Emergencies and violent incidents in schools are critical issues that must be addressed in an expeditious and effective manner. The Board of Education recognizes its responsibility to adopt and keep current a comprehensive district-wide school safety plan and building-level emergency response plan(s) which address violence prevention, crisis intervention, emergency response and management.
Taken together, the district-wide and building-level plans provide a comprehensive approach to addressing school safety and violence prevention and provide the structure where all individuals can fully understand their roles and responsibilities for promoting the safety of the entire school community. The plans will be designed to prevent or minimize the effects of serious violent incidents and emergencies, declared state disaster emergencies involving a communicable disease or local public health emergency declaration and other emergencies and to facilitate the district’s coordination with local and county resources. The plans will also address risk reduction/prevention, response and recovery with respect to a variety of types of emergencies and violent incidents in district schools and will address school closures and continuity of operations.
In accordance with state law and regulation, the district will have the following safety teams and plans to deal with violence prevention, crisis intervention and emergency response and management:
Comprehensive District-Wide School Safety Team and Plan
The Board will annually appoint a district-wide school safety team that includes, but is not limited to, a representative from the following constituencies: the Board, teachers, administrators, and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other school personnel (including bus drivers and monitors). This team is responsible for the development and annual review of the comprehensive district-wide school safety plan and must consider the installation of a panic alarm system. The plan will cover all district school buildings and will address violence prevention (taking into consideration a range of programs and approaches that are designed to create a positive school climate and culture), crisis intervention, sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergencies, emergency response and management including communication protocols, at the district level. It will include all those elements required by law and regulation, including annual multi-hazard safety training for staff and students, protocols for responding to declared state disaster emergencies involving a communicable disease that are substantially consistent with the provisions of Labor Law §27-c, and an emergency remote instruction plan.
The district-wide safety plan will include contracts or memoranda of understanding that define the relationship between the district, personnel, students, visitors, law enforcement, and public or private security personnel. These contracts or memoranda will be consistent with the Code of Conduct, and will define the roles, responsibilities, and involvement in the schools of law enforcement or security personnel. The role of school discipline will be clearly delegated to school administration.
The Board may also appoint a student representative to the district-wide school safety team. However, no confidential building-level emergency response plans will be shared with the student member, nor will- the student member be present during discussion of any confidential building level emergency response plans, or confidential portions of the district-wide emergency response strategy.
The Superintendent of Schools or designee will be the district’s chief emergency officer and will coordinate communication between school staff and law enforcement and first responders. The chief emergency officer will ensure that all staff understand the district-wide school safety plan and receive annual training on the building-level emergency response plan (including all elements required by state law and regulations), violence prevention and mental health, and will also ensure that district-wide and building-level plans are completed, reviewed – annually, and updated as needed by the designated dates. The chief emergency officer will ensure that the district-wide plan is coordinated with the building-level plans, and will ensure that required evacuation, emergency
dismissal, and lockdown drills are conducted.
Building-Level Emergency Response Plans and Teams
Each Building Principal is responsible for annually appointing a building-level emergency response planning team that includes representation from teachers, administrators, parent organizations, school safety personnel, other school personnel (including bus drivers and monitors), law enforcement officials, fire officials and other emergency response agencies. The emergency response planning team is responsible for the development and review of a building level emergency response plan for each district building. The plan(s) will address response to emergency situations, such as those requiring the school to, shelter/shelter-in-place, hold/hold-in place, evacuate, secure lockout and lockdown and sudden cardiac arrest at the building level and will include all components required by law and regulation, including measures necessary to comply with Labor Law § 27-c to respond to public health emergencies involving a communicable disease. These confidential plans will include evacuation routes, shelter sites, medical needs, transportation and emergency notification of parents and guardians, and as of July 1, 2025, considerations for the access and functional needs of student and staff, and procedures for the reunification of students with parents/persons in parental relation following an emergency.
To maintain security and in accordance with law, the building-level emergency response plan(s) are confidential and not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law or any other law.
Building-level emergency response plans will include protocols in response to carbon monoxide alarms or detection. Alarm or detection of carbon monoxide will result in the appropriate actions as described by the emergency response plan.
Building-level emergency response plans must designate:
- an emergency response team for incidents that includes appropriate school personnel, law enforcement officials, fire officials, and representatives from local, regional and/or state emergency response agencies to assist the school community in responding to a violent incident or emergency; and
- a post-incident response team that includes appropriate school personnel, medical personnel, school health personnel, mental health counselors and other related personnel to assist the community in coping with the aftermath of a serious violent incident or emergency.
During emergencies, staff are authorized to temporarily cover classroom door vision panels when it is likely to protect staff and students. For example, covering vision panels may prevent an intruder from determining if a classroom is occupied, thereby discouraging attempts to gain access. During emergencies, staff are also authorized to temporarily block doors to slow the access of intruders. Building-level emergency response plans must address the temporary covering of door vision panels and the temporary blocking of doors during emergencies.
Drills
The Building Principal is responsible for conducting drills every school year of the emergency response procedures under the building-level emergency response plan including procedures for evacuation, lockdown and emergency dismissal drills as required by state regulations.
Any drill conducted during the school day with students present must be done in a trauma informed, developmentally and age-appropriate manner, and will not include tactics intended to mimic an actual act of violence or emergency. Except for evacuation drills, at the time a drill is conducted, students and staff will be informed that it is a drill. The district will give parents or persons in parental relation advance notice (at least one week) prior to each drill.
Annual Review and Adoption
All plans will be annually reviewed and updated, if necessary, by the appropriate team by. In conducting the review, the teams will consider any changes in organization, local conditions and other factors including an evaluation of the results of the emergency response procedures drills
which may necessitate updating of plans. If the plan requires no changes, then it will remain in effect. If the district-wide plan requires change, then the updated plan will be submitted to the Board of Education in time to allow 30-days of public comment and to hold a public hearing which provides for the participation of school personnel, students and other interested parties prior to Board adoption. All plans must be adopted by the Board of Education by September 1.
Reporting to the State and Law Enforcement
The Superintendent of Schools is responsible for submitting the district-level school safety plan and any amendments to the plan to the Commissioner within 30 days after its adoption, no later than October 1 of each year. The district-wide plan will be posted on the district’s website. Each Building Principal is responsible for submitting the building-level emergency response plan for the building, and any amendments to the plan, to the appropriate local law enforcement agency and the state police within 30 days after its adoption, but no later than October 1 of each year.
Harassment
Education Law §2801-a (school safety plans)
Executive Law §2B (state and local natural and manmade disaster preparedness) Labor Law §27-c
8 NYCRR §155.17 (School Safety Plans and Teams)
School Safety Plans Guidance, New York State Education Department, June 2010
Adoption date: May 27, 1997
Revised: May 28, 2013
Revised: September 26, 2016
Reviewed: August 28, 2017
Revised: February 10, 2025
Revised: June 8, 2026