SCHOOL SAFETY

SCHOOL SAFETY

ag8400Adopted June 1, 2005Revised November 12, 2024

8400 - SCHOOL SAFETY INFORMATION

Safe School Committee

Each school within the School Corporation shall establish a Safe School Committee, the composition of which shall be in accordance with the Superintendent's guidelines listed below. (I.C. 10-21-1-14)

The School Corporation also shall establish a Safe School Committee for the entire Corporation, the composition of which shall be in accordance with the Superintendent's guidelines listed below.

Each school within the School Corporation shall establish a Safe School Committee, the composition of which shall be in accordance with the Superintendent’s guidelines listed below.

The Safe School Committee for the Corporation shall include the following members:

  1. the Corporation School Safety Specialist
     
  2. the Principal of each school in the Corporation
  3. School Resource Officers
  4. Teachers
  5. Parents 
  6. the Director of Buildings and Grounds
  7. the Diector of Transportation
  8. the Director of Information Technology

The Safe School Committee shall be responsible for meeting at least annually to develop a plan that addresses the following issues:

  1. Unsafe conditions, crime prevention, school violence, bullying, criminal organization activity, child abuse and child sexual abuse, and other issues that prevent the maintenance of safe schools.
     
  2. Professional development needs for faculty and staff to implement methods that decrease problems identified above.
     
  3. Methods to encourage involvement by the community and students, development of relationships between students and school faculty and staff, and use of problem-solving teams.
     
  4. Provide a copy of the floor plans for each building that clearly indicates each exit, the interior rooms and hallways, and the location of any hazardous materials located in the building to the local law enforcement agency and the fire departments that have jurisdiction over the school. The Corporation shall not disclose any record or part of any record if the disclosure would have a reasonable likelihood of threatening public safety by compromising the Corporation’s security.

In developing the plan, the Safe School Committee shall seek input from those individuals and organizations listed in Policy 8400 – School Safety Information.

The Safe School Committee also is responsible for implementing the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act and will develop a drug-free school plan in accordance with Policy 8400 – School Safety Information.

School Safety Specialist

The Superintendent shall choose an individual to serve as the school safety specialist for the Corporation with the approval of the Board to perform the following duties:

  1. Serve on the county school safety commission with jurisdiction over the Corporation established under I.C. 10-21-1-12;
  2. Participate each year in a number of days of school safety training that the  Indiana Department of Education determines necessary;
     
  3. With the assistance of the county school safety commission, with jurisdiction over the Corporation established under I.C. 10-21-1-12, the Safe School Committee, and a school resource officer if one is employed by the Corporation, develop, implement, and improve a school safety plan for each school in the Corporation;
     
  4. Coordinate the school safety plans of each school in the Corporation as required by State law and under rules adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education;
     
  5. Act as a resource for each school's safe school committees and other individuals in the Corporation on issues related to school discipline, safety, and security.

School Safety Plan

A school safety plan must be developed by the school safety specialist and the school's safe school committee, including a school resource officer if one is employed by the Corporation, in consultation with the law enforcement agency and fire department that have jurisdiction over the school which:

  1. includes the requirements set forth in 10-21-1-10(c), namely:
     
    1. protects against outside and internal threats to the physical safety of students, faculty, staff, and the public, including unsafe conditions, crime prevention, school violence, bullying and cyberbullying, criminal organization activity, child abuse and child sexual abuse, mental and behavioral health, suicide awareness and prevention, violence prevention and training, situational awareness, and other issues that prevent the maintenance of a safe school;
    2. prevents unauthorized access to school property and interior areas or rooms, including the management of authorized visitors on school property, before, during, and after regular school hours;
    3. secures schools against natural and manmade disasters, including all emergency preparedness drill requirements set forth in I.C. 20-34-3-20;
    4. establishes an armed intruder drill protocol that: a) provides accommodations for students who have mobility restrictions, sensory needs, or auditory or visual limitations; b) emphasizes the practical nature of the drill; c) provides access to mental health services on school grounds following the conclusion of a drill; d) provides advance notice of a drill to parents or legal guardians of students who attend the school; and e) provides alternative exercises for students who are unable to participate in a drill;
    5. includes a site vulnerability assessment for each school building;
    6. not later than July 1, 2025, includes the establishment of a multi-disciplinary threat assessment team;
    7. includes bleeding control kits, including the location of bleeding control kits and the presentation and use of bleeding control kits in all drills and emergencies, as required by I.C. 20-34-3-24(c); and
    8. includes any additional requirements required by the Indiana State Board of Education.
  2. must be provided to a member of the secured school safety board, as established by I.C. 10-21-1-3, if a member requests the plan; and
  3. must be available for inspection by the Department of Education's Division of School Building Physical Security and Safety, as established by I.C. 20-19-3-14;
  4. must be provided to the law enforcement agency and the fire department that have jurisdiction over the Corporation;
  5. must include an attestation that: (a) a copy of the floor plans for each building located on the school's property were provided to the law enforcement agency and the fire department that have jurisdiction over the Corporation that clearly indicates each entrance and exit, the interior rooms and hallways, and the location of any hazardous materials located in the building; or (b) the Corporation has conducted critical incidence digital mapping for each school building within the Corporation, including providing the critical incidence digital mapping information to the law enforcement agency and fire department that have jurisdiction over the mapped school buildings and the statewide 911 system described in I.C. 36-8-16.7-22 through the public safety answer point, or "PSAP", described in I.C. 36-8-16.7-20 that has jurisdiction over the mapped school buildings; and
     
  6. must be filed with the county school safety commission established under I.C. 20-21-1-12 which has jurisdiction over the Corporation.

School Resource Officers

In order to maintain a safe school environment, the Superintendent may appoint individuals to serve as school resource officers.

"School resource officer" means a law enforcement officer who:

  1. has completed the training described below;
     
  2. is assigned to one (1) or more school corporations or charter schools during school hours to:
     
    1. assist the school safety specialist and safe school committee with the development and implementation of the school safety plan; and
       
    2. carry out any additional responsibilities assigned to the school resource officer under the employment engagement, contract, or memorandum of understanding and to:
       
      1. protect against outside threats to the physical safety of students;
         
      2. prevent unauthorized access to school property; and
         
      3. secure schools against violence and natural disasters; and
         
  3. is:
     
    1. employed by a law enforcement agency;
       
    2. appointed as a police reserve officer (as described in I.C. 36-8-3-20) or as a special deputy (as described in I.C. 36-8-10-10.6) if the police reserve officer or special deputy:
       
      1. is subject to the direction of the sheriff or appointing law enforcement agency;
         
      2. is required to obey the rules and orders of the sheriff's department or appointing law enforcement agency;
         
      3. is required to complete all training required of regular full-time law enforcement officers employed by the sheriff's department or appointing law enforcement agency; and
         
      4. may be removed by the sheriff or appointing law enforcement agency at any time, with or without cause; or
         
    3. a school corporation police officer appointed under I.C. 20-26-16-3.

The term "school resource officer" does not include a law enforcement officer who is assigned to provide security outside a school building for protection from outside threats, traffic duty, or other duties not consistent with the duties of a school resource officer.

Before being appointed as a school resource officer, an individual must have successfully completed the minimum training requirements established for law enforcement officers under I.C. 5-2-1-9.
 
The law enforcement officer appointed as a school resource officer must receive at least forty (40) hours of school resource officer training through:
 

  1. the Indiana law enforcement training board established by I.C. 5-2-1-3;
     
  2. the National Association of School Resource Officers; or
     
  3. another school resource officer training program approved by the Indiana law enforcement training board


within 180 days from the date the individual is initially assigned the duties of a school resource officer. However, if the ADM of the School Corporation is less than 1,000 students, the individual shall complete the school resource training within 365 days of the date the individual is initially assigned the duties of a school resource officer.

The training described above must include instruction regarding skills, tactics, and strategies necessary to address the special nature of:

  1. school campuses; and
     
  2. school building security needs and characteristics.

A school resource officer must be employed through the means approved by the Board in Policy 8400 – School Safety Information.

School resource officers also shall receive training and education, approved by the State Board of Education, that will enable them to appropriately deal with individuals with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

A school resource officer shall participate in the development of programs designed to identify, assess, and provide assistance to youth who are at high risk of experiencing a mental health crisis or becoming juvenile offenders.

A school resource officer shall not be reassigned to other duties by the Corporation.

A school resource officer may:

  1. make an arrest;
     
  2. conduct a search or a seizure of a person or property using the reasonable suspicion standard;
     
  3. carry a firearm on or off school property; and
     
  4. exercise other police powers with respect to the enforcement of Indiana laws.

A school resource officer has jurisdiction in every county where the Corporation operates a school or where the Corporation’s students reside. This does not restrict the jurisdiction that a school resource officer may possess due to the officer's employment by a law enforcement agency.

The Superintendent shall report all instances of:

  1. seclusion (as defined in I.C. 20-20-40-9);
     
  2. chemical restraint (as defined in I.C. 20-20-40-2);
     
  3. mechanical restraint (as defined in I. 20-20-40-4); and
     
  4. physical restraint (as defined in I.C. 20-20-40-5)
     

involving a school resource officer in accordance with the restraint and seclusion plan adopted by the Corporation under I.C. 20-20-40-14.

Persistently Dangerous Schools

The  Corporation will develop and implement a plan of corrective action in order to reduce the rate of weapon-related incidents and violent criminal offenses that occur in or on school grounds (i.e., in or on Corporation buildings, grounds, and bus transportation to and from school, Corporation-sponsored activities and designated bus stops) and/or result in students being removed from the school if the school is designated as persistently dangerous. The plan will be developed within twenty (20) days of the school being designated as persistently dangerous and consider corrective action including, but not limited to, the following:

  1. hiring additional personnel to supervise students in common areas;
     
  2. increasing instructional activities in areas such as conflict resolution;
     
  3. working with law enforcement officials to identify and eliminate criminal organization activities;
     
  4. in-service training of teachers and administrators regarding the consistent enforcement of school discipline rules and policies;
     
  5. limiting access to campus; and
     
  6. hiring additional security personnel and security equipment.

Upon completion and implementation of the plan of corrective action, the  Corporation will apply to the State Board of Education to have the school removed from the list of persistently dangerous schools. However, should the school remain on the list, students will be provided with the opportunity to transfer to a safe school in accordance with Policy 5113.02 - School Transfer Options and AG 5113.02 - School Transfer Options.

Stop the Bleed Program

The Corporation shall implement a Stop the Bleed program that meets the requirements set forth in I.C. 20-34-3-24(c), namely:

  1. requires bleeding control kits be assigned to designated rooms in easily accessible locations to be determined by local first responders or the school safety specialist;
  2. includes bleeding control kits in the emergency plans of the Corporation, including the presentation and use of the bleeding control kits in all drills and emergencies;
  3. provides that all Corporation schools have a minimum of five (5) individuals in each school building who obtain appropriate training in the use of the bleeding control kit, including:
     
    1. the proper application of pressure to stop bleeding;
    2. the application of dressings or bandages;
    3. additional pressure techniques to control bleeding;
    4. and the correct application of tourniquets;
  4. requires bleeding control kits in school inventories to be inspected annually to ensure that the materials, supplies, and equipment contained in the bleeding control kits are not expired, and that any expired materials, supplies, and equipment are replaced as necessary; and
  5. requires a bleeding control kit to be restocked after each use and any materials, supplies, and equipment to be replaced as necessary to ensure that the bleeding control kit contains all necessary materials, supplies, and equipment.

The Corporation's Stop the Bleed program must include each school in the Corporation.

Revised 1/14/20
Revised 12/13/22

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