Series 5000: Students

5142 Safety

Student Safety



The Board of Education (Board) shall strive to build safe, supportive, and academically  challenging school learning environments in partnership with students, staff members and  families. The Board shall develop and adopt a mission statement that promotes a safe and secure  environment for learning. Such mission statement shall emphasize respect, caring, and high  academic achievement. 

The Board shall ensure that all facilities, grounds, equipment, and vehicles meet acceptable injury and violence prevention standards for design, installation, use and maintenance. 

Student safety shall be a priority of all school district personnel through close supervision of students in all school buildings and grounds and through special attention to: 

1. Maintenance of safe school environments through conducting regular safety, vulnerability, and hazard assessments of all school facilities, school grounds, sports related equipment and vehicles used to transport students. Security and vulnerability  assessments shall be conducted every two years, resulting in a school safety plan for each  school, based upon the assessment results. 

2. Safe practices by school personnel and students – particularly in instructional areas or in extracurricular activities presenting special hazards. 

3. Development of school programs and activities consistent with appropriate abilities and limitations of students at each age level. 

4. Offering safety education to students germane to particular subjects, such as laboratory courses in science, industrial arts, and health and physical education. 

5. Appropriate first aid care for students in case of accident or sudden illness.

6. Adequacy of emergency response procedures at each school in the District (first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, infection control security). 

7. Development, adoption and implementation of a code of conduct and other appropriate rules that are designed to promote health and safety and prevent unintended injury,  harassment, bullying and other forms of violence. Such code shall prohibit the use and  possession of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and weapons and dangerous instruments at school. 

8. Training exercises for all school staff designed to help them maintain a positive climate for learning and to effectively enforce safety and discipline rules. 

9. Requiring the District and its individual schools to have safety and security plans which serve as a guide to address the various safety needs in the school, such as lockdown  procedures, evacuations, drills and safety protocols, and personnel assignments. The school security and safety plan for each of the District’s schools shall annually be  submitted to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. 

10. Conducting regular audits (at least annually) to evaluate and analyze the effectiveness of each school’s safety and security plans. First responders, local law enforcement and the  entire school community shall be involved in this process. Law enforcement and local  public safety officials shall evaluate all fire and crisis response drills.

11. Communicating with parents/guardians and community members about school-level  emergency preparedness protocols to the greatest extent possible. 

12. Providing regular training for all school employees on the Districts’ school emergency management systems and protocols, as well as violence prevention training.

13. Creating a partnership between schools, local law enforcement and appropriate community agencies, including mental health, to prevent and reduce school violence.

14. Establishing a school security and safety committee at each school. Such committee shall  be responsible for assisting in the development of the school’s security and safety plan  and administering such plan. 

15. Assistance of the safe school climate committee at each school, originally established to address issues related to bullying in the school, to also collect, evaluate, and report information relating to instances of disturbing or threatening behavior that may not meet  the statutory definition of bullying. 

(cf. 0100 - Mission Statement) 

(cf. 5131/5144/5114 - Conduct/Discipline/Suspension/Expulsion) 

(cf. 5131.21 - Terroristic Threats/Acts of Violent Behavior) 

(cf. 5131.6 - Drugs/Alcohol and Tobacco) 

(cf. 5131.7 - Weapons and Dangerous Instruments) 

(cf. 5131.911 - Bullying/Safe School Climate Plan) 

(cf. 5141.21 - Administering Medications) 

(cf. 5141.22 - Communicable and Infectious Diseases) 

(cf. 5141.3 - Student Health Assessments and Immunizations) 

(cf. 5141.4 - Child Abuse and Neglect) 

(cf. 5141.5 - Suicide Prevention) 

(cf. 5141.6 - Crisis Management Plan) 

(cf. 6142.1 - Family Life and Sex Education) 

(cf. 6114 - Emergencies and Disaster Preparedness) 

(cf. 6114.7 - Safe Schools) 

(cf. 6114.8 - Pandemic/Epidemic Emergencies) 

Legal Reference:

Connecticut General Statutes

10-220f Safety committee. 

P.A. 13-3 An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety (Sections 86, 87, 88) 

Policy adopted: February 12, 2018 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Thomaston, Connecticut