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    Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Staff,


    A lot has gone on in the past week that is related to school safety.  We have gotten a lot of input from community members about what we can do to strengthen our security.  We have had conversations with administrators, directors, teachers, and law enforcement.  We have evaluated all of our safety practices, and we have created a list of district safety procedures.  This list has further been examined by the district safety committee and additional changes have been made.


    The safety practices we will follow as a district are summarized below.  Please realize that some of these practices are new and some of them have been around for awhile.  Some of them have been adequately enforced and some need to be reimplemented.  Many of these practices will cause students, parents, teachers, and administrators to do things differently, and many of the changes will not be easy or popular.


    As you read these practices, you will no doubt see that many will take some time to implement.  While some changes are already in place, many changes will take more time and will require a lot of explanation.


    Please look over this document.  Please be prepared for follow up emails or communications from building level administrators as they explain how specific changes will be implemented.  Quality communication will be essential to success, so I ask you to be patient as more information comes out in the next few days.


    Thank you for your help.  Change is usually difficult, but I am sure you agree that keeping our children safe is worth any inconvenience.

     

    Regards, 

    Stephen Gratto
    Superintendent

     

    April 24, 2024 A Summary of Safety Practices

     

    Arrivals/Departures


    School staff will be stationed at all school entrances during arrival time each morning.


    Morning bus pick up times for MS and HS students will be altered so students arrive later, thus decreasing time in the morning when the doors are open for entry.  Buses will arrive at the MS between 7:38 am and 7:45 am.  Buses will arrive at the HS between 7:47 am and 7:54 am.


    All students in the Middle School and the High School will be given or have been given ID cards


    Students in Middle School and High School will be required to carry their ID cards with them while on campus


    Students in Middle School and High School must be prepared to show their ID cards to school employees as they enter the building in the morning or at any point during the school day.


    School Staff will be stationed at both entrances in the MIddle School and High School each morning to check ID cards and to ensure that only students and school employees enter the building.


    The doors to the gym entrance to the high school will be locked at 7:57 am.  All students who arrive after 7:57 am will need to enter through the front door and sign in.


    Students returning from BOCES midday must use the front entrance.  They will be required to have their ID cards on them.


    All faculty and staff will enter the building each morning through one of the established main entrances.


    All Duzine and Lenape parents will be provided with school ID cards for their children.  These should be shown to school staff, along with identification, when they pick up their children at the end of the school day or on during weekend events.  A cell phone photo of a child’s ID may be used in place of an ID in some situations. 


    Parents who wish to have other people sign their child out of school must designate this person(s) in advance.  Students will not be released to individuals without prior parental approval and appropriate identification.


    ID Cards for Employees


    All staff members must wear their NPCSD staff identification cards at all times.


    Numbered badges for substitute teachers and aids will be kept in all building offices.  Subs will sign out a badge with a particular number and wear it throughout the day.  Office staff will make sure that the badge with the proper number is returned at the end of the day.


    Visitors to School


    All visitors must provide identification and use the Raptor system which will do an immediate background check on the individual and print out a visitor’s pass.


    Visitors must wear their Raptor generated identification badge at all times while in the school building.


    Guardians dropping off things to students or picking up or dropping off students (including all four buildings) will not be allowed in the school building.  Interactions between parents and staff will occur in the entry foyers.  Sign in and sign out sheets and places to drop off equipment will be available in each foyer. 


    Student teachers and other regular visitors, after an initial raptor background check, will be required to wear and return numbered visitor badges.


    All visitors must sign in and out in the main office or front desk..


    If any teachers/departments in any of the four school buildings schedule in advance a meeting with a guardian or other individual, that teacher/department must notify the main office/front desk in advance of the meeting.  The teacher or counselor who scheduled the meeting must go to the entrance and escort the visitor to the meeting and escort them to the exit after the meeting.


    Outdoor school facilities may not be accessed by community members during the school day.  School facilities may not be used by the public without prior approval.


    Parking Lot


    All employees at all school buildings will be required to have a parking permit clearly displayed in their vehicles.


    All students driving to school must apply for parking privileges.  If approved, parking permits must be clearly displayed in their vehicles.


    Cars parked on school grounds without parking privileges will be subject to towing at the owner's expense.


    Signage will be placed at all four buildings indicating that parking is only for school employees.


    An adequate number of parking spots will be designated as “visitor parking spots” and signage will indicate these spots.


    Students may not go to their cars during emergency drills.


    Halls/Classrooms/Doors


    All classrooms in all buildings must be kept locked at all times.  This includes times when the room is not in use as well as when classes are in session.


    Computers must be locked or logged off when not in use.


    All teachers must notify the maintenance department immediately if their doors do not function properly.


    All exterior doors will be kept locked at all times except for exceptions during arrival and dismissal.


    Sensors have been placed on all exterior doors.  Alarms will be sent to administrators if the exterior doors are left open for more than the allocated amount of time.


    Twenty two new security cameras have been purchased and will be installed in various places around the district.


    Upgrades to our portable walkie talkie system are underway.


    Cafeteria and loading dock doors will be monitored by NPCSD staff when deliveries are being made.


    When the HS cafeteria is open for outside lunches, the entrance doors will be kept locked and will be monitored by school staff.


    Students and staff will regularly be reminded not to prop doors open and not to open doors and  allow  people to enter the building through exterior doors.


    Consistent signage will be placed in all buildings notifying people not to open the doors or let people in.


    After School


    Students staying after school at Lenape for the YMCA program or other events must be with a supervisor at all times.


    Students staying after school in the MS or HS must be with a club or teacher.  Students will not be allowed to be unsupervised in the MS or HS after school.


    Students wishing to take the late bus after school must have a signed pass from the teacher they stayed with.


    After late buses have left, except when other events are going on, the main part of the MS and HS buildings will be off limits to the public.  All athletes and spectators for athletic events must enter and exit near the school gym.


    Outside organizations using the facilities in the evenings will be let into the building by the custodial staff.


    Custodial staff will examine and secure each classroom each night.  They will do a sweep of the hallways and restrooms at the end of the day to make sure the building is unoccupied.


    Safety Procedures/Information


    Facility use forms will be updated to include all relevant safety information.


    All students and staff will regularly be trained on safety procedures associated with emergency drills such as lock downs, lock outs, and hold in place.


    All teachers in all buildings have the code that will allow them to call a lock down in an emergency.


    Tabletop simulations will be conducted for both administrators and staff to discuss when it is appropriate to implement emergency situations.


    We will re-examine all safety plans with an eye toward providing more specificity, when possible, about how teachers and administrators can best respond to particular emergency situations.


    Summary Statement About School Safety


    We will continue to spread the message that school safety is everyone’s responsibility.  All members of the school community must work together to follow these safety rules.  If you see something, say something!