Glens Falls City School District Emergency Response Plan

Glens Falls City School District
2023-2024

Introduction

Glens Falls City School District is a small city district with eight buildings. We have a student population of approximately 2,000 and a staff of approximately 360, including bus drivers.

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 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 plan is responsive to the needs of our school. Districts stand at risk from a wide variety of acts of violence, natural, and man-made 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 Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES, in coordination with the Glens Falls City School District, supports the SAVE legislation, and has facilitated the planning process.

The Glens Falls City School District is concerned with the safety and security of its students, staff, and visitors to school property. Under the provisions of SAVE, these measures are designed to prevent and curb violence. The Glens Falls City School District does not condone violence and will not tolerate such acts. The Superintendent encourages and advocates on-going cooperation and support of Project SAVE.

The Glens Falls City School District ERP is established under the following assumptions:

The school community will continue to be exposed and subject to threats/hazards and vulnerabilities described in the Threat/Hazards Assessments Annex, as well as lesser threats/hazards that may develop in the future.
A major disaster could occur at any time and at any place. In many cases dissemination of warning to the public and implementation of increased readiness measures may be possible; however, most emergency situations occur with little or no warning.
A single site incident could occur at any time without warning and the employees of the school affected cannot and should not, wait for direction from local response agencies. Action is required immediately to save lives and protect school property.
There may be a number of injuries of varying degrees of seriousness to faculty, staff, and/or students. Rapid and appropriate response can reduce the number and severity of injuries.
Outside assistance from local fire, law enforcement and emergency services will be available in most serious incidents. Because it takes time to request and dispatch external assistance, it is essential for the school to be prepared to carry out the initial incident response until emergency responders arrive at the incident scene.
Actions taken before an incident can stop or reduce incident-related losses.
Maintaining the Glens Falls City School District ERP and providing frequent opportunities for training and exercising the plan for stakeholders (staff, students, parents/guardians, first responders, etc.) can improve the schools readiness to respond to incidents.

Section I: General Considerations and Planning Guidelines

A. Purpose

The Glens Falls City School District School Safety Plan was developed pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation 155.17. At the direction of the Glens Falls City School District Board of Education, the Superintendent of the Glens Falls City School District appointed a District-Wide Safety Team and charged it with the development, maintenance, and revision of the district-level Emergency Response Plan. This plan was developed by the District-Wide Safety Team in coordination with the Glens Falls Police and Fire Departments, the Warren County Sheriff, the Warren County Department of Emergency Services, and the New York State Police.

B. Identification of Safety Teams

8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(2)(ii) – requires the designation of an emergency response team, other appropriate response teams, and a post-incident response team. The Glens Falls City School District has developed three emergency teams:

*District-Wide Safety Team* 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (b) and 155.17 (c)(11) – requires that each school shall have a District Level School Safety Team that consists of representatives from the following groups: teacher, administrator, and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other school personnel, community members, local law enforcement officials, local ambulance or other emergency response agencies, and any other representatives the board of education deems appropriate.
Dr. Krislynn Dengler	Superintendent
Kevin Warren, Jennifer McDonald, Paul Morcone, Carrie Mauro, Jennifer Hayes	School Building Principals
Jim Victor	NYSIR Insurance Representative
Ken Chester	Director of Facilities/Transportation
John Norton	Glens Falls Police Department
Peter Casertino	Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Skye Heritage	Director of Public Relations and Information
Steve Spory	Data and Network Analyst
Cassie Deason, Sara DiLandro, James Vanderwerken, Kate Johnson, Fred Marillo, Liz Giblin	Parent Representatives
Jason Rivers, Tim Graham	Board of Education Representative
Maria Ruggi, Kari Benway, Rebecca Ring, Liz Gross	Teacher Representatives
Diedre Grieve	School Social Work/Psychology Representative
Bobby Yusko	Asst. Superintendent for Business
Rebecca Lowry	HS School Security staff member
Shane Jones	Director of Athletics
Becky Vanderklish	Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Tammy Silvernell	Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

*Superintendent’s Safety Council / Incident Response Team* Glens Falls City School will use the Incident Command System to manage emergencies, and major planned events/drills. The individuals assuming each role in this command structure will vary from incident to incident. The Incident Commander at the location of the emergency will be delegated the authority to direct all incident activities within the school’s jurisdiction. The Incident Commander will establish an Incident Command Post (ICP) and provide an assessment of the situation to the emergency responders, identify incident management resources required, and direct the on-scene incident management activities from the ICP. The command structure below is an example of ICS roles assumed in a major incident during which all of the listed staff members are present, in accordance with 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(2)(v). During any incident, the Incident Commander Role will be assumed by the most qualified staff member present at the scene. The person assuming the role of Incident Commander will determine which of the other roles are needed and will appoint staff present at the incident to those roles.
Incident Commander:	Dr. Krislynn Dengler, Primary; Skye Heritage, Alternate; Tammy Silvernell, Alternate
Safety Officer:	John Norton, Primary Peter Casertino, Alternate
Command Officers:	Kevin Warren, Jennifer McDonald, Paul Morcone, Jennifer Hayes, Carrie Mauro, Rebecca Vanderklish
Public Information Officer:	Skye Heritage, Primary; Tara Sullivan/Amy Hoffer/WSWHE BOCES PIO, Alternate
Liaison Officer:	Amy Towers
Operations:	Ken Chester
Planning:	Skye Heritage
Logistics:	Krislynn Dengler
Finance and Administration:	Bobby Yusko

*Post-Incident Response Team* After an incident, this team will direct the academic, physical, fiscal, psychological, and emotional recovery of students and staff members.
Dr. Krislynn Dengler	Superintendent
Kathy Cerny	Dept. Chair for Psychologists/Social Workers
Beth Clark, RN	Dept. Chair for Nursing
Ken Chester	Director of Facilities/Transportation
Bobby Yusko	Asst. Superintendent for Business
Tammy Silvernell	Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum/Instruction

C. Concepts of Operations

The overall strategy of a Glens Falls City School District ERP is to execute effective and timely decisions and actions that prevent harm, protect lives and property, mitigate damages, restore order and aid recovery. This plan is based upon the concept that the incident management functions that must be performed by the school generally parallel some of their daily routine functions. To the extent possible, the same personnel and material resources used for daily activities will be employed during incidents. Because personnel and equipment resources are limited, some routine functions that do not contribute directly to the incident may be suspended. The personnel, equipment, and supplies that would typically be required from those routine functions will be redirected to accomplish assigned incident management tasks.

Glens Falls City School District personnel are likely to be the first on the scene of an incident in a school setting. Staff and faculty are expected to respond as appropriate and notify the Superintendent or designee until command is transferred to someone more qualified and/or to an emergency response agency with legal authority to assume responsibility (Police, Fire or EMS dependent upon the nature of the incident). Staff will seek guidance and direction from the Glens Falls City School District and emergency responders. Any staff person or faculty in a building that sees or is aware of an emergency shall activate the ERP.

Each school’s Building-Level Safety Plan shall be directly linked to our Emergency Response Plan.
In the event of an emergency or violent incident, the initial response to all emergencies will be by the Superintendent and/or the Building-Level Incident Response Team.
Upon the activation of the Building-Level Emergency Response Team, the Superintendent of Schools or her designee will be notified and, where appropriate, local emergency officials will also be notified.
Efforts may be supplemented by County and State resources through existing protocols. If needed, the Superintendent will contact these organizations.

D. Plan Review and Public Comment

This plan shall be reviewed and maintained by the District-Wide Safety Team. It shall be reviewed on an annual basis on or before July 1 of each year, in accordance with NYCRR Section 155.17 (b). Each update or change to the plan has been recorded in the following table:

*Revision/Update/Amendment*	*Name*	*Date*
Update	Krislynn Dengler	07/01/2022
Update	District-Wide Safety Team	05/22/2023
Update	District-Wide Safety Team	06/05/2023

Pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation 155.17 (e)(3), a summary of this plan was made available for public comment 30 days prior to its adoption. The plan was adopted by the School Board after at least one public hearing that provided for the participation of school personnel, parents, students, and any other interested parties.
Our Building-Level Safety Plans are confidential and shall not be subject to disclosure under Article 6 of Public Officers Law or any other provision of law in accordance with Education Law Section 2801-a. Full copies of the District-Level and Building-Level Safety Plans and amendments will be supplied to the following agencies within 30 days of adoption, in accordance with 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(3): Glens Falls Fire Department; Glens Falls Police Department; Warren County Sheriff’s Office; and New York State Police.
Full copies of the District Safety Plan and any amendments will be submitted to the New York State Education Department within 30 days of adoption.

Section II: Risk Reduction

A. Prevention /Intervention Strategies

Training for Staff
1. 1. The building Emergency Team shall receive regular training in response and management of emergency situations, post-incident response, event evaluation, and debriefing. Incident Command System (ICS) Training should be completed through the FEMA Independent Study Program at www.training.fema.gov or through the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) at www.dhses.ny.gov.
  2. Personnel acting in security functions shall receive training in de-escalation, non-violent crisis intervention, and non-violent intervention strategies. Key staff members such as guidance counselors, the school disciplinarian, and the Nurse will also receive Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training and will respond to potentially disruptive or potentially harmful situations.
  3. All school employees will receive at least two hours of instruction on issues involving school safety. These may include, but are not limited to:
    - Review of the Emergency Response Plans with staff, ensuring all staff have been briefed on the communication and notification requirements set forth in the ERP
    - Full staff briefings on roles to perform during an emergency
    - Recognizing warning signals for violence
    - De-escalation training
    - Non-violent conflict resolution
    - Mediation
    - Mentoring
    - Social skill development
    - Character education
    - Improving communication between students and staff
  4. Contract(s) may be made with qualified local agencies to provide annual school safety training for staff.
  5. Annual Multi-hazard Training for Staff: All staff will receive training and information through Vector Training.
    - Right to know training – fall, conducted via Vector Training
    - Hazard material training – fall, conducted via Vector Training
    - Bloodborne pathogens – fall, conducted via Vector Training
Training for Students:
1. 1. Students will participate annually in programs presented by certified staff or local public service agencies. These sessions may include, but are not limited to:
    - Mediation
    - Conflict resolution
    - Peer leadership
    - Anger Management
    - Anti-bullying instruction
    - Character education
    - Social skills development
  2. Programs will be evaluated by staff to ensure their effectiveness and may be modified or discontinued as necessary.
Other Prevention/Intervention Measures:
1. Key staff members will receive Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training and will respond to potentially disruptive or potentially harmful situations.
2. Disciplinary referrals will be monitored to access potentially harmful situations.
3. All staff are required to report to the administration any direct or indirect threat of violence to students, themselves, others, or property. These will be reported to the Superintendent who will take whatever action is deemed necessary.
4. Students, staff, parents, and others will be educated about the importance of reporting threats and the procedures for reporting. For parents this will be done through written/electronic communication sent home to them. Staff members will receive such information during training sessions.
5. Parents and visitors are encouraged to tell school staff about any direct or indirect threat of violence towards students, themselves, others, or property.
6. Students will be required to report to any faculty, staff, or administration official information regarding potentially harmful or violent incidents. Students who report these incidents will be assured of confidentiality. Students can use the Tip Line Google Form at https://www.gfsd.org/departments-services/safety-culture/ or leave a message at 518-832-4511, or email safe@gfsd.org.
7. When they become aware of information regarding a student who may have capabilities for potentially violent behavior, the Superintendent, guidance counselors, school social worker/psychologist, or the nurse will notify all persons deemed appropriate to receive such information.
Drills and Annexes:

Glens Falls City School District understands the importance of training, drills, and exercises in being prepared to deal with an incident. The district will conduct periodic drills and other multi-hazard exercises annually. The purposes of these practices shall be to provide training for staff and students, to better prepare them should an emergency situation arise. Another purpose of the drills and exercises will be to test the components of the Emergency Response Plan. These activities will be planned by our School Safety and Emergency Response Teams and will be followed by a critique/evaluation. Drills to be conducted may include, but are not limited to:

Sheltering In Place/Securing Your Area
Evacuation
Evacuation Off-Site
Lock Out
Lock Down
Communication Systems Check

To ensure that Glens Falls City Schools personnel and community responders are aware of their responsibilities under the Glens Falls City School District ERP, the district will conduct the following exercises/drills annually:

Section 807 of the Education Law mandates that pupils must receive instruction on how to exit the building in the shortest possible time without confusion or panic. The instruction must be in the form of drills or rapid dismissals and must include a minimum of 12 drills each school year.
Also, each building level emergency response plan shall be tested including sheltering and early dismissal (no earlier than 15 minutes before normal dismissal), in accordance with 8 NYCRR Section 155.17 (e)(3).
Four (4) Lockdown drills will be conducted internally to ensure that Glens Falls City School District staff have the ability to secure the facility and students against an immediate threat to life and safety. Such drills will cause minimal interruption to academic activities and will involve the clearance of hallways, locking of classrooms and positioning of students and staff in pre-designated “safe areas” within each room. Where possible, the school will seek out opportunities to conduct full-scale response exercises with law enforcement.
Whenever a lockdown drill will be conducted, whether announced or unannounced, Glens Falls City School District will notify local law enforcement and/or the regional 911 Emergency Dispatch Center prior to and at the conclusion of the drill. This will be done to ensure that law enforcement does not receive a false report that Glens Falls City School District is in actual lockdown. Any announcements made during a drill will be preceded and ended with the phrase “this is a drill”. This will ensure that all involved recognize that this is a drill and not a real incident (i.e. “may I have your attention, this is a drill – LOCKDOWN – this is a drill”). Additionally, a sign or notice will also be placed at all public entrances indicating that a drill is in progress, and to wait for service “SAFETY DRILL IN PROGRESS – PLEASE WAIT.” This will serve to notify any uninformed parents or visitors and prevent unwarranted panic.
Drill and training dates will be documented using Navigate 360.

5. Coordination with Emergency Officials:

1. Drills will be coordinated with our local police, local emergency responders, and preparedness officials. The officials we coordinate with are:
  - Glens Falls City Police Department
  - Glens Falls City Fire Department
  - Director of Emergency Service
  - Warren County Sheriff Office
2. All such exercises shall be coordinated by the Emergency Response Team.

B. Sites of Potential Emergencies

Schools are exposed to many threats, hazards, and vulnerabilities. All of these have the potential for disrupting the school community, exposing students/staff to injury, and causing damage to public or private property. The interior and exterior portions of all school buildings, school grounds and surrounding neighborhoods are assessed regularly for potential threats/hazards that may impact the site, staff, and students. The threat/hazard assessment was completed by NYSIR in May of 2023. Building-Level ERPs contain specific sites of potential emergencies relative to their building. Specific Annexes used to address threats/hazards can be found in the Threat and Hazard Specific Annexes section.

Explosion/Fire Potential: All buildings: Basement-level gas and electrical systems/boiler rooms

C. Assignment of Responsibility

The Emergency Response Team will respond using a chain of command consistent with the National Interagency Management System (NIIMS) Incident Command System. The chain of command is listed on pages 4-5 of this ERP.

D. Continuity of Operations

In the event of an emergency the Superintendent or her designee will serve as incident commander. The incident commander may be replaced by a member of a local emergency response agency.
After relinquishing command, the Superintendent or her designee may be asked to serve in a support role as a part of the Unified Incident Command, if established, by local emergency response agency.
The Glens Falls City School chain of command is meant to ensure continuity of operations. It can be found on pages 4-5 of this plan.

E. Notification and Activation

The development of an incident or a hazard will be reported to the Superintendentor his/her designee as soon as possible following its detection.
Warning System
1. The public address system located in the main office or the fire alarm shall be used to alert all occupants of the building to an emergency. The announcement signal will begin with the words, “May I please have your attention?” All staff will cease normal operations and follow instructions given.
2. In the event of a need to evacuate the building for any reason, the emergency alert will be broadcast followed by specific instructions or the fire alarm will sound.
3. The “all clear” signal will be announced verbally or through our bell system.
4. In the event that a staff person other than the Superintendent or her designee gives the initial warning or emergency signal, that person shall contact the Superintendent or her designee immediately.
5. Should there be a power failure, all teachers in the building shall open their doors and be alert for announcements by bullhorn or messenger.
Personnel will utilize both internal and external communication tools in emergencies, including, but not limited to:
1. Cell phones
2. Building intercom
3. Portable radios
4. Bus radios
5. Bull horns
6. Laptop or Chromebook computers
7. Fax
In the event of emergency, the Superintendent or her designee will notify all personnel to take appropriate protective action as outlined in the Emergency Response Plan.
Messages regarding early dismissal, sheltering in place, or evacuation will be communicated to the public as soon as possible.
Evening and Weekend Emergencies

In the case of an emergency when an event is being held in the building, the responsible person shall immediately take appropriate action. As soon as feasible,the Superintendent or her designee will be notified.

F. Hazard-Specific Protocols

The Emergency Response Plan includes hazard specific guidelines located in the Hazard Specific Protocol Section beginning on page 30.

G. Evacuation Procedures

The evacuation procedures of students, staff, and visitors are located in the Emergency Response Plan, page 22.

Our sheltering procedure for staff and students is located on pages 21-22 of our Emergency Response Plan.
Our procedure and locations for sheltering in weather related emergencies is located on pages 20-21 of the Emergency Response Plan.
When transportation is not available, students will be housed in the school building or evacuated to the bus garage as the situation warrants.
Medical needs will be addressed by our school nurse. If necessary, local EMTs and hospitals will be contacted. Staff members Beth Clark, RN; Sheri Williams, RN; Missy Higley, RN; Amy Mignot, RN; Tracy Webster, RN; and Katasha Barry, RN; and all coaches have emergency care training.

Section III: Responding to Threats and Acts of Violence

A. Security

Building security alarms shall be activated when the building is not in use.
Visitors:
1. All visitors who have legitimate business in the school must report to the Main Office immediately upon entering the building, present their state-issued identification to be scanned through the Raptor Visitor Management System, and wear their visitor ID badge at all times while in the building. The visitor must sign out at the conclusion of the visit.
2. Unauthorized visitors should be reported to the Building Principal or their designee.
3. The Building Principal or their representative has the authority to prohibit the entry of any person on school premises when the presence of such person is unauthorized or disruptive. If such a person refuses to leave the school grounds or creates a disturbance, the Building Principal or their representative is authorized to request assistance from local law enforcement agencies.
In the event of an incident/crime committed on school property, the school shall use the following procedures for securing and restricting access to the scene in order to preserve evidence from being disturbed or destroyed.
1. The initial scene security is charged to the Building Principal and Superintendent or their representative until relieved by law enforcement officials.
2. No items shall be removed, cleaned, or altered without prior approval from law enforcement officials.
3. Nothing in this section should be interpreted to precede the rescue and aid of injured persons.
4. Please refer to the Crime Scene Management section of the Functional Annexes of this ERP.

B. Definitions of Violent Acts

Knowingly and willfully causing physical harm to a student, school employee, or any other person lawfully on school property.
Possession while on school property of a gun, knife, explosive or incendiary bomb, or other dangerous instrument capable of causing death or physical injury.
Threats to use, while on school property, any instrument that appears to be able to cause physical injury or death.
Knowingly and intentionally damaging and destroying the personal property of a student, school district employee, or any other person lawfully on school property.
Knowingly and intentionally damaging or destroying school property.

C. Threats of Violence

In the event of a threat of violence made by students, school employees, or visitors, the following actions will be taken:

The Superintendent, or their representative, will be immediately notified.
If possible, the Superintendent, or their designee, will interview the person(s) involved and will take such action as deemed appropriate.
Action taken, depending upon the severity of the situation, may consist of a verbal warning, detention, in or out-of-school suspension, reprimand, suspension, or discharge. The appropriate public service agency may also be contacted.
If the Superintendent, or their representative, believes that a crime has been committed, law enforcement officials will be notified. If necessary, an order of protection will be secured.

D. Acts of Violence

In the event that a violent act is committed on school property, the Superintendent, or their representative, will be contacted immediately. After assessing the situation, they will take whatever steps are deemed appropriate.

E. Reporting Incidents

School administrators will keep records of serious threats and acts of violence. These will be reported annually to the state.
The Superintendent, or their designee, is authorized to contact local law enforcement officials to respond to threats or acts of violence.

F. Removing Violent Individuals

Aggressively dangerous and violent students should only be restrained by staff who are TCI certified. If necessary, police will be called to remove these students.
Violent adults are to be reported immediately, law enforcement officials contacted, and should only be removed by police.

G. Emergency Telephone Numbers

Emergency telephone numbers are referenced in Appendix 1 and 2 of this plan.

Section IV: Communication with Others

The Glens Falls City School District has worked closely with police, fire, EMS, and governmental agencies to obtain assistance during emergencies. Representatives helped in the development of this plan, are included in our Emergency Response Plan, and will assist in drills and provide technical assistance. Providers have given approval to the Glens Falls City School to rely on local personnel, resources and facilities in emergency situations. In the event of an emergency or violent incident, if needed, help in providing mental health services will be sought from Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES, county and regional mental health agencies, and other area schools. The Superintendent, or their designee, is authorized to contact these agencies as needed. Assisting agencies and their telephone numbers are listed in Appendix 1 of this plan.

Please refer to the Communications section of the Functional Annexes of this ERP.

Section V: Responding to Threats and Acts of Violence

The District has developed the following safety and security procedures to protect students, staff, and visitors from indirect and direct threats of violence:

A. Reporting of Threats of Violence to School Authorities:

Students are encouraged to inform school staff about any indirect or direct threat of violence to themselves, others, or property.
Staff are required to inform administration of any direct or indirect threat of violence to students, themselves, others, or property.
Parents and visitors are encouraged to tell school staff about any indirect or direct threats of violence towards students, themselves, others, or property.
Students, staff, parents, and others will be educated about the importance of reporting threats and the procedures of reporting.

B. Investigation of Threats of Violence

The building administrator will investigate reported threats of violence and will make the determination of disciplinary measures consistent with the Code of Conduct.
Serious acts will require the involvement of police personnel (violent offenses in accordance with SAVE requirements.)
Chronic offenders may require a behavior intervention plan, close monitoring, and police involvement.
Threats placing students, staff, and others in imminent danger require an immediate call to law enforcement.

C. Reporting Acts of Violence to School Authorities

Students are encouraged to inform school staff about acts of violence toward themselves, others, and property.
Staff are required to inform administration of any act of violence to students, themselves, others, or property.
Parents and visitors are encouraged to tell staff about any acts of violence towards students, themselves, others, or property.
Students, staff, parents, and others will be educated about the importance of reporting acts of violence and the procedures of reporting these acts.

D. Investigation of Acts of Violence

The building administrator will investigate reported acts of violence and will make the determination of disciplinary measures consistent with the Code of Conduct.
Serious acts will require the involvement of police personnel (Violent offenses according to SAVE requirements.)
Chronic offenders may require a behavior intervention plan, close monitoring, and police involvement.
Acts of violence placing students and staff in imminent danger require an immediate call to law enforcement.

E. The District Code of Conduct is annually:

Reviewed by the Board of Education at a public meeting
Reviewed by the Staff at the first Superintendent’s Conference Day
Reviewed with all students on the first day of classes
Available to all parents

F. Policies and procedures for contacting appropriate law enforcement officials

In the event of a violent incident Law enforcement officials will be contacted by the Incident Commander as outlined in the Building-Level ERPs.

G. Appropriate Responses to Emergencies

The District recognizes that appropriate response to emergencies varies greatly depending upon the actual threat or act as well as the magnitude of such emergency. The Building-Level ERPs clearly detail the appropriate response to such emergencies.

H. Policies and procedures to contact parents, guardians or persons in parental relation to the students in the event of a violent incident or an early dismissal

Conditions requiring such notification(s) are outlined in the Building-Level ERPs.

Section VI: Prevention and Intervention Strategies

Policies and Procedures related to school building security, including, where applicable, the use of school safety officers and/or security devices or procedures

At this time, the District has installed the following security systems:
1. Evolv Weapons Detection Systems have been installed at the Middle and High School buildings as well as card-readers and security cameras in all district buildings.
2. In addition, the following safety precautions have been put in place:
  1. The outside doors are locked at all times and remain locked during the day. All entries must be granted from within the Main Office.
  2. Hand-held communication devices such as cell phones and radios are used by all supervising staff when monitoring students outside the building (i.e., during recess or PE class).
  3. All visitors are required to check in and out at the receptionist desk.
  4. The staff is trained annually in procedures to follow regarding visitors in the building.
  5. District Safety Council meetings are held monthly. District Safety Team meetings are held bi-annually.

B. Procedures for the Dissemination of Informative Materials to the Media, Staff, Parents, and Students

The District will provide information concerning early detection of potentially violent behaviors, including, but not limited to the identification of community, family, and environmental factors through a variety of mechanisms. These include open houses, annual reviews of the District Code of Conduct, staff development opportunities, and open communication with other districts. In addition, the policies and procedures for the dissemination of informative material for specific crisis situations is clearly outlined in the Building-Level ERPs.

C. Prevention and Intervention Strategies

The district continues to develop and investigate various strategies regarding violence prevention and intervention. These Strategies include, but are not limited to:

Collaborative agreements with state and local law enforcement officials as well as outside agencies designed to ensure that school safety officers and other security personnel are adequately trained including being trained to de-escalate potentially violent situations.
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) annual training for staff members in high-risk areas.

D. Description of Duties, Hiring, and Screening Process, other School Safety Personnel

Hiring and Screening Process:
1. The District follows the New York State Fingerprinting Laws.
Duties of Hall Monitors and School Safety Personnel
1. All staff receive training and participate in drills assigned to implement skills learned on an annual basis.

E. Information Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination

The Glens Falls City School District will collect, analyze, and disseminate information during and after an incident.

Types of Information
1. During an incident, the school will assign administrative staff to monitor weather and local law enforcement alerts. This information will be analyzed and shared with the Incident Commander.
2. After an incident, the school will assign staff to monitor websites and hotlines of mental health, emergency management and relief agencies. The school will also monitor the school district information portal, to determine any information pertinent or critical to the school’s recovery effort.
Information Documentation
1. The assigned staff member will document the information gathered including:
  1. Source of information
  2. Staff member who collected and analyzed the information
  3. Format for providing the information
  4. Date and time the information was collected and shared

F. Administration, Finance, and Logistics

Agreements and Contracts
1. If Glens Falls City School District resources prove to be inadequate during an incident, Glens Falls City School District will request assistance from local emergency agencies, other agencies and industry in accordance with existing Memoranda of Understanding. Such assistance includes equipment, supplies and/or personnel. All agreements are entered into by authorized school districts and school officials.
Documentation
1. The ICS Section Chiefs will maintain accurate logs recording key incident management activities including:
  1. Activation or deactivation of incident facilities
  2. Significant changes in the incident situation
  3. Major commitments of resources or requests for additional resources from external sources Issuance of protective action recommendations to staff and students
  4. Evacuations
  5. Casualties
  6. Containment or termination of the incident
Incident Costs
1. The ICS Finance/Administration Section is responsible for maintaining records summarizing the use of personnel, equipment and supplies to obtain an estimate of incident response costs that can be used in preparing future school budgets and to share these costs with the Superintendent and District Business Office. These records may be used to recover costs from the responsible party or insurers or as a basis for requesting financial assistance for certain allowable response and recovery costs from the State and/or Federal government.
Preservation of Records
1. In order to continue normal school operations following an incident, records such as legal documents and student files must be protected (i.e. in the event of a fire and flood).

Section VII: Recovery

The Post-Incident Response Team has developed the following procedures for dealing with post-incident response:

A. Short Term Response

Mental health counseling will be provided by our school’s mental health professionals. The district will contact other local districts and ask them to assist with mental health counseling if necessary. County mental health workers may also be contacted.
1. Kathy Cerny, Department Chair for Social Workers/Psychologists
Building security will be provided by designated personnel. If necessary, the building will be locked down and the site secured.
1. Officer John Norton, Glens Falls Police
2. Officer Peter Casertino, Warren County Sheriff
3. The goal of our Emergency Response Plan is to restore the facility to normalcy as soon as possible.
A post-incident response/critique will be facilitated by a district-appointed staff member in conjunction with the Post-Incident Response Team as soon as practicable. This process includes a pathology of the event and response and a post-traumatic-incident debriefing with the Emergency Response Team.

B. Long Term Response

Mental health counselors in our district will provide on-going counseling following emergency events. They will also monitor post-traumatic stress symptoms and provide information to staff and parents on post-traumatic stress.
1. Parents of students exhibiting post-traumatic stress symptoms will be notified and provided with a list of mental health agencies and providers.
2. Staff members exhibiting post-traumatic stress symptoms will be provided with a list of mental health agencies and providers.
Building security following a serious event will be reviewed. If necessary, changes will be made.
The event will be analyzed to assess the likelihood of another similar occurrence and correctives will be made to reduce the likelihood of another similar event.

Section VIII: District Resources Available During Emergencies

School Buildings
1. Kitchen/Cafeteria Equipment and Supplies
2. Bathroom/Shower Facilities
3. Space for Command Post & Short Term Storage
4. Automatic External Defibrillators
5. First Aid Supplies
6. Bull Horns
7. Registered Nurse
8. Emergency Squad First Responders
9. Area-wide Radio Communication System

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Building Summary

All school buildings covered by the District-Wide School Safety Plan with addresses of buildings, list of contact names, and telephone numbers of building staff:

GFSD Administration Building	15 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Dr. Krislynn Dengler	518-792-1212
Glens Falls High School	10 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Kevin Warren	518-792-6564
Glens Falls Middle School	20 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Jennifer McDonald	518-793-3418
Big Cross Street Elementary School	15 Big Cross Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Paul Morcone	518-792-2619
Jackson Heights Elementary School	24 Jackson Avenue, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Carrie Mauro	518-792-1071
Kensington Road Elementary School	43 Kensington Road, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Jennifer Hayes	518-793-5151
GFSD Bus Garage	31 Glenwood Avenue, Queensbury, NY 12804	Ken Chester	518-792-2706
Sanford Street School	10 Sanford Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801	Rebecca Vanderklish	518-793-7395

Appendix 2: External Emergency Contacts

Glens Falls Police Department	Chief Jarred Smith School Resource Officer John Norton	518-761-3842
Glens Falls Fire Department	Chief James Schrammel	518-761-3822
Warren County Sheriff	Sheriff Jim LaFarr Undersheriff Terry Comeau	518-743-2500
New York State Police	SRO for Warren Co. Area: Stephen Rothwein Public Information Officer: Stephanie O’Neil	518-783-3235 518-783-3284

Appendix 3: Building/Grounds/Local Road Maps

Consistent with 8 NYCRR 155.17 (e)(2)(iii) (procedures for assuring that crisis response, fire and law enforcement officials have access to floor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the school interior, school grounds and road maps of the immediate surrounding area), the Glens Falls Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, and Glens Falls Fire Department all have electronic access to building floor plans through the Navigate 360 Emergency Management Suite.

Floor plans include:

School name and address
A key to define any symbols used
Compass indicating North
Each floor is a separate page
Building entrances are labeled (including service entrances)
Windows and interior doors are graphically shown
Rooms are labeled with room number
Common areas and administrative offices are labeled by use
Location of water, gas and electrical shutoffs are clearly noted

Map/Image of grounds include the following:

An overview of campus with all buildings labeled
A key to define any symbols used
Compass indicating North

Map/Image of surrounding areas include the following:

Labeled streets
Labeled buildings
Key to define any symbols used

Glens Falls City School District 2023-2024