School Safety

General Response Protocol

The General Response Protocol (GRP) is designed to provide all schools with the steps they must take when an emergency occurs. All schools must use the common language for emergency readiness promulgated by the Office of Safety and Prevention Partnerships (OSPP) through its training documents and professional development sessions. All protocols are based on the use of this common language to identify the initial measures to take until first responders arrive.

GRP Actions

In the event that a staff member becomes aware of an immediate threat to the safety of the school community, 911 must be contacted and the principal/designee must be notified in accordance with Chancellors Regulation A- 412. Some emergency situations will require activation of the GRP. Each GRP action has specific staff and student procedures that are unique to each response. The GRP Actions are delineated below. For each action, the announcement for the action is made twice over the public address system. When conducting drills, announcements must state: “This is a drill. This is a drill.”

Shelter In

Shelter-In is used when the danger is outside the building. Announcement: “Attention. This is a Shelter-In. Secure the exit doors.”

Students and staff must be trained to remain inside the building and conduct “business as usual.”
If there is a need to move classes to another location within the building, an announcement must be made.
Teachers are trained to increase their situational awareness and conduct “business as usual” unless specific announcements are made giving them additional directions
The Shelter-In must remain in effect until the all-clear announcement is made: “The Shelter-In has been lifted.”
Office staff maintain a cell phone number for all teachers who take classes on trips. If the building must Shelter-In, office staff call the teacher to alert them and provide specific directions.

Evacuation

Evacuation is used when the safety of all individuals is dependent upon leaving the building in an organized fashion. Signal: The fire alarm system is used as the initial alert for staff and students to initiate an evacuation.

Note: There may be times when the PA system is used to provide specific instructions regarding the evacuation process

Students must be trained to leave belongings behind and follow all directions given by their teachers. In cold DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, CITY OF NEW YORK Adrien Block Campus weather, individuals may take their coats when possible. No one should return to the building to retrieve coats once the evacuation begins.
Teachers must take their evacuation folders, which contain a current attendance roster and the GRP Assembly Cards
All teachers must familiarize themselves with the evacuation drill posters in each room in which they teach. Teachers escort students to the exit posted in the respective classroom. Per FDNY, doors need to be closed after the last person exits a classroom. Floor wardens will assist with evacuation
During an evacuation, take your emergency folder, which contains your attendance rosters and assembly card, located by the class door.
Move quickly and safely to the street. Escort students away from the building.
Teachers must inform a Building Response Team (BRT) member if a student is missing from their class (Hold up red side of Assembly Card) or if a student is injured or has a medical need (Hold up the medical side of Assembly Card).
Once the signal is given to re-enter the building, teachers will escort students back into the building quickly and silently
If a student is added or removed to your class prior to the issuance of a new roster, update your folder’s roster with a pen to reflect the change.
If an evacuation is the result of a bomb threat or the discovery of a suspicious device, the use of cell phones and two-way radios must be prohibited until authorized by first responders. Hardwired/ landline phones (office and classroom phones), the PA system, and in-person communication are the only methods of delivering messages until first responders indicate otherwise.

Lockdown

Lockdown is used when the danger is found inside the school building. Remember, during an actual hard lockdown, therewill never be an announcement that the lockdown is lifted–this announcement is only made during drills.

Note: There may be times when the PA system is used to provide specific instructions regarding the evacuation process

Announcement: “This is a (hard or soft) lockdown. Take proper action." Please remember that we will say "This is a drill" before any and all drills.

A soft lockdown is used when there is no imminent danger identified (i.e., no weapons). The BRT and School Safety Agents must activate the command post to begin a building sweep.
A hard lockdown must be used when imminent danger is identified (i.e., weapon). In this case, a building sweep is not conducted. All individuals, including the BRT and School Safety Agents, must lockdown until first responders arrive.
Students must be trained to move out of sight of the classroom doorway(s) and maintain silence.
Teachers must quickly check the hallway outside of their classroom for students, lock the classroom door, and turn the lights off. They must then ensure that everyone in the classroom has moved out of sight and remains silent until first responders open the door, or the all-clear message is made: “The lockdown has been lifted” followed by specific directions.
Actions for hard lockdown remain the same as a soft lockdown for classrooms and offices but it is important to remember these critical actions to take along the Run, Hide, Fight paradigm:
- Run: if near an exit door at the time of an active threat incident, it might be safer to run out of the building and contact 911. It also may be necessary to run to the closest office or classroom in order to hide.
  - Remind everyone that when in areas like the cafeteria or auditorium (or other common area) hiding may be impossible and self-evacuation may be necessary.
- Hide: when necessary to remain in hard lockdown, ensure that everyone can hide behind a locked door and remain silent. In some circumstances where a door needs to be fortified, it may be necessary to re-position objects within the classroom or office as a barricade.
- Confront (fight): If faced with an imminent threat in their room or office, individuals may need to confront (fight) their attacker. It is important to assess the ability to confront with items already in the classroom such as chairs, window pole, Lysol type sprays, etc.

Hold

Hold is used when there is a need to keep all staff and students inside their classrooms or offices, but regular business may continue. Everyone will ignore the end of class signals until an announcement is made.

Announcement: “Attention. This is a Hold. All staff, students, and visitors are to remain where they are until you hear the "All Clear.”

V. Students: Remain in place until the “All Clear” is announced.

VI. Teachers/staff: Close and lock the classroom/office door.

VII. Teachers/staff: Call the main office and report the names of any students who were using the classroom pass when the Hold was announced.

VIII. Teachers/staff: Instruction/business may continue.

IX. All staff and students remain in place and ignore the end of class signal and wait for the “all Clear”

announcement.