DISTRICT HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEES vs

RESCUE Health and Safety Committees & Project SAVE Safety Teams

Health and safety committees are required under Part 155.4(d) - the RESCUE regulation (Rebuilding Schools to Uphold Education).

Laws&Regs - 8NYCRR155,5,15,00
Articles - 155.5schooldistrictrequirements

The main purpose of the health and safety committee (comprised of district officials, parents, teachers and staff) is to assist in the investigation and disposition of health and safety related complaints - such as facility, indoor air quality, pest management, construction issues, etc.

The regulation further states that the committee must be expanded during a school construction project to actually monitor safety during the project. The expanded committee must then include the project architect, construction manager, and contractors.

Project SAVE (Schools Against Violence in Education) requires the creation of both district-wide and school-based safety teams. The scope and responsibilities of the teams required under Project SAVE are much different, although they may be comprised of some of the same individuals as the health and safety committee under RESCUE. Specifically, Project SAVE requires the designation of four teams:

(1) district-wide school safety team
(2) building-level school safety teams
(3) building-level emergency response teams
(4) building-level post-incident response teams.

Project SAVE §2801 Safety Planning Outline

All boards of education of every school district, BOCES, county vocational education and extension board, and the chancellor of the NYC schools must adopt and amend a comprehensive district-wide school safety plan and a building-level school safety plan.
Plan must address crisis intervention and emergency response and management in a form developed by the SED Commissioner in consultation with the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the NYS Police, and other appropriate agencies.
A single-building district shall develop a single building-level school safety plan which shall satisfy the requirement for a comprehensive district-wide school safety plan.

District-Wide School Safety Plan	School Emergency Response Plan (Building-Level)
The district-wide school safety team shall develop the comprehensive district-wide school safety plan.	The building-level school safety team shall develop a school emergency response plan.
The district-wide school safety team shall be appointed by the board of education or chancellor in NYC and shall include, but not be limited to: Representatives of the school board Representatives of student, teacher, administrator, and parent organizations School safety personnel Other school personnel	The building-level school safety team shall be appointed by the principal, in accordance with guidelines prescribed by the board of education or chancellor in NYC and shall include, but not be limited to: Representatives of teacher, administrator, and parent organizations School safety personnel Other school personnel Community members Local law enforcement officials Local ambulance and other emergency response agencies Other representatives the board of education or chancellor in NYC deems appropriate.
Shall be reviewed by the appropriate school safety team on at least an annual basis and updated as needed.	Shall be reviewed by the appropriate school safety team on at least an annual basis and updated as needed.
Shall be available for public comment at least 30-days prior to its adoption.	Shall be available for public comment at least 30-days prior to its adoption. Only a summary shall be available for public comment.

District-Wide School Safety Plan Continued	School Emergency Response Plan (Building-Level) Continued
At least 30-days prior to its adoption by the Board of Education or Chancellor of NYC Schools, at least one public hearing must be held that provides for school personnel, student, and public participation.	At least 30-days prior to its adoption by the Board of Education or Chancellor of NYC Schools, at least one public hearing must be held that provides for school personnel, student, and public participation.
A copy of the plan shall be filed with the SED Commissioner within 30-days of adoption, as well as all amendments within 30-days of their adoption. The SED Commissioner may withhold district monies if the Board of Education or Chancellor of NYC fails to file the plan or adopt a code of conduct. Prior to withholding monies, the district shall have an opportunity to present evidence of extenuating circumstances to the Commissioner who may temporarily stay the withholding of funds. A waiver of up to two years may be granted from the date of enactment for these requirements if a district has adopted a comprehensive school safety plan which is in substantial compliance with the requirements of this section.	A copy of the plan shall be filed with appropriate local law enforcement and the NYS Police within 30-days of adoption, as well as all amendments within 30-days of their adoption.
	The plan shall be confidential and not subject to disclosure under Article 6 of the Public Officers Law.

The district-wide school safety plan shall include at a minimum:

Policies and procedures for responding to implied or direct threats of violence by students, teachers, other school personnel, and school visitors
Policies and procedures for responding to acts of violence by students, teachers, other school personnel, and school visitors, including consideration of zero-tolerance policies for school violence

Policies and procedures for contacting law enforcement in the event of a violent incident
Policies and procedures for contacting parents and guardians of the students in the district in the event of a violent incident
Policies and procedures relating to school building security, including the use of school building security, school safety officers, and/or security devices.
Policies and procedures for the dissemination of informative materials regarding the early detection of potentially violent behaviors, including but not limited to, the identification of family, community, and environmental factors to teachers, administrators, school personnel, persons in parental relation to students, students, and others deemed appropriate to receive such information.
Policies and procedures for annual school safety training for students and staff
Protocol for responding to bomb threats, hostage-takings, intrusions, and kidnappings.
A description of the duties of hall monitors and any other school safety personnel, including training requirements.
Strategies for improving communication among students and between students and staff and reporting potentially violent incidents through the establishment of programs such as youth-run programs, peer mediation, and conflict resolution.
Appropriate prevention and intervention strategies such as:

collaborative agreements with state and local law enforcement officials designed to ensure school safety officers are adequately trained and fairly recruited
nonviolent conflict resolution training programs
peer mediation programs and youth courts
extended day and other school safety programs.

The school emergency response plan (building level) shall include the following elements:

Policies and procedures for the safe evacuation of students, teachers, other school personnel, and visitors in the event of a serious violent incident* or other emergency, which shall include evacuation routes, shelter sites, procedures for addressing medical needs, transportation, and emergency notification to persons in parental relation to a student.

(* A serious violent incident means an incident of violent criminal conduct that is, or appears to be, life threatening and warrants the evacuation of students and/or staff.)

Designation of an emergency response team and a post-incident response team comprised of the following:

Emergency Response Team	Post-Incident Response Team
School personnel Local law enforcement officials Representatives from local, regional, and State emergency response agencies Other appropriate incident response teams	Appropriate school personnel Medical personnel Mental health counselors Others who can assist the school community in coping with the aftermath of a violent incident

Procedures for assuring that crisis response and law enforcement officials have accesss to floor plans, blueprints, schematics, and other maps of the school's interior, grounds, and road maps of the immediate surrounding area.
Establishment of internal an external communication system in an emergency.
Definition of the chain of command in a manner consistent with the incident command system (ICS).
Coordination of the school safety plan with the statewide plan for disaster mental health services.
Procedures for review and the conduct of drills and exercises to test components of the emergency response plan.
Policies and procedures for securing and restricting access to the crime scene in order to preserve evidence on school property.