Safety and Security
School Safety
Emergency Preparedness
The Slippery Rock Area School District is committed to taking proactive measures to protect the safety of all our students and staff members. We have made preparations to deal effectively with emergency situations that could occur in or around the school while classes are in session. While we hope that a natural disaster or other serious incidents never occur, our goal is to be as prepared as possible for any potential emergency. Our priority at all times is to protect all students and staff from harm.
The Slippery Rock Area School District and all school facilities have crisis and safety plans in addition to the District All Hazards Plan. The plans are designed with the assistance of administrative staff members, as well as local law enforcement, and emergency management officials. The plans, which are regularly reviewed and updated, include procedures to respond to a variety of crisis incidents. School district personnel and students practice drills associated with specific emergencies on a regular basis.
Call 9-1-1 to report suspicious incidents or behavior.
District Safety Efforts
The Slippery Rock Area School District is committed to creating safe, secure, and caring learning environments. The emphasis has resulted in an All Hazards Plan that includes a purposeful connection between physical safety/security and the “psychological safety” of students.
Physical Safety includes measures such as visitor check-in and identification badges, video surveillance, preparedness planning, and practice drills to prepare for a variety of potential incidents. The District All Hazard Plan and school crisis plans are aligned with the recommendations of state Homeland Security, local emergency responders, and the use of the general response practices outlined in the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
Psychological safety provides for the social-emotional well-being of students and works to create a positive school climate through measures such as bullying prevention and early identification and intervention for at-risk students.
Each school has a Threat Assessment Team in addition to a School Crisis Team that monitors the building plan for psychological and physical safety, and District Threat Assessment and Crisis Teams that oversee and implement the District’s response plan when needed. Components of the District All Hazards Plan are conceptualized as a continuum of efforts represented by the model below:
Mitigation/Prevention:
Prevention and mitigation both require taking inventory of the potential hazards or dangers in a school and community and identifying what to do to prevent and reduce possible crisis, injury or property damage. Schools are encouraged to regularly assess and address the safety and integrity of facilities, security, and the culture and climate of schools.
Preparedness/Planning:
The development of plans and protocols to prepare for the possibility that the identified hazards or emergencies will occur. This also includes training of staff in awareness and reporting procedures and planning for effective interventions for youth who demonstrate behavioral difficulties.
Intervention/Response:
The District intervention response includes protocols for emergency situations and/or students who are at risk, in crisis, or potentially dangerous. Interventions are designed for students who may not respond to prevention efforts.
Crisis Response/Recovery:
The District utilizes the appropriate intervention plan after a crisis situation for the care and psychological/emotional recovery of students and staff. The goal is to return the school to a caring and supportive learning environment and return to the business of learning. Depending upon the type of crisis, recovery efforts can also include physical/structural recovery, business recovery, and restoration of academic learning.
