Safety and Security
Safety and Security
Mission Statement
The Maryvale Union Free School District is committed to creating safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environments where all community members work together to promote academic excellence, civil behaviors, and social competence. All staff, students, and parents help create safe schools.
District Safety Efforts
The Maryvale Union Free School District is committed to creating safe, secure, and caring learning environments. This emphasis has resulted in a Comprehensive District-Wide Safe Schools Plan that includes a purposeful connection between physical safety/security and the "psychological safety" of students.
Physical safety includes measures such as visitor check-in and identification badges, video surveillance, preparedness planning, and practice drills to prepare for a variety of potential incidents. District and school crisis plans are aligned with the recommendations of state Homeland Security, local emergency responders, and public safety officials.
Psychological safety provides for the social-emotional well-being of students and works to create positive school climates through measures such as asset development, bullying prevention, Positive Behavior Supports, and early identification and intervention for at-risk students.
The district's Safety Team, composed of staff from various district departments and schools, continually updates the district's planning and resources to reflect current needs and world events. Over the past several years, the district's safety efforts have been responsive to events such as Columbine and other school related shootings, September 11th, and the potential threat of domestic terrorism. Training and practice drills for staff and students have been held to contribute to preparedness for potential crisis events.
Each school has a functioning school safety team that monitors the building plan for both psychological and physical safety, and a crisis response & recovery team that oversees and implements the school's crisis response plan when needed.
Preparedness/Planning
Preparedness includes plans that schools develop to facilitate an effective response when a crisis situation occurs. This also includes planning for effective interventions with youth who demonstrate behavioral difficulties, including training of all staff, in Mental Health First Aid and Restorative Justice.
Intervention/Response
The district and schools have response protocols for situations and/or students who are at-risk, in crisis or potentially dangerous. As needed teams assess students and interventions are designed for students who do not respond to prevention efforts. This also includes implementing the district team threat assessment process, and using the RTI/Problem Solving Process when needed.
Crisis Response/Recovery
Recovery includes the steps the school community uses to respond appropriately during and after a crisis situation for the care and recovery of students and staff. Safety and Security resources can be found here. The goal is to return the school to a caring and supportive learning environment.