is occurring. Parents will be required to provide appropriate identification, for emergency pickup of students. Should the child not be available for pick up, the district has identified sites where parents will be directed for further information. 8

The Superintendent or her designee shall notify the media. All media must report to the location designated by the district for distribution of information. Periodic information will be made available to the media by the designated school personnel. Upon the ending of a critical situation, the ERT shall assemble to debrief and to map out its next activities. This shall include provision for counseling, possible closing or extending the closing of school, and restoration to normal procedures without contamination of any crime scene. > Assistance from Local Government The District Office 4-Deep Incident Command shall notify Schoharie County Emergency Communications (911) of the need for assistance. If time does not permit communication between the Building Incident Command and the District Incident Command, the Building 4-Deep Incident Command shall notify the County Communications (911) of the need for assistance. Each of the three law enforcement agencies with the jurisdiction in the school district has been provided with maps of the school, aerial photographs of the schools, maps of immediate roads to access or block traffic, and plans for emergencies in the district. Each of the fire districts, and appropriate ambulance services, has been given maps of the roads leading to buildings, evacuation sites, and staging areas and has participated in table top training. County agencies, including Probation, Mental Health, Health Department, Department of Social Services, Fire Control, and Emergency Management have been partners in training of the ERT. They will provide assistance when called by the ERT or Building Incident Command. All law enforcement and first responders have participated in a walk through of buildings in the district as well as a briefing of the District s response plans. This will continue to be done annually, with every expectation that it will occur at the start of each school year. The responsibility for such drills will be assigned to the District School Safety Officer and Risk Management. All law enforcement and first responders have been engaged in developing these plans. After a request for assistance has been made by the district, law enforcement and fire companies, will assume command over the operation of the building. Once the law enforcement and fire department return control to the district, the Schoharie County Emergency Management Office may be asked to assist the district in responding to building needs. Memorandums of Understanding between the school district and selected county agencies assisting in an emergency are located in this document (updated 2008). > District Resources The district has approximately twelve bus drivers who are employed by the district during the school day. These drivers can respond immediately to provide shuttle transportation to evacuation sites. When appropriate, an evacuation from one building to another has been planned. A notification by the Superintendent that students from one building may be coming to another building will trigger a security sweep of the second location. Should the district need to evacuate from more than one district building, arrangements have been established to use other sites that have been designated and approved to house students. Sufficient sites have been established to evacuate all students if the need should occur. A priority system based on age and need of the students has been established for the evacuation to another location. The district also has available social workers, school counselors, and school nurses and grounds men. Arrangements for other school assistance have been made with the Schoharie Central, Middleburgh Central, and Sharon Springs Central Schools for additional support. Also available are two-way radios, pickup trucks, a dump truck, a cargo truck, a backhoe and front loader. All schools have their own generators and Ryder Elementary, and Golding Middle School are Red Cross Shelters. All classroom exterior windows have the room numbers for outside room identification by law enforcement. > Procedures to Coordinate the Use of School District Resources and Manpower during Emergencies The Superintendent of Schools or her designee, building administrators, 4-Deep Incident Commanders, are empowered to decide evacuation of students or lock down, and notification of law enforcement. The Superintendent will provide all media contact. The building principal or highest ranking incident commander present if the principal is not available is empowered to initiate a lock down if consulting with the Superintendent or her designee is not possible. The Superintendent or her designee shall respond to media inquiries. The building principal or ranking incident command personnel shall stabilize the immediate environment and shall decide the need to activate the Building Emergency Response Team (BERT). The team shall consist of persons trained in the following capacities: a) handling adults in crisis, b) handling students in crisis, c) student dismissals, d) student transportation to an evacuation site or go home activity, e) media, f) internal communications, g) agency communications h) food and resource procurement, i) medical needs. 9

The BERT shall meet immediately and activate the response plan. Such activation will be decided by the Superintendent or her designee or building administrator. The BERT will work in support of the building principal or highest ranking incident commander. Volunteer faculty and staff will participate in building searches, evacuation of students and employees, and supervision of students at evacuation sites. The Superintendent of Schools or her designee shall determine the need to activate the District Emergency Response Team to support any Building Emergency Response Team. > Protective Action Options The decision to cancel or postpone the opening of school shall rest with the Superintendent of Schools. That decision will be made after consultation with appropriate persons such as law enforcement, county highway department heads, district maintenance and transportation supervisors, and the building principal. The School District shall follow local, town, county, or state decisions for emergency closing of school property as required by state law. The Superintendent of Schools will be the designed media contact for such decisions. The decision to dismiss early shall be made by the Superintendent of Schools after consultation with any or all of the aforementioned persons. Evacuation of students and employees shall be the decision of the Superintendent or designee and appropriate building principal(s) or highest-ranking incident command personnel available in that building. Such evacuation shall be coupled with the advice of law enforcement responding to an assistance call, if possible and appropriate. The Superintendent or her designee will contact the transportation office for use of school buses to transport students to another site, if needed. Volunteer personnel from within the school and responding district building and grounds staff will conduct a safe evacuation search of routes leading from classrooms and throughout the building. If sufficient time is not available for evacuation, sheltering procedures within classrooms may be required. The determination of such decisions will be with the building principal or highest ranking Building Incident Command and if time permits consultation with the Superintendent. Accounting for all students is the responsibility of faculty and supervisory aides. Attendance must be taken at the evacuation site and reported to office personnel. Each Building Incident Command shall have a designated student liaison person on the building response team to account for missing students or staff. Each Building Emergency Response Team shall have staff designated to handle student dismissals, parent inquiries, and counseling of students and parents. The District Emergency Response Team will provide additional support with counterpart liaison personnel. No employee shall be dismissed until approved by the appropriate supervisor. Sheltering sites have been pre-determined both on and off campus. All assisting agencies or locations are prepared to receive students and house students and staff until the decision about what will occur has been made. The District Emergency Response Team may deploy to oversee evacuation sites, upon request of the Building Incident Command or Superintendent. Section IV: Recovery A. District Support for Buildings The District Emergency Response Team consists of supervisory personnel, counseling personnel, and support staff. The team is prepared to provide appropriate support and leadership to each building during the recovery phase. The ERT and Building Emergency Response Team will work in support of each other to implement the district s established Crisis Intervention Plan. That plan includes preparation of faculty and staff following a traumatic incident, service to students and families, and monitoring of students during the days following a traumatic incident. If needed, counselors from other school districts, local clergy, and county agency counseling personnel may be accessed by pairing those providers with district staff. Following every incident of trauma to students and staff, the ERT will meet to debrief and evaluate actions, reactions, and plan for ways to improve in areas identified. Other district resources that are available in the event of an act of violence include school counselors, social workers, and nurses. County agencies on alert include Probation, Social Services, Mental Health, and Health Departments. These shall be contacted by the Superintendent or highest ranking Building Incident Commander, should assistance be needed. 10

B. Disaster Mental Health Services The District has also established a post incident response team. The team will have two levels of participation. Administrators of the building and district will determine what level of response is appropriate including the closing of a school building, to meet the needs of students and employees. This team is under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools. The second level of participation deals with the after-effects that impact human needs. This will include counseling of students and adults, monitoring behaviors, and working with the administration to meet emotional and physical needs of students. This level will engage district social workers, school counselors, and if needed, county agency personnel, as determined by the Director of Pupil Personnel Services. 11