South Colonie Safe Schools Plan
South Colonie has had a Safe Schools Plan in place since 2001. The lengthy report outlines in detail student behavior expectations and consequences for all grade levels. The plan is required of all school districts under Project SAVE (pdf) legislation signed by former Gov. George Pataki in 2000.
A South Colonie committee, which includes administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, students, citizens and local law enforcement, developed the plan over a 12-month period. The plan incorporates many of the district’s already existing policies regarding student behavior and expectations but brings it into alignment with precedent-setting legal cases and further rulings by the New York State Commissioner of Education. full story
School Building Security & Safety
In an effort to make our schools safe we ask all parents and visitors to:
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Enter school buildings through the designated front door
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Sign in at the office or front desk
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Obtain a visitor's pass
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Sign out and hand in the pass when leaving
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Park in lots and do not leave vehicles in the fire lane
Does Your Family Have an Emergency Plan in Place?
Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance. How you will contact one another? How will you get back together? What you will do in different situations? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers this information to help you plan. There is also information available specifically for children called Ready Kids.
Raising Our Youngsters to be Citizens of Character
South Colonie Schools have an active Character Education program in our schools. Character education teaches the habits of thought and deed that help people live and work together as families, friends, neighbors, communities and nations. It is a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others. Those traits are reinforced frequently during elementary school Morning Programs and community outreach projects. For more on South Colonie Character Education, click here.
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Comprehensive School Anti-Bullying Program
Many of South Colonie's schools have initiated the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. This nationally recognized program is based on the work of Dr. Dan Olweus, a researcher from Norway who first recognized the impact of bullying on student achievement. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is designed to prevent or reduce bullying in schools to ensure that students are in a safe environment where learning can occur. The OBPP is designed to address incidents of bullying at the schoolwide, classroom, individual and community levels. The Bully Busters puppet show is also a frequent visitor to our elementary schools. This high-energy, fast paced puppet show teaches elementary school kids character building, anger management and crisis intervention.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education: The
D.A.R.E. Program
South Colonie Schools, working in partnership with the Colonie Police Department, has been an active participant in the D.A.R.E. program for many years. D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and much more! D.A.R.E. is a highly acclaimed program that gives middle school kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of the nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. Lessons focus on providing students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs, teaching students decision-making skills, showing students how to resist peer pressure and giving students ideas for alternatives to drug use and violence.
School
Resource Officers Play a Vital Role in Educating Students
School Resource Officers (SROs), offered through the Colonie Police Department, have become a valuable part of the South Colonie school staff and an important link between students, the police and the community. They build a bond between young people and law enforcement that provides understanding from both sides. Students who feel safe become better learners and better citizens.
SROs are placed in schools for three reasons. First, the officer is there to provide a law enforcement presence. By being visible to prevent problems and to be available to handle police related functions, such as crime investigation, the officer provides a safe learning environment. The second part of the SRO's job is to be a teacher. By working with classroom teachers and other faculty members the SRO can present information and answer questions on a variety of topics including the law, drugs, safety, crime prevention, violence prevention and community awareness of these issues. The third part of the triangle is counseling. Police officers can offer advice, mediation and direction to students, parents and faculty in various matters. As part of this counseling they can also offer direction to other resources in the community. For more on SRO duties, click here.
School Bus Safety
For a comprehensive list of bus safety articles, resources and links, please visit the South Colonie Transportation page.
South Colonie's elementary school students participate in the Peaceful Bus Program (pdf) each school year. Grouped by their bus routes, school staff lead workshops to provide students the opportunity to discuss problems they may be having on the bus and then work together to find possible solutions to those problems. The Peaceful Bus Program encourages students, staff and bus drivers to work together to make connections with one another and build community both on the bus and in school.
One of the most important areas for safety is on the school playground. The South Colonie district concentrates on two important safety areas:
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maintain the playground equipment so that it is safe
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supervising the children's play so that equipment is enjoyed in a safe manner
Student Safety: Helpful Articles for Parents
Tips For Resolving Problems at School
Keeping Your Kids Safety in Cyberspace (pdf)
Teens Behind the Wheel: Staying Ahead of the Curve (pdf)
Risk Taking Teens: What Families Can Do To Help Stem the Tide (pdf)
Drugs and Alcohol: Helping Teens Make Wise Choices (pdf)
When Good Fun Becomes Bullying (pdf)
South Colonie Schools participates in the Health/Safety/Risk Management Service provided by the Capital Region BOCES. The mission of the Health/Safety/Risk Management Program is to provide training, technical assistance, and leadership to help schools create an educational environment that is a model for workplace safety and responsible behavior.
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Automatic External Defibrillators
Public schools districts are required to have Automated External Defibrillators in each instructional school building and at athletic events. For more information, click here.
Sex Offender Notification/Registry
The Colonie Police Department provides our schools with a list of the names and addresses of Level 2 and 3 convicted sex offenders living in the South Colonie Central School District. Those lists are kept in a binder at each school and the District Office and can be viewed during normal school hours or by contacting the Colonie Police Department. A signature is required. Pages can be copied for 25 cents each. Information is also readily available on the Colonie Town Police web site and the New York State Registered Sex Offender web site.
Each November, South Colonie Schools sends its students home 15 minutes early to test its Emergency Management Plan. The “Go Home Early Drill” is required once a year by the New York State Education Department. The drill date is published each year in the district calendar. The purpose of the early dismissal drill is to test the effectiveness of the transportation and communications systems in the event of an emergency. Copies of the Emergency Management Plan are located in the Principal’s Office of each school, and at the District Office, 102 Loralee Drive, Albany.
