File: ECA
SHUTESBURY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS SECURITY
Public school buildings and grounds should be safe and secure places for those who attend, work or visit the school. The school should balance providing a welcoming environment with safety considerations.
Steps to provide adequate security should be established using a broad array of approaches; the objective should be to achieve a reasonable and practically attainable level of safety. Security should be promoted through a combination of physical, procedural and instructional measures. Factors to consider regarding implementation of security measures include the culture of the school community, the physical layout of the school and current commonly accepted practices.
Security is the responsibility of school staff, visitors, public safety authorities and the children themselves. It is understood that security requires compliance in order to be effective and any measures put in place should be considered for expected compliance given the factors noted above.
As the school also fulfills an important and valued role as a community hub, access to school buildings and grounds outside of regular school hours shall be permitted. In addition to operational requirements established by the Principal that need to be met, such as plans for cleaning and liability, there may be security requirements established for use of the building. These requirements will be consistent with the Use of School Facilities Policy and will be available for review by parties interested in using the school or grounds outside of regular school hours. Such regulations shall be designed to be consistent with the approach generally used by the school to promote security.
While access to the school will be an integral element of the school security plan, it is expected that an adequate key control system will be in place to enable staff or public safety officials to limit access to the building when it is deemed necessary.
The Principal shall assure that funds and confidential records will be kept in a secure place.
SOURCE: MASC
First reading: 06-20-07
Second reading, first vote: 07-11-07
Final vote: 08-15-07
Reviewed, edited and approved by Shutesbury Policy Committee: 03/15/18
First Reading by Shutesbury School Committee: 04/26/18
Second Reading, First Vote by Shutesbury School Committee: 05/17/18
Final Vote by Shutesbury School Committee: 06/20/18