There are 3 elements to our Safety Strategy:
- Safety Plans - We are required by law to have safety plans for every building in our district. Those plans are reviewed annually by the Department of Homeland Security to ensure we have an effective plan in place.
- Safety Committee - The committee is made up of staff, parents, first responders, community leaders, experts in the field of safety and security, and administrators. The committee meets throughout the year to review best practices and make recommendations in the interest of student safety.
- First Responder Partnerships - Our primary partners are our first responders. They work with the district regularly through tabletop exercises, training, and situations to improve our efforts.
This strategy allows us to be proactive rather than reactive in our approach to safety. Our students continue to be our best and most reliable defense against threats to our schools. Through well-developed relationships with students, police, and fire, we get information that helps us proactively assess and maintain the safety of the student body. See something, say something is critical to our success.
We understand that it can be frustrating when a situation occurs and we are not able to share information immediately or provide specific details, for example, during an active investigation or when there is a rumor spread on social media that requires investigation. In addition to our responsibility to keep the student body safe, we are equally responsible for protecting individual student’s privacy and safety. You have our commitment to share what we are able as soon as we are able. Please know that when there is a concern for student safety, you will be notified immediately.
Safety Committee
The Safety Committee is made up of staff, parents, first responders, community leaders, experts in the field of safety and security, and administrators. The committee meets throughout the year to review best practices and make recommendations in the interest of student safety. We apply for safety grants as they are available. When awarded, the funds are used to pay for recommendations from the committee.
Last year, the committee partnered with the Granville Police Department to complete a Safety Assessment with the goal of identifying ways to continuously improve safety in our district. Using the recommendations from the assessment, we applied for grant funding and made improvements.
Improvements made include:
First Responder Partnerships
As mentioned in previous communication, we met with the Granville Police Department last year to conduct a Safety Assessment with the goal of improving safety in our district. Using those recommendations, we obtained grant funding and carried out improvements. We could not have achieved this without the support of law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services personnel in our community. They are our primary partners, and work with us regularly on tabletop exercises, training, drills, and situations to enhance our safety and preparedness.
Our First Responder Partners and how we work with them:
In addition to the safety training and drills mentioned above, we are proud to be designated a Heart Safe School (HSS) by Project ADAM, meaning we have successfully implemented a quality sudden cardiac arrest program of awareness, training and effective emergency response to promote a safe environment for students, visitors and staff. We partnered with parents and the Granville Township FD in the development, implementation, and continued monitoring of our program.