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Districtwide Safety Plan

Background

The 2024 District Wide Safety Plan (DWSP) was reviewed by the District Wide Safety Team and on May 31, 2024 made available for public comment on the district's website for the required 30-day comment period.  The Board of Education adopted the 2024 DWSP on July 9, 2024.

Subsequently, in mid-July the Board of Regents approved proposed updates to the law governing school safety plan requirements.  Those changes to the law require that the district update its 2024 DWSP, review it with the district team, repost the plan online for another 30-day comment period, and undergo another public hearing and Board (re)adoption.  The Building Level Emergency Response Plan (BLERP), not a public document, is also impacted by the changes. Changes include:

  • Students and staff must be informed when a school is conducting a drill, except for evacuation drills.
  • Notice to parents and those in parental relations regarding drills must be made within one week before each drill. Include procedures for notifying parents or persons in parental relation.
  • Drills must be conducted on different dates as well as days of the week, and times of day.
  • Drills and training must be conducted in a trauma-informed, developmentally, and age-appropriate manner.
  • Drills and training shall not include props, actors, simulations, or other tactics intended to mimic a school shooting, incident of violence, or other emergency.
  • The New York State Fire Code requires that the fire alarm be used in an evacuation drill, and it is not considered a prop.