Board of Education Meeting -- December 2016 Dr. Scott Martzloff , Superintendent of Schools

1. School Safety and Security Update Board of Education Meeting -- December 2016 Dr. Scott Martzloff, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Anna Cieri, Assistant Superintendent for Exceptional Education and Student Services

2. SAVE Legislation The “SAVE” (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education) Act was passed in 2000, subsequent to tragedy at Columbine, and requires school districts and BOCES to take a number of steps to ensure school safety, including but not limited to: • Develop all hazards district-wide school safety plan and building level emergency response plans focusing on crisis intervention and emergency response and management • Establishing district-wide and building emergency response safety teams • Coordinating with local law enforcement • Developing and implementing policies and procedures for annual school safety training for staff and students • Amended in 2016 to required annual violence prevention and mental health training for all staff.

3. District-Wide School Safety Plans • Plans are public and must include, among other things, policies and procedures for: • contacting law enforcement in the event of an emergency • contacting parents, guardians or persons in parental relation to students in the event of an emergency or an early dismissal; • the use of school safety officers and/or security devices or procedures, as appropriate; • the identification of appropriate responses to emergencies; • responding to acts of violence, implied or direct threats by students to others, faculty, staff or anyone else in the school building. • Notifying parents if their child is planning on doing harm to themselves or is thinking about suicide

4. Building Level Emergency Response Plans Plans are confidentialand are not subject to disclosure under article 6 of the Public Officers Law. These plans must include, among other things, policies and procedures for: • creating and maintaining an emergency response team at the school with clear chain of command • safely evacuating students, faculty, staff and anyone else in the school building during an emergency; • ensuring that first responders have access to interior floor plans and as well as school grounds plans and road maps of the immediate surrounding area • annual review of plans as well as conducting drills and other exercises to test components of emergency plans, in coordination with local and county emergency responders and preparedness officials.

5. NYS Police & NYSED Recommended Emergency Response Terminology: Five plain language responses to emergency situations: • Lockout • Shelter in Place • Hold in Place • Evacuation • Lockdown Annually Review the District Emergency Response Guide

6. Hide, Run, Fight • If you are in a classroom or securable location, HIDE should be your primary response. • If you are in immediate danger, in a location that cannot be secured, or if a breach of your secured location is imminent, RUN - get out anyway possible • If an intruder enters the classroom, use WHATEVER means necessary to protect yourself and the students. You must be prepared to FIGHT for your life and use physical force to stop the intruder. CALL 911 WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO

7. Violence Prevention Statutes, regulations, policies and other violence preventative measures that work to develop a safe nonviolent school climate • 2000 SAVE Legislation • District Wide Safety Plan • Building Level Emergency Response Plans • Code of Conduct • School Safety Policies • Anti-Bullying Programs • Dignity For All Students Act • Asset Development &Wellness Initiatives, Mental Health Services & Supports

8. Violence Prevention (continued) • Fingerprinting • Harassment Training • Court Notifications • Threat Assessments • Building Vulnerability Assessments • Utilizing Building Filters & Layers For Safety • Tabletop Exercises (simulated drills) • Drills (including large scale, coordinated, multi-agency efforts)

9. Violence Prevention (continued) 12 Fire and Emergency Drills required annually: • Four must be lockdown drills • 6 fire drills & 2 lockdown drills between 9/1 and 12/31 • 2 fire drills & 2 lockdown drills after January 1 • Four fire drills must be through fire escapes or alternate route • Districts must 1) instruct students on procedures to follow if a fire occurs during lunch or an assembly or 2) hold a drill during the regular school lunch period or an assembly • Drills must take place at different times throughout the school day

10. Current Status: Physical Safety • Building Safety Plans developed for every school in the District • Continued and annual updates of safety plans • Practice controlled safety and evacuation drills 12x per school year • Annual fire and emergency drills to be held (4 conducted in collaboration with the APD) • Threat assessment and active shooter overview presented to District Administration

11. Current Status: Physical Safety • Installation of additional security cameras (total of 276) • Installation of buzzer system with camera and intercom at every main entrance with established visitor greeting protocol at each building • Consistent implementation of locked classroom and office door protocol • Improved security locking mechanisms on classroom doors • Numbering of classroom windows to assist first responders • Numbering of internal doors (in progress) • Monitoring of the main entrances of our schools and hallways

12. Current Status: Physical Safety • Implementation of ID swipe card access system for all employees • Increased number of proximity card access pointsat building entrances (92 in total) • Provision of annual safety training for all employees • Continuation of District Safety Planning Committee comprised of a variety of stakeholders (1 representative per building) with quarterly meetings led by E1B risk management • Monitoring of the local, state, and national dialogue regarding school safety (e.g., co-authored letter recently released by Attorney General and Commissioner of Education)

13. Current Status: Physical Safety • Partnership with Amherst Police Department: • Implementation of the School Liaison Officer (SLO) program in collaboration with APD (Multiple, regular visits to each school on a weekly basis) • Collaboration in conducting drills, including large scale simulated drills (e.g., North HS multi-campus drill) and drug searches • Ongoing consultation with established points of contact between APD and WCSD • After-hours security coverage (3 hours per day at each high school for afterschool activities and athletics) • SRO considerations

14. Current Status: Emotional Safety • Wellness programming and asset development at all levels • Implementation of transition programs at Middle and High School levels • Implementation of mindfulness with focus upon social-emotional learning • Development of suicide assessment protocol and training of mental health staff; implementation of Sources of Strength at all three high schools • Embracing diversity, promoting multi-cultural awareness and understanding, fostering acceptance, culture of respect and belonging for all students

15. Current Status: Emotional Safety • Threat assessment protocol developed and in-service provided to all mental health staff • Counseling (individual and group) • Contacts, connections and referrals to community resources • Annual in-service for all employees (e.g., part of annual mandated safety training) to include responding to acts of violence, awareness of mental health needs and suicide prevention measures • Ongoing professional development

16. School Safety and Security Update Board of Education Meeting -- December 2016