INTRODUCTION GENERAL INFORMATION he safety and welfare of Nassau BOCES Nassau BOCES has established an Emergency Tstudents is paramount, so being prepared for Response Plan for each of our schools. Each emergencies is a task that Nassau BOCES has plan is coordinated with Police, Fire and other always taken very, very seriously. Therefore, in officials in county- or state-wide agencies. compliance with State Commissioner Each plan addresses many types of possible of Education Regulations, Nassau BOCES has emergencies, some of which are listed below: developed an Emergency Response Plan for such as a bomb Board of Cooperative Educational Services each of our schools that is designed to minimize Criminal Offenses of Nassau County threat, kidnapping, intruder on campus, danger to anyone occupying the school, should Eric B. Schultz, President an emergency occur. violent disturbance, weapons, hostage Susan Bergtraum, Vice President situation The plan addresses an enormous range of Deborah Coates, District Clerk EMERGENCY Michael Weinick, Vice District Clerk issues, from reducing the likelihood of an Ronald Ellerbe PLANNING emergency, to dealing with the onset of a crisis Natural Hazards such as severe Martin R. Kaye situation, to addressing the emotional and weather or earthquake Fran N. Langsner psychological needs of students and adults in its Robert “B.A.” Schoen Stephen B. Witt aftermath. The plan is always evolving to enable A GUIDE FOR Nassau BOCES to respond better and better to Dr. Robert R. Dillon Environmental/Human- District Superintendent any emergency. Created Hazards, for example, Dr. Lydia Begley PARENTS When disaster strikes, the first and foremost con- exposure to hazardous materials, Deputy Superintendent cern of every Nassau BOCES staff member is the fire, explosion, radiation James P. Robinson safety of the children in our care. This guide is a Associate Superintendent brief description of how Nassau BOCES will man- for Administrative Services Fall 2017 age an emergency and how parents can support Medical Emergencies including illness- James R. Widmer those vital efforts. The guide is designed to help es, serious contagious disease and Associate Superintendent answer some of the basic questions that parents pandemic flu, accidents, injuries for Business Services frequently ask about their role during and after a Office of Safety, Health & Security crisis: Where do I get information? What should I WHAT CAN I DO TO Wendy S. Richter, do? Who can I contact for help? PLAN AHEAD? Safety Coordinator, Executive Manager Questions about the information in this guide www.nassauboces.org should be directed to your building principal. The two most important things you can do are:

• Make sure your child’s school has the most up-to-date emergency contact information. Non-discrimination Statement: The Nassau BOCES advises students, parents, employees and • Periodically review with your child any the general public that it offers employment and educational opportunities without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, military/veteran status, sex (including alternative arrangements you have made in pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), gender, marital status, disability, predisposing case an emergency prevents you from being genetic characteristic(s), or domestic violence victim status. Moreover, the Nassau BOCES shall provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Information and It is recommended that at home. grievance procedures are available by contacting the following Civil Rights Compliance Officers at 71 Clinton Rd., Garden City, NY 11530: Dr. Tracey A. Nekulak, Executive Director of Human Resources at you keep this guide in an 516-396-2358, [email protected], or Selma Stoddard, Esq., Assistant Director, Department of accessible location for Human Resources at 516-396-2360, [email protected]. Inquiries concerning the application of regulations prohibiting discrimination may be referred to the above-mentioned Civil Rights future reference. Compliance Officers or to the Office for Civil Rights at NY Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 32 Old Slip, 26th Floor, New York, NY10005-2500 or call 646-428-3900, or fax 646-428- 3843, or TDD 800-877-8339 or email [email protected] or file form at http://www2.ed.gov/ about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html. A copy of programs and educational courses offered and Office of Safety, Health & Security •71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530 available to residents may be obtained from our website, www.nassauboces.org. (516) 396-2400 • www.nassauboces.org How Will The School In the event that sheltering for up to 24 What Provisions Are Made For Where Can I Get Information Respond To An Emergency? hours becomes necessary, only stu- Students With Disabilities? During An Emergency? dents with prior authorization for the Every Nassau BOCES school has a We know that during an emergency you will want In the event of an incident occurring during the administration of medication and a detailed plan of action to evacuate any as much information as quickly possible, school day that disrupts normal classroom activity, supply of that medication, stored in the students who may have special needs. but please the incident will be immediately reported to the school, will be able to have the nurse administer do not telephone the Our phone lines are limited school’s main office. The principal will determine the medications. If your child takes any medica- school. and are needed to respond to the a course of action. If an emergency response is tions that are essential to his or her health that Are There Emergency emergency. required, signals and instructions for staff and are normally taken outside of school, you are Planning Drills? students will be issued from the main office. There strongly encouraged to fill out a “MEDICATION YES – Nassau BOCES conducts tests of its emer- There are several ways to get are three possible plans of action: Go-Home (early PERMISSION REQUEST FORM” and return it to gency plans, as per state regulations, including information during an emergency: dismissal); Sheltering (including Lockdown); or the school nurse with a 24 hour supply of the a minimum of 12 fire, lockdown and other safety Evacuation. medication in a properly labeled container from ► Check the Nassau BOCES website. As soon drills each year. Go-Home Plan (early dismissal): the pharmacy. Parents are responsible to update as the decision to close the agency is made, medication orders and to replenish expired medi- it’s posted on the homepage at Returns students to their homes and family as Should I Pick Up My Child At cations as needed. www.nassauboces.org. quickly as possible. Schools maintain the names School During An Emergency? and contact numbers of family and designated Evacuation Plan: ► Sign up for emergency closing emails. Join surrogates, and identify students with special the Nassau BOCES emergency announce- In most emergencies, students will remain and be NO ment email list and be the first to know about needs. Parents/guardians will be called cared for at school, but there may be times that it We strongly encourage parents NOT emergency closings. To sign up, go to www. in advance of students being dismissed is necessary for all building occupants to evacuate nassauboces.org/closings and enter email early. At no time will Nassau BOCES and go somewhere else. Evacuation may mean to come to the school unless address in box “Notify me of Nassau BOCES students be returned to unoccupied, only going outside and away from the building directed to do so. closings”. unsupervised homes. If there is no one while waiting for the danger to pass. In some While every parent’s instinct in an emer- Call our emergency announcement number at home, students will remain under the care of circumstances, students and staff may gency is to go to the school to protect his/ ► 516-396-INFO (4636). This phone line is Nassau BOCES and will be transported to a Nas- need to walk or be transported and her own child, it is important to realize sau BOCES shelter site or will be returned to the dedicated to providing up-to-date informa- sheltered temporarily at a pre-deter- that doing so may significantly affect the tion about any emergency situation. home district until a parent or other designated mined alternative location. ability of Nassau BOCES to respond to the situ- adult comes to get him or her. ation. Cars driving up to the building, for example, ► Log on to Social Media If There’s An Evacuation, will restrict access by emergency vehicles that are Shelter Plan: facebook.com/nassauBOCES or Where Will Students Go? responding to the emergency or school buses that It is Nassau BOCES’ intent to return students to are loading children either to evacuate them or For security reasons, it would be counter produc- @NassauBOCES on Twitter their home school district or homes, if appropri- take them home. The building’s staff will be actively tive to announce an evacuation location prior to ate, as quickly as possible, based on direction working to ensure the safety of ALL the students. ► Tune in to the media or during an actual emergency. If it becomes from local emergency authorities and as safety It may seem logical that every student taken home You can listen to school closings on the necessary to move students to a secure location following radio stations: WMJC (94.3 FM), permits. However, there may be times when it is by a parent reduces the responsibility of the staff, outside their regular school building, we will be WKJY (98.3 FM), WBLI (106.1 FM), WBAB safer to stay inside than to go out. The Shelter but in a fast-moving situation that requires a great making every effort to contact you. Each school (102.3 FM), WBZO (103.1 FM), WOR (710 Plan keeps students in their buildings. Generally, deal of coordination and communication, it actually has a separate copy of every child’s emer- AM), WINS (1010 AM) and WHLI (1100 AM). sheltering is for a short time during the school makes the critical task of keeping track of students gency contact information that is taken You can also tune in to the fol- day, but Nassau BOCES is prepared to shelter more difficult. If you are called to the school to pick lowing television stations: News with them in an emergency. All informa- students up to 24 hours, if necessary. up your child, please be aware only those people 12 , FIOS1, WPIX/ tion regarding the status of the school, Areas of buildings are identified as the listed on the child’s emergency card will be autho- Channel 11 and Fox 5. students and staff, will be issued through safest for occupants, depending on the rized and allowed to take the child. Also, a child will the Nassau BOCES Office of Information. Please nature of the emergency. only be released to authorized adults who provide refer to the section on “Where can I get informa- proper picture identification. tion during an emergency?”