District-wide Safety Plan

The District-wide Safety Plan details the procedures to be followed if a dangerous or potentially dangerous incident occurs at a school. The Safety Plan will be reviewed annually by the Districtwide Safety Committee and local police and distributed to all staff. The Safety Plan contains protocols for the following types of emergencies:

• Armed intruder or armed student
• Bomb threats
• Fire
• Silent Evacuation Procedure
• Hazardous material
• Sheltering procedure
• Weapons spotted/no armed intruder
• Explosion
• Suspicious package
• Weather emergencies
• Biological weapons notification or scare
• Hostage-taking
• Kidnapping or missing student

While considered a part of the District-wide School Safety Plan, this information 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. Copies shall also be provided within thirty days of adoption to the Mount Pleasant Police, State Police and the fire departments within Mount Pleasant.

The District’s Facilities Department shall provide crisis response and local police personnel with existing school interiors and grounds plans. The plans shall be reviewed each year to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Each building shall develop a Building-Level Safety Plan that incorporates the protocols found in the District-wide Safety Plan and shall teach students, staff and visitors to respond to emergencies and disasters. Staff and students will be familiar with the Safety Plan so each individual knows what to do and how to do it in an emergency. Safety plans shall identify potential local sites of emergency including, but not limited to, buildings, grounds, buses and work sites and shall provide for:

• Annual review of procedures for the protection and/or safe evacuation of students, staff and visitors, consistent with the District-wide Safety Plan.
• Designations of an Emergency Response Team comprised of school personnel, local law enforcement officials and representatives from local emergency response agencies; the appropriate response teams; and a Post-Incident Response Team including appropriate school personnel, medical personnel, mental health counselors and others who can assist after a violent incident.
• Internal and external emergency communication system.
• Definition of chain of command for emergencies consistent with the federal, state and/or local guidelines.
• Coordination of the District’s Safety Plan with the statewide plan for Disaster Mental Health services to assure that the school has access to federal, state and local mental health resources.
• Procedures for review and the conduct of drills and other exercises to test elements of the emergency response plan.
• Procedures for securing and restricting access to the crime scene of violent crimes.

In addition to the preceding emergency protocols, all staff members are expected to adhere to the following basic preventative measures. The following measures must be practiced on a daily basis by all District personnel:

• All staff members are expected to carry their classroom/office keys at all times.
• All staff members are expected to wear District-issued photo identification badges.
• Each teacher/staff member who occupies a room or area must scan the room or area upon first entering.
• The principal or designee should be notified immediately if anything looks suspicious.
• After school begins, all entrances, except for the main entrance, should be locked.
• All visitors must report the main office before proceeding further into the building.
• All contractors assigned to work in any building must first report to the Facilities
• Department at the District Office located at 825 Westlake Drive, Thornwood, NY, to
• receive an identification badge which must be worn at all times when workers are on
• school property. All other visitors will be directed to report to the building’s main office.

The Emergency Coordinator, in conjunction with local officials, has identified the following areas outside of school property, may affect District operations during an emergency. Factors that were considered were population, presence of hazardous materials, potential for emergency based on national trends and proximity to District property.

1. Bronx River Parkway
2. Saw Mill River Parkway
3. Mount Pleasant Town Hall
4. Mount Pleasant Vehicle Maintenance Facility
5. Mount Pleasant Railroad Stations
6. Mount Pleasant Town Pools
7. Holy Rosary
8. Legion Property
9. Zeiss
10. The Summitt
11. Rose Hill and Town Center Shopping centers
12. Kensico Dam/Reservoir
13. Valhalla Methodist Church
14. All Aboard School
15. Other local businesses

Plans for emergency response include but are not limited to the following four basic plans:

• Cancellation prior to the start of school
• Early Dismissal
• General Evacuation
• General Lock-Down

Protocols are found in the District-wide Safety Plan.

i. Cancellation Prior to the Start of School

The Superintendent of Schools or a designee, in conjunction with the building principal(s) as appropriate, shall make the decision to close schools/offices. Radio and television notice on the Mount Pleasant local access channel will be provided. Information will also be posted on the District’s website. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall activate the emergency notification system that will provide relevant information to all students and staff. Staff will report for service as usual unless specifically notified not to.

ii. Early Dismissal

The Superintendent of Schools or designee, in consultation with building principals(s) as appropriate, shall make the decision to close schools/offices early and dismiss students. He/she will notify the Transportation Supervisor who will dispatch District buses to the appropriate locations. The Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee shall activate the emergency notifications system that will provide relevant information to all affected students and staff. No child in grades K-5 shall be dismissed early from school if designated individuals cannot be contacted. A cadre of staff will remain in the building after dismissal until all children have been picked up.

The high school shall be dismissed first, followed by the middle school, and finally, the elementary schools. The middle and high schools will dismiss all students, and buses will depart at the time designated by the Superintendent of Schools. Parents will be notified of these procedures at the beginning of the year so they can make arrangements for where children will go in case of early dismissal. Such arrangements shall be given in writing to the school.

iii. Evacuation

Evacuation may mean going outside, away from the building until the danger has passed. In some situations, it may be necessary to evacuate students to an alternate site. Each building level plan shall identify alternate evacuation sites. The general evacuation plan will follow The protocols set at each building for fire drills. The specific evacuation plan will depend on the exact nature of the threat and will be found in the District-wide Safety Plan. Should it be necessary for children to be removed to an off-site location, the schedule shown in the Safety Plan will be followed.

iv. Lockdown

This procedure shall be used when being inside the building is safer than being outside. The specifics of the lock-down procedure will be found in the District-wide Safety Plan and will depend on the exact nature of the incident. At least, once annually, each school shall perform a lockdown drill with teachers and students. At the principal’s discretion, this drill may utilize the services of legal enforcement agencies. Parents should be notified in advance of the drill.

The District-wide Safety Plan includes a checklist of District resources to be available in each building in a central location designated as the Command Post. The list, which is not meant to be inclusive, requires the following items:

• Copy of District-wide School Safety Plan
• List of emergency telephone numbers (included in Plan)
• Building maps indicating locations of hazards, evacuations and shelters
• Telephones, including fully charged cellular phones
• Radio communications capability
• Battery-operated AM/FM radio
• Flashlights
• Fax Machine
• Photocopier
• Computer
• Student Rosters
• List of students with special needs and specific evacuation plans
• Telephone numbers for parents/guardians
• Information about emergency needs
• School and staff census information

The District will, as appropriate, utilize all available manpower during an emergency. The Facilities Department will, as appropriate, call in all available maintenance and custodial staff to provide support during emergency.

The Superintendent shall be responsible for the coordination of District resources and manpower during emergencies. If it becomes necessary during an emergency, the Superintendent of Schools will call upon the staff to provide all needed support. In the event that the Superintendent of Schools is not available, the following positions are authorized to make decisions on behalf of the school District:

• Director of Facilities
• Director of Curriculum Instruction
• Director of Special Education
• Director of Business Administration

Annually, building principals shall designate a building-level safety team to provide assistance during emergencies. The building principal shall annually update the list of those staff members and provide their names and home telephone numbers to the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee.

In the event of an area-wide emergency, the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee shall endeavor to notify the principals to ensure that resources are available to assist students and staff as appropriate. He/she shall also attempt to notify as quickly as possible the programs located within the District boundaries.

• The Student Code of Conduct shall be the basis for training
• The District-wide Safety Committee shall help principals assess needs and develop responses

Annually, in its Code of Conduct mailing or through a separate communication from the Superintendent of Schools, the District will provide information to parents and community members regarding the early detection of potentially destructive or violent behavior, including, but not limited to the identification of family, community and environment factors.

In most instances, the District’s responsibility for a child begins when a student enters school property. If a child is driven to school by a private party, the responsibility for the child’s safety remains with that party until the child exits the car.

If a child rides on a school bus provided by the District, the District’s responsibility begins when the child boards the bus and ends when he/she steps off of the at the end of the day.

Therefore:

• Trained personnel will staff all buses.
• A bus driver/school aide orientation program in the first week of school will include anti-violence procedures and warning signs.
• During orientation, bus driver will be told whom to contact to report bus issues and/or incidents. All drivers will be provided with appropriate communication devices (two-way radios or cell phones) before leaving the bus compound.
• The Director of Transportation and bus dispatchers shall be trained to recognize, identify and handle a potential crisis, using anti-violence procedures and shall review this information with all new transportation staff hired during the school year.

Appropriate prevention and intervention strategies as practiced in each school shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Non-violent conflict resolution training programs
• Peer mediation programs
• Anti-bullying programs

Annually, a Memorandum of Understanding between the District and Mount Pleasant Police will be reviewed to ensure that personnel are adequately trained, including being trained to de-escalate potentially violent situations. The District’s Emergency Coordinator shall be responsible for reviewing the Memorandum and recommending changes.

The Student Code of Conduct provides for procedures regarding bullying, violence and harassment and other prohibited student conduct. The Code shall be disseminated to all staff and students by the first week of school. This section of the Code contains procedures to be followed by all school personnel regarding student conduct, reporting of violations, penalties, procedures and referrals for all inappropriate behaviors as set forth in the Code. All staff members will be trained annually in recognizing and effectively dealing with these behaviors. The Director of Facilities shall be responsible for ensuring that such training will occur.

The District shall provide physical environment, security equipment and procedures/policies that school officials, in consultation with the police, judge appropriate to
safeguard the safety of all students, staff and visitors who lawfully enter school property.

The District shall:

• Install and maintain appropriate building alarms, fire alarms, lighting, emergency communications systems and locking systems.
• Conduct ongoing visual inspection and systematic maintenance of security alarms, fire alarms, telephone and emergency communications systems, inside and outside doors and locking devices.

The Principals shall:

• Establish procedures for controlled building access pursuant to Building-level Safety Plans.
• Identify staff members who will be responsible for the administration of safety/security regulations and provide them with time and resources that are appropriate in the District’s judgment.
• Periodically review with faculty and staff the security needs of their individual facilities and make recommendations for change.

The District shall provide all sites with staff, security devices, and training that, in its judgment, are appropriate to safeguard students, staff and visitors. The District shall establish a process for the on-going review of safety and security concerns of students, staff and visitors.

Early detection can eliminate up 85% of potential crises. Therefore, all personnel involved with Mount Pleasant students shall receive annual training about warning signs and symptoms of violent behavior. Such training shall be organized and provided annually by the Superintendent of Schools and his/her designee. In addition:

• New crisis intervention staff shall be trained as early as possible in the school year.
• Principals will coordinate training with psychologists and counselors.
• The District shall provide retraining as appropriate.

Staff shall keep this plan and all other materials relating to safety and security in a secure place at all times. These materials, except for the District-wide Safety Plan, may be distributed to the general public or to the press.

The District will provide funds and other necessary resources for periodic multi-hazard training for all staff. Training may include procedures for the review and conduct of drills and other exercise to test components of the emergency response plan, and may include the use of tabletop exercises, in coordination with local public safety personnel. The Emergency Coordinator shall be responsible for providing resources for this training.

The Building-level Safety Teams are responsible for knowledge and understanding of emergency protocols. They shall meet at least four times a year to review building safety issues, including but not limited to physical plant issues, procedural questions, building access, sign-in procedures and site related issues.

Other training shall be implemented as follows:

1. Staff

• Right-to-know training (as required by law).
• Blood-borne pathogen training (as required by law).
• Violence prevention training (annually).
• School violence prevention and intervention training including Initial non-violent crisis intervention training (CPI training) and refresher courses.
• Additional building-based training based on site-specific needs.
• Knowledge of Mount Pleasant Central School district policies related to safety/security.
• Knowledge of District-wide Safety Plan and specific roles.
• Training in the use of security devices and procedures as needed.

2. Students/Staff

• Annual review of student handbook and Code of Conduct as early in the school year as practical.
• Fire drills as required by law and other emergency and evacuation drills.
• Annual classroom and/or assembly orientations on security and safety issues.
• Non-violent conflict intervention and peer mediation where appropriate.

Programs to improve communication among students, and between students and staff, must be established in each building. Such programs may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Youth-run programs
• Anonymous reporting mechanisms for school violence
• On-premises counseling resources
• Other programs based on district and building need

Consulting with students and staff, each principal shall establish an appropriate mechanism for anonymously reporting school violence and harassment (e.g., Internet, telephone call to Central Office or school, outside agency, suggestion box, etc.). Principals shall conduct a meeting with all students and staff as early as possible in the school year to:

• Inform them that they are expected at all times to conduct themselves in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
• Inform them that they are expected to report all potentially violent incidents to a responsible adult.
• Inform them that staff will be available to discuss any concerns/problems.
• Advise the students of appropriate staff members to contact in the event of a conflict on the bus.

When a student or staff member becomes aware of implied or direct threats of violence by other students, teachers, school personnel and visitors to the school, he or she must report the threat immediately to a teacher, principal, the principal’s designee or the Superintendent of Schools or any other responsible adult. The principal shall investigate the report and if it is found to be credible, shall impose discipline in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. Reports of potentially violent incidents shall be given to the Superintendent of Schools as soon as practicable.

Acts of violence requiring immediate response from building personnel shall be responded to in accordance with protocols found in the District-wide Safety Plan. Once the situation is stabilized, acts of violence involving students shall be subject to processing under the disciplinary procedures found in the Student Code of Conduct and, if appropriate, criminal prosecution.

The District-wide Safety Committee, the Director of Business Administration and the Administrative Assistant for Personnel shall be responsible for developing the District-wide materials and implementing the District-wide protocols in accordance with the Safety Plan. Principals shall review the District-wide and building level safety plans and verify compliance therewith annually, using this District Plan as an outline. A copy of the building level plan will be provided to the Central Office and the District-wide Safety Committee

Mount Pleasant Central School District Administrators and Cooperating Heads of Town Agencies

Title	Name
Superintendent of Schools	Dr. Peter Giarrizzo
Director of Facilities	Eric Strack
Director of Business Adm. and Transportation	Margaret Modugno
Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Administrative Services	Dr. Adam Bronstein
Director of Pupil Personnel and Student Services	Traci Holtz
Director of Athletics	Donna Pirro
Director of Technology and Data	Vacant
Principal of WHS	Keith Schenker
Assistant Principal of WHS	Ken Amann
Principal of WMS	Anthony Mungioli
Assistant Principal of WMS	Christine Parrottino
Principal of CES	Michael Cunzio
Principal of HES	Anne Stern
Town Supervisor	Carl Fulgenzi
County Executive	George Latimer
Mount Pleasant Chief of Police	Paul Olivia

Command Post Checklist

In accordance with the New York State Project S.A.V.E. Legislation, each principal is responsible for developing a Building-level Safety Plan that incorporates the protocols found in this Safety Plan, designates an emergency response team, establishes a chain of command and a command post in his or her building and provides for appropriate training for students and staff. This information needs to be reviewed and updated annually with the District Emergency Coordinator in the Central Office.

The Control Center can be, but does not need to be, the principal’s office. This location should be supplied with the following items to enable effective communication and rescue coordination (maps, floor plans, etc.). In addition, each command post must be able to identify who is in the building (personnel and students rosters) and who may have special needs requiring special assistance.

The following items need to be available at all times at the designated Command Post:

• List of emergency telephone numbers (police, fire, ambulance, Superintendent, Transportation Supervisor.
• Maps indicating locations of hazards, evacuation and shelters.
• Building Floor Plans.
• Telephones (minimum of 5, including fully charged cellular phones).
• Battery-operated AM/FM radio.
• Flashlights or battery-operated lamps.
• Alternate power supply.
• Fax machine
• Photocopier
• Computer
• Student rosters
• List of students with special needs and specific evacuation plans
• Telephone numbers for parents/guardians
• Information about emergency needs
• School and staff census information

Emergency Notification Procedures

When an emergency requires notification of staff, the Superintendent or his designee will provide constantly updated information to the following radio and television stations:

TV Channel 12 News
WFAS
WHUD
WCBS
FOX FIVE
WABC

Additional information may also be found on the District’s website.

During an emergency, all contact with the media will be handled either by the Superintendent of Schools or the Director of Facilities. The media and public will be informed and updated as soon as practicable on all developments in statements released by the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee. Pupils, staff and parents should refer all questions and requests for information. The Superintendent of Schools may refer such requests to the Director of Facilities for response. By definition, emergency events are unforeseen and unpredictable. The safety of students and staff is the primary focus of all activities surrounding an emergency event. Every effort will be made to contact parents and the general public once the situation has stabilized.

Please contact the Director of Facilities if you require additional information.

Evacuation of District Buildings to Reception Centers

WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL
• Location and route specified in the building safety plan.

WESTLAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL
• Location and route specified in the building safety plan.

COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
• Location and route specified in the building safety plan.

HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
• Location and route specified in the building safety plan.

Not all evacuation plans can be considered. Some circumstances and every condition will cause
administrator to modify his/her plans.

• Establish an evacuation plan and agreement with Royal Coach.
• Establish an evacuation plan with local churches.
• Establish an evacuation plan and agreement with Town of Mount Pleasant.
• Establish an agreement with Valhalla and Pleasantville School Districts to evacuate to their buildings if district-wide evacuation is needed.
• Emergency go-bags – all schools with cold weather disposable blankets for all staff/students.

AED

• Provide sign at Westlake High School track with locations of AED.
• Access to all additional AEDs if needed at all schools.
• AED - Auto 911 dial out.
• Increase staff training for AED, First Aid and CPR.

To All Principals

The following information should be filled out and kept with the Building-Level Safety Plan and a copy forward to the Business Office.

• Location of Student Health Records
• Location of Emergency Contact Information
• Location of Student Rosters
• Who among your staff is trained in first aid?
• Who among your staff is trained in use of automatic external defibrillators and CPR?
• Building safety team meetings (should be minimum 4x annually) and brief description of topics covered.

Adopted by the Board of Education: 5/7/14