District Wide School Safety Plan - Herkimer Central School District

Introduction

Emergencies and violent incidents in schools are critical issues that must be addressed in an efficient and thoughtful manner. Districts and BOCES are required to develop a District Wide School Safety Plan. The plan is designed to prevent or minimize the effects of serious violent incidents and emergencies, as well as facilitating the coordination of the district with local, county, and state resources.

The District Wide Plan is responsive to the needs of all schools/buildings within the district and is consistent with the more detailed Emergency Response Plans required at the building level. Districts are at risk of a wide variety of acts of violence, natural, and technological disasters. To address these threats, the State of New York has enacted the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) law. This component of Project SAVE is a comprehensive planning effort that addresses risk reduction/prevention, response, and recovery with respect to a variety of emergencies in the district and at its schools.

The 2024-2025 Herkimer Safety Plan was available for public comment from July 16, 2024 through August 21, 2024. A Public Hearing was held prior to the August 21, 2024 Board of Education meeting, where it was approved.

Plan updated 7/16/2024

Section I: General Considerations and Planning Guidelines
Section II: Risk Reduction/Prevention and Intervention
Section III: Response
Section IV: Recovery

Section I: General Considerations and Planning Guidelines

A. Purpose

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

B. Identification of School Teams

The Herkimer District has appointed a District-Wide School Safety Team consisting of, but not limited to, representatives of the Board, students, teachers, administrators, parent organizations; school safety personnel; bus drivers/monitors; and, other school personnel. The members of the team and their positions/affiliations are as follows:

Member name, Title:

Kathleen Carney, Superintendent/Chief Emergency Officer
Zach Abbe, High School Principal
Maria Lindsay, Middle School Principal
Renee Vogt, Elementary Principal
Cristi Paragi, Elementary Assistant Principal
Nicole Crandall, MS/HS Assistant Principal
James McKernan, Building Maintenance Mechanic
Adam Hutchinson, BOCES Safety Supervisor
Brian Crandall, Board of Education Member
Michele Gilbert, Board of Education Member
Scott Petucci, Board of Education Member
Philip Harvey, District Groundskeeper
Sandhya Farrington, Elementary School Nurse
Karen Vincent, MS/HS School Nurse
Nicolas Sheldon, Teacher
Laura Scalise, Teacher
Kathryn Jenne, Teacher
Heather Denton, Teacher
Officer Jessica Albert, SRO – MS/HS
Officer Tiffany Hill, SRO – Elementary
Chief Michael Jory, Herkimer Police Department

The District-wide School Safety Team is responsible for the development, review, and updating of the District Wide School Safety Plan. Each student-occupied building in the district will have both an Emergency Response Planning Team and a Post-Incident Response Team. The Emergency Response Planning Team will provide the initial response in all emergencies as defined in this plan. Members of the Post-Incident Response Team, following an emergency, will take response actions in the aftermath of an emergency.

C. Chief Emergency Officer

Herkimer Board of Education has designated a Chief Emergency Officer (CEO). The CEO is a Herkimer District employee and is responsible for coordinating communication between staff and law enforcement and first responders and for ensuring staff understanding of the district-level safety plan. The CEO shall also be responsible for ensuring completion and yearly update of building-level Emergency Response Plans.

D. Concept of Operations

The District Wide School Safety Plan shall be directly linked to each building’s individual Emergency Response Plan. This District Wide School Safety Plan will guide the development and implementation of each building level Emergency Response Plan.

In the event of an emergency or violent incident, the initial response to all emergencies at an individual building will be by the School Emergency Response Planning Team. Upon the activation of the School Emergency Response Planning Team, the Superintendent or his/her designee will be notified and, where appropriate, local first responders will also be notified. Emergency response actions, including crisis response, may be supplemented by involving regional resources through established protocols.

E. Plan Review and Public Comment

This plan shall be reviewed and maintained by the District-Wide School Safety Team and reviewed on an annual basis on or before July 1st of each year. Pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation 155.17 (e)(3), this plan will be made available for public comment 30 days prior to its adoption. The plan must be formally adopted by the District’s Board of Education after an opportunity for input from the public.

While linked to the District Wide School Safety Plan, Building Level Emergency Response Plans shall be 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 (Building Level Emergency Response Plans are not subject to FOIL). 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. Building Level Emergency Response Plans will be supplied to both local and State Police within 30 days of adoption, and other appropriate first responders as needed.

Section II: Risk Reduction/Prevention and Intervention

A. Prevention/Intervention Strategies

Initiatives that improve the culture and climate in our schools and improve communication at all levels can substantially enhance the ability to prevent negative events from happening. Herkimer District has implemented initiatives that serve both as prevention and risk reduction strategies.

Program Initiatives

Herkimer District utilizes programs and activities that improve the school climate and communication throughout the school community, and that encourage the reporting of potentially dangerous, suspicious or violent behavior. The following is a partial list of such initiatives:

TREATY program through Catholic Charities
District wide SRO program with an officer at each campus
Connected Community Schools, ICAN, and Ready for Kindergarten initiatves
LEAD program instructed by SRO’s
Prevention programs in collaboration with Herkimer County
District wide social and emotional lessons via the school counselors and social workers

Herkimer District encourages all divisions to develop strategies that support a positive and safe learning environment for students, such as community involvement, mentoring programs, and schedule adjustment to minimize potential for conflicts or altercations.

Training, Drills, and Exercises

Herkimer District will ensure that each building conducts drills and exercises to test the components of their building level plans while following NYSED regulatory guidelines.

Drills are coordinated, supervised activities designed to provide training on how to respond to an emergency situation. Exercises help build preparedness for emergencies by providing a low-risk, cost-effective environment to: Test and validate plans, policies, procedures and capabilities and may involve outside agencies.

Tabletop Exercises are discussion-based sessions where a group from the school and outside agencies meet in an informal setting to discuss roles and responses during an emergency. During the exercise, participants are guided through a simulated emergency scenario by a facilitator. Herkimer Central School District may conduct Tabletop Exercises in coordination, if possible, with local and county level first responders and preparedness officials when live drills are impractical or not sufficient to meet training goals.

As per regulation, four (4) Lockdown drills, eight (8) Evacuation drills and one (1) Emergency Dismissal drill will be conducted each school year. Additional drills may be conducted for select response protocols including: Shelter-in-Place, Hold-In-Place, and Lockout.

Herkimer Central School District has developed procedures and timeframes for notification of parents or persons in parental relation regarding drills and other emergency response training(s) that include students. These procedures include:

Use of Parent Square to communicate immediately with parents/guardians regarding drills, emergency response trainings and emergencies that occur during the school year.
Annual letter home indicated required emergency drills.
Emergency procedures in school handbooks.

Drills conducted during the school day when students are present shall be conducted in a “trauma-informed”, developmentally, and age-appropriate manner. Being “trauma-informed” means that will not include props, actors, simulations, or other tactics intended to mimic a school shooting or other act of violence or emergency. When drills are conducted, students and staff shall be informed that the activities being conducted are a drill and not an emergency.

If Herkimer Central School District opts to partner with first responder agencies to participate in a full-scale exercise that includes props, actors, simulations, or other tactics that mimic a school shooting or other act of violence or emergency, it will not do so on a regular school day or when school activities are occurring on school grounds. Such exercises will not include students without written consent from parents or persons in parental relation.

Staff Development

Periodic review of safety procedures at beginning of year Faculty Meetings by administrators.
Periodic safety training with SRO’s and local law enforcement.
Periodic emergency training in areas such as; First Aid/CPR, Stop the Bleed.

Implementation of School Security

All staff is expected to be vigilant regarding threats against students and staff (i.e. bullying/harassment) and immediately report to their respective principal or supervisor any information they have received or observed regarding anything that could be reasonably expected to impact the safety and security of anyone in the school community.

Additional Security Implementations include:

Accessibility to DASA forms online
Accessibility to school personnel (i.e. counselors, social workers, SRO’s)
Training for staff

Vital Educational Agency Information

Herkimer District maintains information for each division/building in a central location, including: school population, number of staff, transportation needs, and the business and home numbers of key officials.

B. Early Detection of Potentially Violent Behaviors

Herkimer District recognizes the importance of early recognition and intervention into conflicts and potentially violent or threatening behaviors. Certain emotional and behavioral signs, when viewed in context, can signal a troubled student. Staff is trained to recognize the signs that can be used to signal a student who may need help. The more signs that a student exhibits the more likely it is that he/she may need intervention. Early warning signs could include, but are not limited to:

Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks
Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason
Involvement in many fights or desire to badly hurt others
Severe out-of-control behavior that can hurt oneself or others
Not eating, throwing up, or severe, visible, weight loss
Intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities
Extreme difficulty concentrating or staying still that puts the student in physical danger or causes problems in the classroom
Use of drugs or alcohol
Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Drastic changes in the student’s behavior or personality
Preoccupation with illness, death, or catastrophic events

Students, parents, and staff are encouraged to share information regarding any student conflicts, threats, or troubling behaviors with the appropriate school administrator, counselor, nurse, and/or mental health staff, so that an investigation can commence in a timely fashion, if deemed necessary.

This communication may extend beyond Herkimer District personnel to include law enforcement, mental health professionals, etc., when deemed appropriate and within existing legal parameters.

C. Hazard Identification

The list of sites of potential emergencies include: Herkimer Elementary School, Herkimer Middle/High School, Herkimer Bus Garage, Herkimer County Community College. Each individual student-occupied site has assessed their own site for unique hazards and has documented them in their respective Building Level plans.

Section III: Response

A. Notification and Activation

Incident Commanders are authorized to and will initiate contact with the appropriate first responders in the event of an emergency or violent incident. If appropriate the Incident Commander will call 911. In a crisis situation involving a violent incident, staff should call 911 and notify the Incident Commander.

The methods used for notifications of an emergency or an act of violence include the following possible forms of communication: Emergency Services, telephone, email, district website, PA system, local media, and others as appropriate or necessary.

B. Situational Responses

Multi-Hazard Response

In the event of a catastrophic emergency (fire, building collapse, etc.) the evacuation of the building and the preservation of life is the only consideration. It is anticipated that specific procedures outlined in this plan, particularly as they relate to notifications, line of authority, etc. may be violated in cases involving catastrophic emergencies.

Herkimer District’s buildings each have a Building Level Emergency Response Plan, which include specific procedures for a variety of emergencies. However, there are many variables that could impact the manner in which the Building Level Emergency Response Team responds to a particular occurrence. Given these variables, it is impractical to attempt to anticipate the steps needed for a response to every conceivable scenario. Responses focus on a few critical decisions that need to be made in every emergency to prevent injury and loss of life.

Responses to Acts of Violence: Implied or Direct Threats

Herkimer District has policies and procedures in place for responding to implied or direct threats of violence; including a range of disciplinary action to be used when responding to such threats or acts. The following steps may be taken in the event of an implied or direct threat of violence:

Follow safety procedures as outlined in SHELL plan
Notify SRO and building administrators
Determine level of threat with Superintendent/Designee
Contact local law enforcement agency, if deemed necessary by SRO
Elicit the Building Response Team if deemed necessary
Monitor situation, adjust response if appropriate
De-escalation or other TCI (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention) steps by staff
Communication via school messaging program to parents and local agencies

Acts of Violence/Crises

Herkimer District policies and procedures for responding to acts of violence/crises involving students, teachers, other staff, and visitors to the district’s facilities will be included in the Building-Level Emergency Response Plans. The following steps may be taken in the event of an act of violence or crisis:

Follow safety procedures as outlined in SHELL plan
Notify SRO and building administrators
Determine level of threat with Superintendent/Designee
Contact local law enforcement agency, if deemed necessary by SRO
Elicit the Building Response Team if deemed necessary
Monitor situation, adjust response if appropriate
De-escalation or other TCI (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention) steps by staff
Communication via school messaging program to parents and local agencies

Response Protocols

Herkimer District selection of appropriate responses to emergencies, including potentially responding to situations like bomb threats, hostage taking, intrusions, kidnappings, power supply disruption, and severe weather may be included in the Building Level Emergency Response Plans. The following protocols are provided as possible examples:

Identification of decision-makers
Plans to safeguard students and staff
Procedures to provide transportation, if necessary
Procedures to notify parents and the media
Debriefing procedures

Arrangements for Obtaining Emergency Assistance from Local Government

Arrangements for obtaining assistance during emergencies from first responders and local governmental agencies include contacting 911 immediately. Additional support can be obtained by contacting Herkimer Police Department, NYS Police, Herkimer Fire Department, Herkimer County Sheriff, the NYS Police, and Herkimer County Emergency Services (i.e. Red Cross).

Procedures for Obtaining Advice and Assistance from Local Government Officials

See above.

Resources Available for Use in an Emergency

Stop the Bleed classroom kits, Classroom Lockdown buckets, “Go Bags” for school nurses, including AED’s, Classroom rosters, District wide radios, access to buses and evacuation sites.

Procedures to Coordinate the Use of Resources and Manpower during Emergencies

Herkimer District will use the Incident Command System to coordinate the use of resources and manpower during emergencies.

Protective Action Options

Plans for taking the following actions in response to an emergency where appropriate will be including in each building’s Emergency Response Plan: school cancellations, early dismissal, evacuation, shelter-in-place, hold-in-place, lockout, and lockdown.

Section IV: Recovery

See Appendix 5: Recovery.