school safety Archives - Fort Plain Central School District

Updated September 2024

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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. 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 prevention, response, and recovery with
respect to a variety of emergencies in each school district and its schools.

The Fort Plain 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

Purpose

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

This plan was last updated as of June of 2024.

Identification of School Teams

As per Commissioner’s Regulation, Section 155.17 (c)(13), the FPCSD District-Wide Safety Team is comprised of representatives of the Board of Education, teachers, administrators, parents, school safety personnel, law enforcement and other school personnel.

The District’s Chief Emergency Officer is the Superintendent, currently Mrs. Lauren Crisman.

Concept of Operations

This School Safety Plan will guide the development and implementation of Building Level Safety
.This plan has been developed using the New York State Education Guidance Document.
In the event of an emergency, the initial response will be led by the building level administrator(s).
Upon activation of the Building Level Safety Plans, the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee and local emergency officials will be notified.
County and State resources through existing protocols may supplement emergency response actions, including post-incident responses.

Plan Review and Public Comment

This plan was last updated as of June of 2024.

The district and building-level plan(s) were originally adopted by the School Board in 2001 after a public hearing that provided for the participation of school personnel, parents, students and any other interested parties.

The plan must be formally adopted by the Board of Education each year.

Recent Board actions include:

Public Hearing on August 16, 2023
Adoption by the board on September 13, 2023

Full copies of the School Safety Plan will be submitted to the New York State Education Department within 30 days of adoption.

Building Level Safety Plans will be supplied to local police, the Sheriff’s Office and the NYS Police within 30 days of the update. The Building Level Safety 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.

Section II: Risk Reduction/Prevention and Intervention Strategies

Violence and Threat Prevention

Violence and Threat Prevention initiatives include:

Use of Character Education Program(s) embedded in K-12 school experience.
Integration of Alyssa’s law and mandatory related instruction .
Assemblies provided to educate students about the dangers of certain behaviors/ risks
Suicide and depression prevention counseling.
Faculty training for use of ALICE protocols to respond to school threats, TAMS, threat
assessment, emergency response, self defense, Stop the Bleed, and situational awareness.
Implementation of the Dignity for All Students Act.
Implementation of the FPCSD Code of Conduct.

Information will be provided to parents/guardians on how to identify potentially violent behaviors. The District website has reporting forms available to the public.

If a teacher or administrator identifies risk factors that cause concern, referrals can be made to building level student support teams for further evaluation. The administrators may bypass the team review and proceed directly to the Superintendent for consultation regarding situations deemed to be high risk.

Communication is vital in the prevention and intervention of violence in schools; the District partners with various community resources to be able to provide additional counseling and prevention options such as Catholic Charities, Berkshire Farms caseworkers, etc.

Training, Drills, and Exercises

The district will supply parents and guardians with early notification of when all drills will take place. At the minimum, it will be a one-week notification.

First Responder training will be provided yearly for members of the faculty.
Select staff will be provided Therapeutic Crisis Response training yearly.
Situational awareness and threat response training will be provided yearly during a Superintendent’s Conference Day by response agencies and/or BOCES staff.
Each year the Building-Level Team(s) will recommend additional training needed.
Emergency drills will be conducted yearly, as per NYSED regulation. In addition, situational drills will be conducted to rehearse specific emergency response systems periodically.
Safety Meetings chaired by the Superintendent will be held quarterly to address areas of concern/ need.

Safety Response

Staff is trained to be vigilant pertaining to threats against students and staff (i.e. bullying). The District invests in being culturally responsive to all constituents to increase the sense of belonging and purpose for all.

Security Devices

Buses and physical sites have surveillance cameras installed.
FPCSD is a single point of entry campus, meaning each building is only accessible to the public via the locked and supervised Main Entry.
Photo ID cards are issued to staff and badges to visitors; all guests must sign in and sign out.
Doors remain locked at all times.
Each classroom has the ability to lock the door and hard corners have been identified to ensure all persons can be out of line of sight from the glass windows on the doors.

Vital Educational Agency Information

Each Building Level Safety Plan will include the following information:

School population
Number of staff
Transportation needs
Cell numbers of administrators and supervisors

The Building Level Teams will ensure that this information is accurate and will be updated routinely.

Early Detection of Potentially Violent Behavior

Paying attention to early warning signs can help prevent or minimize violence to self and others. Certain emotional and behavioral signs, when viewed in context, can signal a troubled student. Teachers are trained to recognize the signs that can be used to signal a student who may need help. The more signs a student exhibits the more likely it is that he or she may need intervention.

Early warning signs include, but are not limited to:

Depressed mood or chronic crying
Decline in school performance
Verbal expressions about one’s own death
Giving away important personal possessions
Use of alcohol or drugs
Recent withdrawal from therapy or psychological counseling
Purchase of knives, guns, or ropes
Verbal or written communications which appear to be saying “good-bye”
Feelings of guilt
Violent, aggressive behavior
Exaggerated mood swings
Running away
Talking about revenge or getting even with parents
Confusion and despair resulting from sudden death or suicide of a peer
Any sudden obvious changes in behavior
Eating disorders – changes in eating habits
Sleeping disorders – insomnia or excessive sleeping
Low energy level, constant fatigue
Decreased productivity or effectiveness
Pessimism about the future or brooding about the past
Loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activity
Inability to show pleasure
Reactions that seem inappropriate to the situation
Statements of inadequacy or low self-esteem
Social withdrawal – pulls away from friends
Irritability or excessive anger (which may be directed towards parents, caretakers, or siblings)
Neglect of personal appearance
Physical complaints
Preoccupation with illness, death, or catastrophic events
Decreased attention, concentration, or ability to think clearly

Hazard Identification

The District has established procedures in the Building Level Safety Plans for the identification of potential sites and the internal and/or external hazards that may be present in them. These procedures are developed in coordination with the local Emergency Management Office, the FP Fire Department, and other local law enforcement agencies, and the use of a Risk Probability Checklist.

Multi-Hazard Responses

The Building Level Safety Plans include identification of specific procedures for each action depending upon the emergency.

Location of Potential Sites/Internal or External Hazard:

Railroad—External
NYS Thruway, Rt. 5S and Rt. 5—External
School Heating System—Internal
School Bus—External
Athletic Fields, Playgrounds and Play Area—External/Internal
Field Trips—External

Hazard Assessment (some external hazards are county-wide)

Type, Predictability, Approximate Frequency, Warning Time, Seriousness, Possible Responses

Intruder—1, 5, 1, 2, 4 and 5
Bomb Threat—1, 5, 1, 5, 1 and 3
Hazmat—1, 2, 1, 4, 1 and 3
High Winds—3, 2, 2, 5, 1 and 3
Bus Accident—1, 5, 1, 3, 2
Winter Storm—5, 1, 4, 5, 1 and 3

Predictability: 1) unpredictable through 5) very predictable.

Frequency: 1) more than once/year; 2) annually; 3) every 2-3 years; 4) every 5-10 years; 5) rarely Warning Time: 1) none; 2) minutes; 3) hours; 4) days; 5) exact likely dates known.

Seriousness: 1) disaster (entire community w/casualties); 2) disaster (entire school w/casualties); 3) emergency (affects one or more individuals w/casualties); 4) emergency (entire community no casualties); 5) emergency (entire school no casualties)

Possible Responses: 1) Shelter-in-Place; 2) Hold-in-Place; 3) Evacuation; 4) Lockout; 5) Lockdown

Section III: Response

Notification and Activation

The school annually reviews its policies and procedures for contacting appropriate law enforcement officials in the event of a violent incident.

The person in charge (Superintendent/ Incident Commander) will decide if the level of the incident
classifies it as a “violent incident” (consistent with the definition of such an incident as defined in the
Code of Conduct). If appropriate, the Incident Commander will call 911.
In a crisis situation involving a violent incident, school staff should call 911 and notify the
Incident Commander.
Educational agencies within the Fort Plain Central School District (non-public schools, registered
daycare centers, etc.) will be contacted using various district communication tools such as Parent
Square, the school website and school social media pages.
Caregivers will be contacted using ParentSquare.

Responses to Acts of Violence: Implied or Direct Threats/Acts of Violence

The District has policies and procedures to address situations dealing with acts of violence. These policies and procedures promote the safety of the school community as well as offer accountability for unsafe behaviors through the use of disciplinary actions.

Response Protocols

We have incorporated NYSED approved emergency response protocols in our Building Level Safety Plans. The plans include the definitions and procedures for the following responses: lockout, lockdown, shelter- in -place, hold-in-place and evacuation.

Bomb Threats, Hostage Taking, Kidnapping, Intrusions

Procedures and guidelines are included in the Building Level Safety Plans for the Fort Plain Central School District.

We use the NYS Police guidelines to address concerns related to bomb threats.

Arrangements for obtaining emergency assistance from local government

Policies and procedures for contacting appropriate law enforcement officials in the event of a violent incident are included in the Building Level Safety Plan.

The person in charge (Incident Commander) will decide if the level of the incident classifies it as a “violent incident” (consistent with the definition of such an incident as defined in the district’s Code of Conduct). If appropriate, the Incident Commander will call 911.
In a crisis situation involving a violent incident, school staff should call 911 and notify the Incident Commander.

Arrangements for obtaining advice and assistance from local government officials

Procedures for obtaining advice and assistance from local government officials including the county or city officials responsible for implementation of Article 2-B of the Executive Law.

The person in charge (Incident Commander) will decide if the level of the incident warrants obtaining emergency assistance. If appropriate, the Incident Commander will call 911.
In a crisis situation, school staff should call 911 and notify the Incident Commander.

District resources available for crisis response

Building Resources—Each building has a kitchen and large serving areas.
Transportation Resources—The District owns several buses, vans and maintenance vehicles.
Personnel Resources—The District employs several people with CPR/FA training, TCI Training, Stop the Bleed training, and School Nurse(s)
Other Resources—AEDs, Portable Fire Extinguishers, Alarms, Automated locks, drinking fountains, showers.

Agencies authorized to use the resources

Village of Fort Plain Police Dept.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
NYS Police Dept.
County Emergency Management Office
Village of Fort Plain Board
Village of Fort Plain VFD
American Red Cross

Protective Action Options

School Cancellation

The superintendent or a designee will announce the closing of school using Parent Square, email and social media as appropriate.

Early Dismissal

At the start of each school year, caregivers must notify the District where their child should go in the event that they are sent home during school hours for emergency purposes. Those records will be distributed to teachers and drivers.

Evacuation (before, during and after school hours) and Sheltering Sites (internal and external)

Procedures and guidelines are included in the Building Level Safety Plans.

Section IV: Recovery

Response and recovery will be a district goal.

Besides building security and restoration, the strategies will also include damage assessment, relocation and continuation of the educational process. A post-incident response critique, the notes from the incident commander and lessons learned will be assessed. Plans to mitigate the likelihood of occurrence or impact, if the incident does occur again, will be reviewed. If possible, efforts will be made to improve district facilities resulting in them being more resistant to suffering similar or worse damage.

Mental Health Services

The District understands how an emergency can have a major effect on the well-being of students, staff and community at large. The district will coordinate with Montgomery County Mental Health Services to support and address issues associated with trauma.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Listing of all school buildings covered by the district-wide school safety plan

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. HS, 1 West St., Fort Plain, N.Y. 13339
Harry Hoag Elementary, 25 High St., Fort Plain, N.Y. 13339
Fort Plain CSD Bus Garage, 25 High St., Fort Plain, N.Y. 13339

Appendix 2: Policies and procedures for working with the media

Media interaction may be handled by the superintendent or designee;
A law enforcement / emergency response agency, PIO; or
jointly, by both listed above.

Public Information Officer Information

Incident Commander and PIO functions may be handled by two different persons.
The School District PIO may work under, over, or in cooperation with, law enforcement and emergency response agency’s PIO.
The PIO should set forth clear media guidelines and communicate these guidelines to the media in writing.
The PIO should use a press release template for both a news conference script and/or a written press release.
The PIO should receive information and forms from the Incident Commander and other key function personnel on a regular basis throughout the emergency event

Student/Caregiver Information

Caregivers should be mindful of the situation during an emergency event when approached by the media for an interview. Safety and security issues may be compromised. Students should not communicate with the media via cell phone or other type of communication when on campus during any type of emergency situation.

Appendix 3: Reunification Plan

Students will be released only to parents and persons identified on the School District Emergency Card; he/she may be asked to provide proof of identification upon arrival in order for the school to release the student(s). During an extreme emergency, students will be released at designated reunion location(s). Parents should be patient and understanding with the student release process.

Appendix 4: Emergency Information Form

Emergency information can be found on the school’s student management system (eSchool) or in a file kept in each Main Office.

Appendix 5

The following Board policies can be found the school district website:

Alcohol and Other Substances
Child Abuse and Maltreatment
Drug Free Workplace
Firearms in School
Policy for Maintenance of Public Order on School Property
Code of Conduct
Sexual Harassment
Student Management Policy
Title IX/504/Civil Rights

Appendix 6: MOA for School Resource Officer

Appendix 7: Emergency Remote Instruction Plan

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts in New York are required to have a plan for how children will be educated if a school or schools must close under emergency conditions. These Emergency Remote Instruction Plans (ERI Plans) are included as part of the district-wide school safety plan, which is reviewed annually by district and building-level emergency response teams, adopted annually by the Board of Education and submitted to the New York State Education Department.

To ensure our Emergency Remote Instruction Plan is viable, the district completes an annual Student Digital Resources data collection report to better understand the level of access students have to devices (e.g., laptop, Chromebook, cell phone) and the Internet. The survey is distributed to all who are enrolled yearly during the month of October. New enrollments are asked to complete the survey at the time of registration. The survey will be published through the Parent Square app. The purpose of this survey is to ensure that, to the extent possible, students can access the Internet and receive remote instruction, if necessary, under emergency conditions. This survey is conducted on an annual basis. Students and families may update their access information at any time by contacting the student’s school.

The district has also developed a plan for communicating all necessary information should a school or schools need to close. The district will use existing internal and external communications channels to notify staff, students, and families/caregivers about remote learning schedules with as much advance notice as possible. This communication will include information about how computing devices (e.g., computers, hot spots, etc.) are being disseminated to students and families who need them. All relevant information will be communicated using Parent Square and will also be posted on the website.

To support remote learning, the district will make computer devices available to all students and families who need them. All students in grades K-12 will be issued a learning device on the first day of the school year.

Students in grades 5-12 will be expected to bring them back and forth from home to school daily. Should the need arise for the district to use Emergency Remote Learning, the District will work to distribute the devices using school transportation if safe to do so. Devices will also be available for pick up at the Elementary School.

To the extent possible, the district will also support students and families with accessing the Internet at home. Where that is not possible, the district will work with community partners to secure Wi-Fi access points for students and families so that they may participate in remote learning. If families identify internet access issues, the District will provide them with a paid “hotspot” device by the start of the second marking period..

There will be those students in our community for whom remote learning through digital technology is not appropriate or possible. For these students, the district will assess each student’s individual needs and whether in-person learning is an option. Other methods that will be considered include instruction by phone and/or the delivery of hard-copy materials to the student’s home.

The district will also take steps to ensure that school staff members have the necessary tools, i.e., computing devices and Internet access, to deliver emergency remote instruction from their place of residence. Every member of the instructional team will be issued a laptop and charger for use at home.

To ensure high-quality remote learning experiences, the district has standardized the use of a single online learning platform, Google Classroom, to the extent possible, and developed a common, coordinated set of guidelines for teachers to follow when using the platform with students.

Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 4 and Self-Contained Special Education Classrooms

By September 30, all students in Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 4, and Self- Contained Special Education Classrooms will receive a virtual learning packet which is to be kept safely at home until notification for use is sent via Parent Square.

The packet will be labeled as Emergency Remote Learning Materials. The packet will contain several assignments and materials that may be used during Emergency Remote Learning.

For students to be considered in attendance on the virtual learning day, they will need to turn in completed assignments as evidence of participation. If students are unable to complete the assignments independently or with remote support, accommodations will be made to assist them in making up the missed work upon return to school. These students will also be asked to log onto a Google Meet with their teachers at a specified time. If they are unable to participate in the Google Meet, the teachers will be expected to make contact via a phone call or through the use of Parent Square messaging.

Grades 5-6

Students in Grades 5-6 will be able to access assignments from any device in their Google Classrooms. Again, for the student to be considered in attendance, the assigned work must be completed and turned in. These students will also be asked to log onto a Google Meet with their teachers at a specified time.

All elementary teachers will be available to check-in and assist students via ParentSquare, using Google Meets, or by replying to email from the hours of 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on any remote learning days.

Grades 7-12

For students in Grades 7-12, remote learning days will operate on a 2-hour delay schedule. Students may be directed to attend a Google Meet or they may be assigned work to complete independently via Google Classroom. It is important that students check each Google Classroom Stream at the appropriate class time (listed below) to receive teacher expectations and assignments. If a class is not meeting via Google Meet, the teacher will be available to answer questions and provide support during posted office hours in their Google Classroom.

Period 1 – 10:00 -10:29 a.m.
Period 2 – 10:31 – 11:00 a.m.
Period 3 – 11:02 – 11:31 a.m.
Period 4 – 11:33 a.m. – 12:02 p.m.
Period 5- 12:04 – 12:33 p.m.
Lunch Break – 12:36 – 1:05 p.m.
Period 6 – 1:07 -1:36 p.m.
Period 7 – 1:38 – 2:07 p.m.
Period 8 – 2:09 – 2:38 p.m.

To join a Google Meet for any given class, students should sign in to Google Classroom and click the green “Join” button on the left-side menu.

Students in Grades 7-12 should make sure their chromebooks are charged and they are ready to begin classes at 10 a.m. For any technical issues please contact parenthelp@fortplain.org.

Appendix 8: Threat Assessment

Threat assessment is intended to prevent violence and involves both assessment and intervention. It involves determining whether a student poses a threat of violence (i.e., the student has intent and means to carry out the threat). A school threat assessment is conducted by the school crisis team. At Harry Hoag Elementary, the crisis team includes the principal, school counselor, school psychologist, and CSE director. The assessment involves evaluation and classification of the threat (i.e., transient versus substantive) and appropriate response and intervention.

A threat is an expression of intent to harm someone. This expression may be spoken, written, or gestured. Threats can be expressed directly or indirectly to the victim or to others, and threats may be explicit or implied. A threat to harm others can be transient (i.e., expression of anger or frustration that can be quickly or easily resolved or substantive (i.e., serious intent to harm others that involves a detailed plan and means). Most students who pose a substantive threat indicate their intentions in some way. Examples include statements to friends, ideas in written work, drawings, and postings on social media that threaten harm.

Types of Threats

Direct threat identifies a specific act against a specific target delivered in a straightforward, clear, and explicit manner (e.g., “I am going to place a bomb in the school’s gym”)
Indirect threat tends to be vague, unclear and ambiguous. The plan, intended victim, the motivation, and other aspects of the threat are masked or equivocal. Violence is implied, but threat is phrased tentatively, and suggests that a violent act could occur, not that it will occur (e.g., “If I want to, I could kill everyone in this school”)
Veiled threat is one that strongly implies but does not explicitly threaten violence (e.g., “We would be better off without you around anymore”)
Conditional threat is often seen in extortion cases. It warns that a violent act will happen unless certain demands or terms are met (e.g., “If you don’t pay me one million dollars, I will place a bomb in the school”)

The goal of threat assessment is not only to keep schools safe, but also to help potential offenders overcome the underlying sources of their anger or hopelessness. Effective threat assessment provides adults useful information about a student’s risks and personal resources. In most cases students will not carry out their threat, but may still be crying out for help. The assessment process should incorporate referral to appropriate mental health and social services, as well as a system for following up on the effectiveness of interventions.

Resources: NASP, 2015 (“Threat Assessment at School: Brief Facts and Tips); NASP, 2002 (Threat Assessment: Predicting and Preventing School Violence)

Protocol

The Threat Assessment Protocol to be followed at Harry Hoag Elementary is outlined in the flowchart on page 2 of this document. This flowchart was adapted from The Virginia Model for Student Threat Assessment (Cornell, 2010; Cornell & Sheras, 2006). Forms to be used as part of the threat assessment are on pages 3-4. All threat assessment forms indicating medium or high level of threat should be filed in the principal’s office.