Introduction  

Emergencies and violent incidents in school districts are critical issues that must be  addressed in an expeditious and effective manner. Districts are required to develop a  District-wide school safety plan designed to prevent or minimize the effects of serious  violent incidents and emergencies and to facilitate the coordination of the District with  local and county resources in the event of such incidents or emergencies. The District wide plan is responsive to the needs of all schools within the district and is consistent  with the more detailed emergency response plans required at the school building level.  The District-wide School Safety Plan provides the framework for the Building-level  Emergency Response Plan.  

Districts stand at risk from a wide variety of acts of violence, natural, and manmade  disasters. To address these threats, the State of New York has enacted the Safe  Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) law. Project SAVE is a comprehensive  planning effort that addresses mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response, and  recovery with respect to a variety of emergencies in each school district and its schools.  

The Chateaugay Central School District, supports the SAVE Legislation and intends to  facilitate the planning process. The Superintendent of Schools encourages and  advocates on-going District-wide cooperation and support of Project SAVE.  

Section I: General Considerations and Planning Guidelines  

A. Purpose  

The District-wide School Safety Plan was developed pursuant to Commissioner’s  Regulation 155.17. At the direction of the Board of Education, the School  Superintendent appointed a District-wide Health & Safety Team and charged it  with the development and maintenance of the District-wide School Safety Plan.  

B. Identification of School Teams  

The District has created a District-wide School Safety Team consisting of, but not  limited to, representatives of the: Superintendent of Schools, Director of  Operations and Maintenance, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and  Instruction, District Treasurer, School Business Official, District Clerk, Secretary  to the Superintendent, Director of Food Services, Director of Transportation,  Building Principal(s), School Resource Officer, Teacher(s), Parent(s), Student(s),  Local Emergency Responder(s).  

C. Concept of Operations  

• The District-wide School Safety Plan is directly linked to the individual Building level Emergency Response Plans for each school building. Protocols reflected in  the District-wide School Safety Plan guides the development and implementation  of individual Building-level Emergency Action Guides.  

• In the event of an emergency or violent incident, the initial response to all  emergencies at an individual school is by the Building Crisis Team.  ∙ Upon the activation of the School Emergency Response Team, the  Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee is notified and, where appropriate,  local emergency officials are also notified.  

• Efforts may be supplemented by County and State resources through existing  protocols. 

D. Plan review and public comment  

• This plan is reviewed and maintained by the District-wide Health & Safety  Committee and reviewed on an annual basis on or before July 1 of each year.  ∙ Pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation 155.17 (e) (3), this plan was available for  public comment 30 days prior to its adoption. The district-wide and building-level  plans were originally adopted in 2001-2002, by the School Board after one public  hearing that provided for the participation of school personnel, parents, students  and any other interested parties. The plan was formally adopted by the Board of  Education. An annual public comment hearing will be held thus far.  

• While linked to the District-wide School Safety Plan, the Building-level  Emergency Response Plans are confidential and shall not be subject to  disclosure under Article 6 of the Public Officers Law or any other provision of law,  in accordance with Education Law Section 2801-a. The District-wide Health &  Safety Committee and the Board of Education review the Building-level  Emergency Action Guides yearly before July 1 of each year.  

• The District-wide School Safety Plan is posted on the district’s website as  requested by the New York State Education Department.  

NOTE: Building-level Emergency Response Plans are supplied to both local and State  Police within 30 days of adoption.  

The District implements the laws that support school safety, including but not limited to:  

• Code of Conduct  

• Project SAVE

Section II: General Emergency Mitigation, Prevention and Response  Planning  

The District emergency preparedness includes mitigation and prevention to decrease  the likelihood of an emergency and to reduce losses or damage should one occur.  Mitigation involves the identification risks and vulnerabilities, an assessment of  resources and facilities, identification of stakeholders including knowledgeable and  collaborative emergency responders and mental health resources, and the  communication process. Preparedness includes ensuring policies and protocols are in  place as well as the readiness and knowledge to respond. This involves clarifying team  member roles, having the incident command system (ICS) in place, continuous training  on ICS and the plan procedures, and conducting exercises and drills.  

Response occurs when the plan is activated and involves the action to contain and  resolve a crisis. The ICS plan in place is activated as needed to promote effective  decision-making. Consistent communication is maintained with staff, students, family  and media, actions are documented and after-action briefings are conducted.  Emergency response planning has proceeded with the assistance of the Jefferson Lewis BOCES Risk Management Service and coordinated at the District level by the  Superintendent. Development of the plan has included involvement of the local police,  fire and rescue squad personnel. The District emergency response plan and the  building plans linked to this plan use the incident command system. Staff has been  identified at each building to assume roles in the incident command structure in the  event of an emergency. Assignments, roles and procedures are adjusted on the basis of  the exercises. The plan is further adjusted annually using exercises to test potential for  emergency response. District and building plans include:  

A. Identification of sites of potential emergency, including:  

• Detailed plans for each school building;  

• The location of potential command and evacuation sites; primary and secondary  for each site;  

• The kinds of action to be taken in the event of emergency, and  

• The potential internal or external hazards or emergency situations.

B. Plans for taking the following actions in response to an emergency where  appropriate, including but not limited to:  

• School cancellation  

• Early dismissal  

• Evacuation (before, during and after school hours, including security during  evacuation and evacuation routes)  

• Lockdown/Lockout  

• Sheltering sites (internal and external)  

Emergencies include, but are not limited to:  

• Threats of Violence Intruder  

• Hostage/Kidnapping Explosive/Bomb Threat  

• Natural/Weather Related Hazardous Material  

• Civil Disturbance Biological  

• School Bus Accident Radiological  

• Gas Leak Epidemic  

• Pandemic Response 

• Others as determined by the Building-level School Safety Team  

C. The identification of District resources which may be available for use during an  emergency, including the identification of personnel and other resources.  

D. Description of procedures to coordinate the use of school District resources and  manpower during emergencies, including:  

• Identification of the officials authorized to make decisions, and ∙ Identification of the staff members assigned to provide assistance during  emergencies  

E. Procedures for annual multi-hazard school training for staff and students, including  the strategies for implementing training related to multi-hazards. These are conducted  through a series of staff and student orientation exercises at the beginning of each  school year and several times during each year.  

F. Procedures for the review and conduct of drills and other exercises to test  components of the emergency response plan, including the use of tabletop exercises 

and drills, in coordination with local and county emergency responders and  preparedness official. 

Section III: Responding to Threats and Acts of Violence  

Both building and District emergency response plans use the incident command system  to identify and respond to anticipated or unanticipated threats or acts of violence. Plan  appendices include the following:  

A. Policies and procedures for responding to implied or direct threats of violence by  students, teachers, other school personnel and visitors to the school.  

B. Policies and procedures for responding to acts of violence by students, teachers,  other school personnel and visitors to the school, including consideration of zero tolerance policies for school violence.  

C. Policies and procedures for contacting appropriate law enforcement officials in the  event of a violent incident. The appropriate procedure will always use the 911  emergency call system.  

D. Identification of appropriate responses to emergencies, including protocols for  responding to:  

• Bomb threats  

• Hostage takings  

• Intrusions  

• Kidnappings  

E. Policies and procedures to contact parents, guardians or persons in parental relation  to the students in the event of a violent incident or an early dismissal.  

F. The addition of Safety Patrol Officers to provide training and support of Emergency  Management planning and mitigation of threats of violence to Chateaugay Central  School District. 

Section IV: Communication with Others  

Community based emergency response services (police, fire and rescue squad)  participate in the development, tabletop review and review of each building plan and the  District plan. Copies of each written plan are made available to emergency service  agencies and officials of each town and county government.  

A. A 911 protocol is used in every instance to request emergency assistance.  

B. Written copies of the plans will be forwarded to county and town officials explaining  the role that emergency response agencies have played in the development of the plan  and seeking advice, suggestions or other feedback. This includes the discussion about  the county officials responsible for implementation of Article 2-B of the Executive Law. 

C. If a disaster occurs that impacts the District, all internal communications will run  through the District office whose staff will activate building and District level emergency  response teams as necessary. The District office will inform all educational agencies  within the school district of such a disaster.  

D. Maintenance of relevant information included in the confidential Building-level Plans  and for each educational agency* located in the school district, include information on:  

• School population  

• Number of staff  

• Transportation needs  

• Business and home telephone numbers of key officials of each such educational  agency  

* Educational agencies means public and nonpublic elementary and secondary  schools, public and private nursery schools, approved private schools for the education  of students with disabilities as defined in section 200.1(d) of this Title, and public and  private schools for the education of preschool children with disabilities. 

Section V: Prevention and Intervention Strategies  

The District strives to provide and enhance emergency and violence prevention and  intervention strategies. Such strategies include improving communications among  students and between students and staff, reporting of potentially violent incidents and  establishing reporting mechanisms for school violence.  

A. The school climate is viewed as an important part of school safety. The Dignity for All  Students Act supports an environment free of harassment and discrimination. The  District provides training around bullying prevention through curriculum integration,  which is overseen by the District’s Dignity Act Coordinator. The District has a Bullying  Prevention Coordinator (BPC), a District-wide Anti-bullying Task Force, as well as  Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committees in each school. The BOE Code of  Conduct supports intervention and defines Disciplinary Consequences/Remediation. If  appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken by the administration in accordance with  the District’s Code of Conduct, as applicable. If the behavior rises to the level of criminal  activity, law enforcement will be contacted.  

B. Policies and procedures related to school building security, including, where  appropriate, the use of school safety officers and or/security devices or procedures.  

C. Policies and procedures for the dissemination of informative materials regarding the  early detection of potentially violent behaviors, including, but not limited to:  

• The identification of family, community and environmental factors to teachers,  administrators, parents and other persons in parental relation to students of the  school district or board, students and other persons deemed appropriate to  receive such information  

D. Appropriate prevention and intervention strategies and strategies for improving  communication among students and between students and staff and reporting of  potentially violent incidents, such as the establishment of:  

• Anti-Bullying Programs  

• Youth-run programs 

• Conflict resolution  

• Dignity for All Students  

• Others based on district need  

E. Description of duties, hiring and screening process, and required training of hall  monitors and other school safety personnel are maintained in the District Office. 

Section VI: Recovery  

Recovery addresses the help needed for all involved to heal and to restore the school  community to “normal” operations. The District supports the school buildings by  deploying District resources that support the Emergency Response Teams and the  Post-Incident Response Teams in the affected school(s).  

Recovery plans include mental health/emotional recovery, academic, physical and  business recovery, and can continue long after the actual emergency. The District has  counselor resources and support systems. The District has the ability to coordinate with  school, local, County and State disaster mental health services. The District’s role with  mental health services includes looking at the school culture and climate, providing  student access to services and following threat assessment procedures.  

A. District Support for Buildings  

Each Building-level Emergency Response Plan provides resources for supporting the  Emergency Response Teams and Post-Incident Response Teams. The District’s  Incident Command System (ICS) identifies back-ups to relieve team members. This  provides team members the opportunity to rotate personnel, to fill in if assigned  personnel are unavailable and to debrief in a supportive environment.  

The District realizes that some emergencies may overwhelm an individual school’s  ability to manage an extreme crisis. If/when a Building-level Emergency Response  Team or Post-Incident Response Team is faced with an emergency such as threats of  violence or actual violent incidents, the District-wide Emergency Response Team will  assist as follows:  

• Acting as a sounding board for the building principal/supervisor regarding the  implied or direct threats and/or violent acts.  

• Assisting in determining the level of threat and appropriate response.  ∙ If safe to do so, sending a District-wide team member to support the Building level Team(s).  

• Monitoring the situation and adjusting the District’s response as appropriate.  ∙ Assisting with parent/guardian, faculty/staff, and media communication.  ∙ Assisting with coordinating building and grounds security in conjunction with local  and State Police.  

• Assisting with offering a backup Post-Incident Response Team (i.e., another  school team and/or an outside group) if needed.  

• Offering debriefing sessions as needed working in conjunction with local, County  and/or State emergency responders.

B. Disaster Mental Health Services  

If/when a Building-level Emergency Response Team or Post-Incident Response Team  is faced with an emergency that may overwhelm an individual school’s ability to manage  an extreme crisis; the District-wide Emergency Response Team will assist as follows:  

• If safe to do so, sending a District-wide team member to each affected  school/building as a liaison between the school/building and the District Office.  ∙ Activating the District-wide Post-Incident response Team. The District and  schools have school counselors, school psychologists, school nurses, and social  workers that have local connections to:  

• Neighboring school districts  

• Franklin County Department of Mental Health and  

• Franklin County Mental Health service providers  

• Offering District support and looking for continued feedback from those directly  impacted during the incident, with projected plans to assist if needed during  heightened stressful times such as a re-occurrence of a similar event and  anniversaries of the original event.  

• Assisting with parent/guardian, student, and faculty/staff debriefing and/or post incident crisis intervention. The debriefing is also used in part to evaluate the  District’s plan for possible revisions. If needed, assisting in contacting additional  outside mental health resources such as the National Organization for Victim  Assistance (1-800-try-nova; www.try-nova.org).  

• Assisting the schools with written statements going out to faculty/staff,  parents/guardians, press releases and media requests through the District’s  Public Information Officer and Communications Office.  

The District supports the recovery phase and reevaluates current multi-hazard and  violence prevention practices and school safety activities. 

Section VII: NEW YORK SECURE AMMUNITION AND FIREARMS  ENFORCEMENT ACT (NYSAFE): IMPACT ON SCHOOL DISTRICT  BUILDING AID  

The District will provide all facilities with security features sufficient to protect the  occupants in case of an intruder and/or unauthorized visitors.  

The 2013 NYSAFE Act enhances NYS Education Law for eligible expenses incurred  beginning in the 2012-2013 school year and through the 2014-2015 school year. The  purpose of this is to allow a school District to purchase and install security systems and  devices separate from traditional capital construction projects and in student-occupied  buildings in order to receive enhanced building aid for the purchase of approved  security cameras and other SED-approved security devices such as electronic security  systems and hardened doors.