Transcript Eli Whitney Elementary School

Safety Procedures and Practices
School Year 2012-2013
Jack Lynch- Principal
WMS Security Team
 Mr. Lynch- Principal
 Officer Voccola- SRO
 Mr. Singletary- Asst. Principal
 Mr. Davies- Head Custodian
 WMS PTSA Executive Board:
 Mrs. Sissy Kouvatas
 Mrs. Chris Duffy
 Mrs. Trish Young
 Mrs. Danielle Dragone
Meeting Outline
 Introduction to Parents
 Overview of current procedures and practices
 Recent changes to improve security
 How parents can help keep students safe
 Q & A (share concerns)
Current Procedures & Practices
Arrival—School doors open at 8:05 a.m.
 Students enter at either the main or lower bus loop doors
depending on their grade level.
 Entrances to the building are covered by staff members and
administration in the morning and in the afternoon.
 All WMS Staff buzz into the building in the am.
 Cold & Inclement Weather:
 Mr. Lynch stays with the WMS 8th graders in the entrance
foyer & watches over them and the front entrance. Mr.
Singletary does the same with the 7th graders in their entrance
wing of the school.
Current Procedures & Practices
Dismissal
 Students are dismissed at 2:45pm. They go directly to
their lockers.
 Busses 1-5 are located in the lower bus loop.
 Busses 6-9 and van transport is located at the main
entrance bus loop.
 Faculty monitor dismissal at each exit.
 Mr. Lynch, Mr. Singletary and Officer Voccola monitor
for unfamiliar cars, people, non-WMS students from a
safety perspective.
Current Procedures & Practices
Early Dismissal
 If parents or guardians plan to dismiss their child before
the school’s regular dismissal time, they must provide the
school with prior written notice.
 Parent, guardian or designee must produce photo
identification for pick-up from the office.
 We cross check the emergency form on file to be sure that
parent, guardian or designee is authorized to pick up the
student.
 The parent, guardian or designee must sign out the student
in the Early Dismissal Log.
 The Dismissal Log is the WMS official record of early
dismissals.
Current Procedures & Practices
Visitors
 We screen all visitors using a monitoring system. When
visitors ring the bell, if they are unfamiliar we ask “May we
help you?” Visitors can briefly state their business with the
school. They are then allowed access to the building.
 Visitors are buzzed into the school and directed to report
to the main office.
 If visit requires a stay, then visitor’s must sign the Visitor’s
Log indicating their destination.
 All visitors must wear a Visitor’s Badge.
 All parent-teachers conferences are held in the main office
during the school day.
Current Procedures & Practices
School Safety Committee
David Wooster Middle School has a Safety Committee. The
committee oversees the following:
 Building Security
 Building Fire Drill and Lockdown procedures and drills
 Troubleshoot general problems regarding safety and
building maintenance issues.
 The committee will meet on a monthly basis from January
through June. The agenda will include items of concern
regarding the safety and security of WMS students and
staff.
Current Procedures & Practices
Stratford Public Schools Crisis Manual
 All classrooms and other ancillary staff have the Crisis
Manual issued by the Stratford Public Schools. The Crisis
Manual outlines the procedures to be followed in the case
of various emergency situations and describes the roles and
responsibilities of various staff.
 The manual is reviewed annually with the faculty and staff
with strong emphasis placed on the Fire Drill, Lockdown
Drill and Stay Put Procedure.
 Substitute teachers have full access to the Crisis Manual
that is located in teacher’s desk of every classroom.
Current Procedures and Practices
The Lockdown Drill
Primarily used in the event we have an intruder inside or
outside of the building.
 We will practice the Lockdown Drill monthly.
 Lockdown Drills will be scheduled at different times
during the school day to create different scenarios.
Current Procedures and Practices
The Lockdown Drill- Special Areas:
The Wooster Safety Committee has met with and
discussed lockdown procedures for special areas such as
the cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium, outdoors, and
hallways with the Stratford PD.
Students are trained and drills are conducted related to
special area lockdown procedures during the school year.
BOE Parent Notification Alerts
 Letter home to parents tomorrow afternoon with
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current powerschool contact information.
Update information on the form, check off which
numbers/email you would like notification sent to (up
to 3 numbers/emails per contact).
All numbers must be direct lines (no work extensions).
Return forms to the school on Monday 1/14.
Updates will be entered to powerschool.
A test of the system will occur on or about 1/26.
Any emergency contacts between now and then will
use current information in powerschool.
WMS Parent Notification
 In the event of an actual emergency:
 WMS e-blast lists and paper notifications will be
given to students after the lockdown is
complete and the building is secure.
 Phones will not be answered during the
duration of the lockdown event (or drill).
 Please be sure you have signed up for the team
e-blast list for your team.
Current Procedures & Practices
Fire Drill
We are mandated to conduct at least 10 fire drills in a
school year. All students and staff evacuate the building
within 60-90 seconds.
Stay Put Procedure
We use this procedure in an event we have a special
transport (ambulance) or if there is a potential danger in
one part of the building, i.e. hall spills, medical
emergency, etc.
Current Procedures & Practices
 ID badges- All Faculty & Staff must wear a school ID badge.
 Doors to the outside are locked- The administration, SRO, and custodial
staff conduct routine checks. If we have a delivery, an adult will man the door.
 Classroom doors are able to be locked by faculty- Teachers have their
classroom key. In the event there is a substitute, the key is left in the main
office for the substitute. Substitutes will have access to our school’s Crisis
Manual. Teachers will direct substitutes to familiarize themselves with the Fire
and Lockdown Drills.
 Walkie-Talkies to Communication- The administrators, nurse, head
custodian and main office staff are reachable anytime. Teachers are required to
have a walkie-talkie with them during outdoor activities.
 No student may open an outside door for anyone- at any time- during the
school day. This is a mandatory requirement.
 Team meetings with students and staff- Held periodically during the
school year to discuss and review protocols.
 Landscaping- Maintained so there is unfettered visual access to the building
(All bushes near building cut down over last few years).
Recent Changes to Improve
Security
Arrival
 All entrances to the school will remain locked so that the only
access is the front entrance (swipe card access being discussed).
Screening
 We have stepped up our efforts in regards to screening visitors.
Lockdowns
 We will increase the number of times that we practice this
particular drill.
Safety Committee
 A parent safety committee is being formed and will meet on a
monthly basis.
Recent Changes to Improve
Security
The District will…
 train new substitutes on school safety procedures.
 purchase a new emergency notification system, which will
provide both email and phone notification in the event of an
emergency.
 currently reassess each school’s evacuation route to be sure it’s
appropriate.
Work with town officials:
 Stratford Police Department will increase police presence in and
around schools.
 The Mayor and Department of Public Works will assess all
schools to put together a list of needed repairs as it relates to
security.
 The Mayor has created a Task Force.
How Parents Can Help
Keep Students Safe
Arrival
 Please do not drop off your son or daughter before 8:00
a.m. There is no supervision before 8:00.
Early Dismissal
 Please send in a note if picking up your child early. Early
notification is helpful and we can anticipate that you will
visit the school. Early notification will allow us to get your
child ready in advance.
 Please try not to pick up your child 15 minutes before we
are ready to dismiss the student body (Reason- busses are
already in the traffic loop or are arriving and this causes
safety concerns).
How Parents Can Help
Keep Students Safe
Information
 Please make sure your information on your Emergency Form is current, i.e.
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telephone numbers, etc.
Log onto the American Red Cross Website to get helpful tips on how to
keep your child safe.
In the event of an emergency, Visit the Stratford Board of Education
Website at http://www.stratfordk12.org
Tune into the following radio stations for up to minute information on
schools—WICC 600 AM; WEBE 108 FM; WELI 960 AM and WEZN 99.9
FM
Television Stations—News 12; Channel 8 & Channel 3
Telephone Early Emergency Notification System (prior slide)
How Parents Can Help Keep
Students Safe
Parents, you may feel that some of our safety procedures and practices are
somewhat of an inconvenience. However, they are designed to keep students, staff
and the entire
David Wooster Middle School learning community safe.
We thank you for your continued support.
Parents: Your Voice
You are invited to share any suggestions that you may
have regarding security by emailing me at
[email protected]
We will compile all suggestions and share them with the
Central Office Safety Committee.
Thank you.
Q&A
We will now open the floor for questions or share
concerns.