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Working Together to Keep Our Children Safe at
School
Recent events in the national media remind us that safety
for our children at school can never be taken for granted. Over the past several
months, the Honeoye Falls-Lima School District has taken steps to review and
update existing security and health procedures. Building Safety Teams have
revised incident plans, and we have undertaken training and studying of best
practices provided to us by the State Education Department and Homeland Security
Department. Thankfully, our local municipalities and community resources have
been graciously cooperating with us in addressing ongoing emergency planning.
What are we doing to keep our children safe in
school?
Security Measures
o Keeping all
exterior doors, except the main entrance to each building, locked throughout our
schools
o Requiring all
staff to wear photo ID badges
o Requiring all
visitors to our schools to register in our main offices and wear visitor badges
at all times
o Monitoring our
High School with security cameras
o Assessing our
facility needs to determine safety and health measures that we anticipate will
be brought to the public for voter approval this spring
o Monitors and sign in
procedures at main doors of all school buildings
o Installation
of cameras at all schools and parking lots - summer 2008
o Keyless entry
system upgrades - summer 2008
o Updated phone,
fire alarm and public address systems - summer 2008
Policies and Procedures
o Working
cooperatively with municipalities to ensure our preparedness to manage
crises
o Reinforcing
safety procedures with our staff and students
o Utilizing
newly updated sex
offender notice procedures and anti-harassment
procedures
o Reviewing and
updating existing security and health procedures and incident plans
o Planning an
effective response for any potential outbreak of the Pandemic
Flu
Practice Drills
o Testing our
early release practices with a power outage simulation drill on October
26
o Conducting
simulated intruder/lockdown drills in all school buildings this
year
Training
o Training key
staff in bomb threat deterrence
o Providing key
staff with National Emergency Management Training and Intruder Simulation
Training
o Training key
staff for recertification in AED/CPR
What can you do to help?
o Keep informed
through our newsletters, website and NewsNotes
o Contact us
immediately if you observe or become aware of any potential safety
concern
o Keep your
emergency contact information current with the school
office
o Support your
PTA when they request participation in safety projects
o Review safety
precautions with your children at home
o If a real
emergency situation ever occurs, please follow directions provided to you as to
reconnecting with your child. Emergency and school officials may need to make
decisions to preserve safety and order. In some situations, students may be
transported to alternate locations or to your home. In other situations, your
child may be released to you at a specified location.
o Follow visitor
policies when you come to our schools by registering in the main office and
wearing a visitor's badge
o When visiting
the Tax Office, use the main door to District Office
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