The sample of school safety plans included here is meant to give you a general idea of strategies that can be implemented to protect students, teachers, and visitors alike. All learners should be able to go to school and feel secure that they will not be facing physical or psychological harm.
Sample of School Safety Plans: General Policies
The school safety plan will include the following types of information:
- A vision statement indicating the basic premise that all other policies will be based on. The school should be committed to making sure that all students are given the opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive environment. Teachers and administrators will work together with each other and people in the community, including law enforcement officials, to ensure that student safety is a priority.
- Specific programs and strategies for keeping students and staff members safe will be set out, including keeping the grounds neat and tidy, and security measures taken on a regular basis by staff members.
- A statement regarding the school's social and cultural environment. Teachers and staff members are expected to show concern for their pupils. Students are expected to behave in an orderly fashion. If a student has a concern about his or her safety, they are encouraged to bring it to the attention of a teacher, the principal, or vice principal so that appropriate action may be taken.
Sample of School Safety Plans: Emergency Situations
In addition to a general set of policies that set the tone for the school environment, a sample of school safety plans also needs to include specific policies to be implemented when an emergency situation arises. The emergency procedures plan will likely be developed after consulting with local police and fire officials. Different courses of action will be taken based on the level of threat involved. Here are some examples:
- For an elevated threat to safety and security, police may be called and asked to come to the school. If a student or staff member has been injured, paramedics may need to be called as well.
- At the next highest level of threat, police may be called, and the principal or vice principal may need to issue a written note to parents to advise them about the situation or provide further information to them in person or by phone.
- In the most severe situations, police may be called and the principal may be directed to close the school. Any visitors to the campus may be asked to produce photo ID and escorted to part of the building where they need to go. A Crisis Team may be called in to provide counseling and support to students and staff members.
Training and Drills
An emergency plan for a school needs to include a certain number of staff members trained in First Aid and CPR. Students and staff should be provided with training on how to respond to a natural disaster. This information should be re-presented on at least an annual basis so that it is very familiar to everyone in the school community.
Fire drills and safety training also needs to be part of the school curriculum. By practicing how to exit the building quickly and calmly, if a real emergency were to transpire, students and staff will know exactly how to respond without scrambling to find the closest exit.
Emergency supplies kept on the school campus need to be examined on a regular basis to ensure that everything is in order and they don't need to be restocked. Emergency contact information should be updated at least once every school year, and parents should be reminded throughout the year to advise office staff if their contact information changes.
Schools need to implement written safety policies to keep everyone who works and studies there safe so that they can get on with the job of being effective learners.
