District-Wide School Safety Plan

This District-wide safety plan has been developed to comply with the mandates of the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (“Project SAVE”) and the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education at 8 NYCRR Section 155.17(e)(1). The Board of Education appointed a District-wide School Safety Committee, comprised of representatives of the administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and school safety personnel to develop the plan. It is a general overview of the Building-Level Emergency Response Plan (ERP) which is in place to guide staff and students of the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District when responding to an emergency. It also sets forth the required drills to keep staff and students familiar with the standard response procedures.

Building-Level ERPs have been developed to comply with Project Save to establish specific emergency response plans for each school building. These Building-Level ERPs provide detailed response procedures for each school building within the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District. In contrast to this plan, which is accessible to the public, the Building-Level ERPs are confidential and not subject to disclosure under Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, the Freedom of Information Act, or any other provision of law, in accordance with Education Law, Section 2801-a. Therefore, the Building-Level ERPs provide a confidential means to outline sensitive emergency procedures not included herein. Such plans comply with the requirements of Education Law §2801-a (3) and the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education at 8 NYCRR §155.17(e)(2).

Emergency situations can range from man-made problems such as power outages, fires and bomb threats to natural disasters like blizzards and floods and may present highly dangerous situations or mere inconveniences. In an emergency situation, NRWCSD priorities are first the protection of life, then preservation of property, and restoration to normal activities. This plan and the Building-Level ERPs describe procedures for a variety of emergencies. Obviously, no plan can cover all possible emergencies. Therefore, District Officials are to use their judgment and discretion in responding to an emergency in a manner consistent with the provisions of this plan and the applicable school Building-Level ERP in a manner that will minimize loss of life, personal injury and property damage.

The Superintendent is the individual in charge (Chief Emergency Officer). In his absence, the responsibility will go to the Director of Business Operations and Finance. When the individualin-charge has been notified that an emergency exists, he will serve as “Incident Commander”, activate the appropriate procedures, direct the emergency response actions and serve as part of a unified command system with emergency responders, as applicable. If the Superintendent is not available, the Director of Business Operations and Finance would serve in this role. The Building Principal will assume this role until the Superintendent or Director of Business Operations and Finance is notified and arrives on the scene.

1. Purpose
As stated in the introduction, the North Rose-Wolcott District-wide School Safety Plan was developed pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation 155.17. At the direction of the North RoseWolcott School District Board of Education, the Superintendent of North Rose-Wolcott School District charged the Board Appointed District-wide School Safety Team with the development and maintenance of the District-wide School Safety Plan.

2. Identification of the District Safety Team
The North Rose-Wolcott School District’s Board of Education has appointed a District-wide School Safety Team consisting of, but not limited to teachers, administrators, parents, school safety personnel, and other school personnel. The members of the team and their positions or affiliations are included in the below chart:

Name	Affiliation
Bryan Morse	School Resource Officer
Rachel Carr	Wayne County Sheriff's Office
Michael Pullen	Superintendent of Schools
Megan Paliotti	Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and School Improvement
Carrie Petrie	Business Operations and Finance Intern
Amanda Hogan	District Public Relations
Jeremy Sebastiano	Director of Maintenance and Operations
Marc Blankenberg	Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics
Chelsea Eaton	Director of Special Education/Pupil Personnel Services
Lisa Brower	Coordinator of Network and Technology Services
Rita Lopez	School Lunch Manager
Todd Henry	Transportation Supervisor
Nicole Sinclair	High School Principal
Lisa Visalli	High School Assistant Principal
Rebecca Kandt	High School Staff Member
Crystal Rupp	Middle School Principal
Scott Hassall	Middle School Assistant Principal
Colleen Barron	Middle School Staff Member
Karen Haak	Elementary Principal
Ben Stopka	Elementary Assistant Principal
Kathryn Nash	NRWE Staff Member
Travis Kerr	Board of Education Member
Ken VanFleet	Parent
Marcie Stiner	BOCES Health and Safety
Rob Anderson	Insurance Agent
Luann Romanelli	Utica National
David Hahn	Middle School After School Program
Patricia Weber	Elementary After School Program
Brad Steve	Child & Youth SPOA Coordinator

 

3. Operations
The District-wide School Safety Plan is directly linked to the individual Building-Level ERPs for each school building. Protocols reflected in the District-wide School Safety Plan will guide the development and implementation of individual Building-Level ERPs.

In the event of an emergency or violent incident, the initial response to all emergencies at an individual school will be by the School Emergency Response Team, and what processes are in place to notify the district.

Upon activation of the School Emergency Response Team, the Superintendent of Schools or his designee will be notified and, where appropriate, local emergency officials will also be notified. County and State resources could supplement the districts efforts through existing protocols.

4. Plan Review
Pursuant to Commissioner's Regulation, Section 155.17 (e)(3), this plan will be made available for public comment at least 30 days prior to its adoption. The district-wide plan may be adopted by the School Board only after at least one public hearing that provides for the participation of school personnel, parents, students and any other interested parties. The plan must be formally adopted by the Board of Education.

Full copies of the District-wide School Safety Plan and any amendments will be submitted to the New York State Education Department within 30 days of adoption.

This plan will be reviewed periodically during the year and will be maintained by the Districtwide School Safety Team. The required annual review will be completed on or before July 1 of each year after its adoption by the Board of Education. A copy of the plan will be available in the District Office.

 

1. Strategies
The North Rose-Wolcott School District has policies and procedures in place for reducing the risk of violence. The district has implemented programs and activities for prevention of violence and training and drills (response to) in the event of a violent incident or other school emergency.

The policies and procedures are outlined in the North Rose-Wolcott School District Policy Manual.

The programs and activities the school district has in place include but are not limited to PeerMentor Programming, Conflict Resolution Peer Groups, Restorative Practices, Reporting System for Harassment and Bullying (DASA) and the Safe Schools Helpline.

Live drills (training) are executed within each building and include: Go-home-early, Lockdown, Lockout, Shelter-in-Place, Hold-in-Place, and Evacuation.

2. Early Detection of Potentially Violent Behaviors
Dissemination of informative materials regarding early detection of potentially violent behaviors will be shared as part of the building response to both District-Level and Building-Level Multitiered System of Support (MTSS) meetings. The District will provide programs and staff training in identifying early warning signs, intervention/prevention strategies and development of violence prevention instruction in an on-going manner.

3. Suspicious Individual Protocol
It shall be the policy of the district that the reporting of any and all activities or individuals which raise suspicion shall be encouraged and sought after. The District will provide readily available processes for reporting such behaviors including but not limited to ease of access to the School Resource Officer, a reporting form, and open lines of communication to Building and District Administrators.

4. Hazard Identification
Potential sites of emergency within the District have been identified as; High School building and grounds and/or adjacent properties to, Middle School building and grounds (including Building and Grounds physical structure) and/or adjacent properties to, and Elementary School building and grounds (including Transportation building) and/or adjacent properties to, inclusive of the building grounds would be athletic fields, playgrounds, parking lots, etc.

 

1. Notification and Activation
The appropriate emergency response agency will be contacted in the event of a violent incident/emergency. Local law enforcement and emergency agencies and contact information are listed in each Building-Level ERP. The School Incident Command System is in place to provide effective direction, control and coordination during an incident.

Notification of district personnel in the event of a violent incident/emergency could take place in any of the following forms of communication: Telephone, Email, Intercom or alternate as appropriate.

Notification of district students will be situational and will take place via Intercom.

Notification of parents will be via an automated notification system.

2. Situational Responses
The Building-Level ERP is created to best prepare each building for any potential violent incident/emergency. The district uses five emergency response procedures in responding to various situations. The five procedures are; Lockdown, Lockout, Shelter-In-Place, Hold-InPlace, and Evacuation. These procedures are outlined in the Building-Level ERP and could be used in any of the following situations: Threats of Violence, Intruder, Hostage, Bomb Threat, Weather Related, Hazardous Material, Biological, Gas Leak, Epidemic.

Using the Incident Command System, the Incident Commander would make a decision on which of the district emergency procedure(s) would be used in any given situation. The steps of each procedure are also listed in the Building-Level ERP.

Emergency assistance from the Local Government is a critical part of the Building-Level ERP. Emergency contacts are listed in the Building-Level ERP.

3. Reporting School Closures
Whenever a school building must close due to the activation of its Emergency Response Plan or building – Level school safety plan a report of school closure, and a corresponding report of school re-opening, must be submitted to the Commissioner of Education.

Reasons for building closures may include, but are not limited to, natural disasters, power outages, instances of infectious disease, extraordinary adverse weather conditions and threats of violence.

A copy of Emergency Remote Instruction Plan can be found on the link below:
Emergency Remote Instruction Plan

 

1. District Support for Buildings
The district will use its resources to support the Emergency Response Teams and the PostIncident Response Teams in the affected school(s). Access to community resources will also be relied upon in the recovery phase.

2. Disaster Mental Health Services
The district will assist in the coordination of disaster mental health resources, in support of the Post-Incident Response Teams, in the affected school(s). This would include securing services for both the victim(s) and those responsible for an incident.

The district will evaluate the current plan as a result of post-incident (or drilling) debriefs. Development of additional strategies, such as school safety team training in crisis management and development of post-crisis procedures to restore safe school environments will be continuous.

A. Concept of Operations
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Concept of Operations section which makes clear the overall strategy of a School ERP is to: Execute effective and timely decisions and actions that prevent harm, protect lives and property, mitigate damages, restore order and aid recovery. This plan is based upon the concept that the incident management functions that must be performed by the school generally parallel some of their daily routine functions. To the extent possible, the same personnel and material resources used for daily activities will be employed during incidents. Because personnel and equipment resources are limited, some routine functions that do not contribute directly to the incident may be suspended. The personnel, equipment, and supplies that would typically be required from those routine functions will be redirected to accomplish assigned incident management tasks.

B. Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
Included in the Building-Level ERP is an Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities section which describes how the Incident Commander is not able to manage all of the aspects associated with an incident without assistance. The school relies on other key school personnel to perform tasks that will ensure the safety of students and staff during a crisis or incident. The Incident Command System (ICS) uses a team approach to manage incidents. It is difficult to form a team while a crisis or incident is unfolding. Roles are pre-assigned based on training and qualifications. Each staff member and volunteer must be familiar with his or her role and responsibilities before an incident occurs.

C. Direction, Control, and Coordination
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Direction, Control and Coordination section which provides for effective direction, control and coordination during an incident, and where the School Emergency Response Plan will be activated through the implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS).

Staff members are assigned to serve within the ICS structure based on their expertise, training and the needs of the incident. Roles should be pre-assigned based on training and qualifications.

The Incident Commander (IC) is responsible for all aspects of the response, including developing incident objectives and managing all incident operations.

The IC is faced with many responsibilities when he/she arrives on scene. Unless specifically assigned to another member of the Command or General Staff, these responsibilities remain with the IC. Some of the more complex responsibilities include:
▪ Establish immediate priorities especially the safety of responders, other emergency workers, bystanders, and people involved in the incident.
▪ Stabilize the incident by ensuring life safety and managing resources efficiently and cost effectively.
▪ Determine incident objectives and strategy to achieve the objectives.
▪ Establish and monitor incident organization.
▪ Approve the implementation of the written or oral Incident Action Plan.
▪ Ensure adequate health and safety measures are in place.

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.The Command Staff is responsible for public affairs, health and safety, and liaison activities within the incident command structure. The IC/UC remains responsible for these activities or may assign individuals to carry out these responsibilities and report directly to the IC/UC.

The Information Officer's role is to develop and release information about the incident to the news media, incident personnel, and other appropriate agencies and organizations.

The Liaison Officer's role is to serve as the point of contact for assisting and coordinating activities between the IC/UC and various agencies and groups. This may include local government officials, and criminal investigation organizations and investigators arriving on the scene.

The Safety Officer's role is to develop and recommend measures to the IC/UC for assuring personnel health and safety and to assess and/or anticipate hazardous and unsafe situations. The Safety Officer also develops the Site Safety Plan, reviews the Incident Action Plan for safety implications, and provides timely, complete, specific, and accurate assessment of hazards and required controls.

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The General Staff includes Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administrative responsibilities. These responsibilities remain with the IC until they are assigned to another individual. When the Operations, Planning, Logistics or Finance/Administrative responsibilities are established as separate functions under the IC, they are managed by a section chief and can be supported by other functional units.

The Operations Staff is responsible for all operations directly applicable to the primary mission of the response.

The Planning Staff is responsible for collecting, evaluating, and disseminating the tactical information related to the incident, and for preparing and documenting Incident Action Plans (IAPs).

The Logistics Staff is responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials for the incident response.

The Finance and Administrative Staff is responsible for all financial, administrative, and cost analysis aspects of the incident.

D. Information Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination
Included in the Building-Level ERP is an Information, Analysis, and Dissemination section which outlines how the school will collect, analyze, and disseminate information during and after an incident.

Types of Information
During an incident, the school may assign administrative staff to monitor the incident and collect information to pass along to emergency personnel. This information will be analyzed and shared with the Incident Commander as well.

Information Documentation
The assigned staff member will document the information gathered including:
- source of information
- staff member who collected and analyzed the information
- staff member to receive and use the information
- format for providing the information
- date and time the information was collected and shared

E. Training and Exercise
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Training and Exercise section which outlines the importance of training, drills, and exercises in being prepared to deal with an incident. To ensure that school personnel and community responders are aware of their responsibilities under the School ERP, the following training and exercise actions should occur:

Trainings
All school staff, students, and others deemed appropriate by the school should receive training during the school year to better prepare them for an incident.
- Roles and Responsibilities - delivered at start of school year
- Incident Command System (ICS) Training - should be completed prior to assignment to an ICS role. Online training is available through the FEMA Independent Study Program. ICS classes are offered through the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) or by contacting your local emergency management agency.
- Annual training
- Review ERP with staff
- Conduct full staff briefings on roles to perform during an emergency
- Ensure all staff have been briefed in the communications and notifications requirements set forth in the ERP
- Conduct student briefings on roles they perform during an emergency

Drills & Exercises
At a minimum, the school will conduct the following exercises/drills annually:
- Section 807 of the Education Law mandates that pupils must receive instruction on how to exit the building in the shortest possible time without confusion or panic. The instruction shall be in the form of drills or rapid dismissals. The District shall conduct a minimum of 12 drills each school year, 4 of which must be lockdown drills.
- 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(3) - each Building-Level ERP shall be tested including sheltering and early dismissal (no earlier than 15 minutes before normal dismissal).

F. Administration, Finance, and Logistics
Included in the Building-Level ERP is an Administration, Finance and Logistics section which if school resources prove to be inadequate during an incident, the school will request assistance from local emergency agencies, other agencies and industry in accordance with existing Memoranda of Understanding. Such assistance includes equipment, supplies and/or personnel. All agreements are entered into by authorized school district and school officials.

Documentation
The Incident Commander will maintain accurate logs recording key incident management activities including:
- activation or deactivation of incident facilities
- significant changes in the incident situation
- major commitments of resources or requests for additional resources from external sources
- issuance of protective action recommendations to staff and students
- evacuations
- casualties
- containment or termination of the incident

Incident Costs
The ICS Finance/Administration Section is responsible for maintaining records summarizing the use of personnel, equipment and supplies to obtain an estimate of incident response costs that can be used in preparing future school budgets and to share these costs with the Superintendent and District Business Office. These records may be used to recover costs from the responsible party or insurers or as a basis for requesting financial assistance for certain allowable response and recovery costs from the State and/or Federal government.

Preservation of Records
In order to continue normal school operations following an incident, records such as legal documents and student files must be maintained and protected.

G. Authorities and References
Included in the Building-Level ERP is an Authorities and References section which outlines State and Federal authorizations upon which this School ERP is based. These authorities and references provide a legal basis for emergency management operations and activities.
- The New York State Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (Project SAVE) and 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 require that school emergency plans define the chain of command in a manner consistent with the Incident Command System (ICS).
- New York State Executive Order 26.1 (2006) established ICS as the state’s standard command and control system that will be utilized during emergency operations.
- Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) – 5 required the development of National Incident Management System (NIMS), of which ICS is a critical component.

H. Crime Scene Management
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Crime Scene Management section which outlines procedures for securing and restricting access to the crime scene in order to preserve evidence in cases of violent crimes on school property as required in 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(2)(viii).

Evidence is critical to the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases. Therefore, only trained professionals should do the collection and preservation of evidence. Before those professionals arrive, it is important that the crime scene remain as uncontaminated as possible. There are things that can be done by people who arrive at the scene first to help protect the evidence. These procedures were developed around the RESPOND acronym, which was designed to aid in remembering the steps to securing crime scenes and evidence.

RESPOND steps in the management of a crime scene are Respond, Evaluate, Secure, Protect, Observe, Notify, and Document.

I. Communications
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Communications section which discusses communication and coordination during emergencies and disasters (both internal communication and communication with external stakeholders, required under 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(2) (iv), as well as the communication of emergency protocols before an emergency and communication after an emergency. Additionally, procedures shall be included for emergency notification of persons in a parental relation (8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(2)(i).

The School ERP includes procedures governing school incident communications with law enforcement and emergency responders, as well as with students, parents, staff, the school community and the media. Templates for statements/press releases to the media, a detailed communications plan, including standard procedures and protocols, are developed and made available in advance of an incident.

Templates for statements/press releases, the communication plan and media contacts at the major television, Internet, and radio stations are maintained by Superintendent and located in the District Office (unless the incident occurs in the HS building and this building is not available) then the statements would be made in another building as deemed appropriate by the Superintendent.

J. Medical and Mental Health Emergency
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Medical and Health Emergency section which describes the courses of action that the school will implement to address emergency medical (e.g. first aid) and mental health counseling issues. Schools will coordinate these efforts with appropriate emergency medical services, law enforcement, fire department and emergency management representatives. 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(2)(vi) requires the coordination of the ERP with the statewide plan for disaster mental health services. The details of how this coordination is accomplished is documented in the Building-Level ERP.

K. Accounting for All Persons
Included in the Building-Level ERP is an Accounting for all Persons section, which focuses on developing courses of action to account for the whereabouts and well-being of students, staff, and visitors, and identifying those who may be missing.

L. Reunification
Included in the Building-Level ERP is the Reunification section, which details a safe and secure means of reuniting parents/guardians with their children in the event of an emergency.

M. Continuity of Operations Plan
Included in the Building-Level ERP is a Continuity of Operations section, which describes how the school and school district will help ensure that essential functions continue during an emergency and its immediate aftermath. Essential functions include business services (payroll and purchasing), communication (internal and external), computer and systems support, facilities maintenance, safety and security, and continuity of teaching and learning.