September 6, 2024
Dear Chenango Valley Families,
As we begin the 2024-2025 school year, we hope your family’s year is off to a great start. We want to inform you about the routine procedures and drills that will be conducted in our schools to ensure the safety of students and staff. The safety of your children is our top priority, and we are committed to keeping you updated about these important protocols.
Types of Drills and When to Expect Notifications
Throughout the school year, we will continue conducting annually-scheduled safety drills to help our students and staff stay prepared for a range of potential situations. These drills include lockdowns, evacuations, bus safety, and early dismissal procedures. This year, we will notify you in advance of the dates when these drills are planned. Please know that these notifications are simply to keep you informed and not to cause concern.
Notes:
-Occasionally, a scheduled drill may be postponed due to weather or other events. If this happens, the school will hold the drill on the designated back-up date.
-Bus safety drills are scheduled for September 11 and 12 and will be completed during the first full week of school to meet requirements. Additional bus safety drills will be conducted in the winter and spring.
Lockdown Drills: In case of an incident that poses an immediate threat in or around the school, students and staff practice securing themselves inside classrooms and remaining out of view.
Number of Lockdown Drills: -All schools must hold 4 lockdown drills throughout the school year. -Each school will hold 2 lockdown drills in the fall and 2 lockdown drills in the spring. How Families Will be Notified: The date of upcoming lockdown drills will be communicated to families at least 24 hours in advance, but no more than one week before the scheduled drill, through the following channels: -The notification will be included in a routine email communication from the school principal. -This communication will also be posted on the district website under each school’s updates webpage. While dates will be communicated in advance, specific times will not be communicated in advance.
| Evacuation Drills: Students and staff practice evacuating the building in case of fire or other need. Number of Evacuation Drills: -All schools must hold 8 evacuation drills throughout the school year. -Each school will hold 6 evacuation drills in the fall and 2 evacuation drills in the spring. How Families Will be Notified: The date of upcoming evacuation drills will be communicated to families at least 24 hours in advance, but no more than one week before the scheduled drill, through the following channels:
-The notification will be included in a routine email communication from the school principal. -This communication will also be posted on the district website under each school’s updates webpage.
While dates will be communicated in advance, specific times will not be communicated in advance.
| Early Dismissal Drill: Students and staff practice leaving the school early in an organized manner in case of emergencies requiring an early release.
Number of Early Dismissal Drills: -All schools must hold 1 early dismissal drill. -Each Chenango Valley school building will begin their dismissal process 15 minutes early on October 10. How Families Will be Notified: -The early dismissal drill date has been shared in the physical district calendar and is posted on the district website calendar. -Principals will also share reminders in their routine email communications at least one week in advance.
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Trauma-Informed Approach
We recognize that emergency drills can sometimes cause anxiety, especially for younger students. All drills will continue to be conducted in a trauma-informed and age-appropriate manner. As part of our annual safety curriculum and training, students learn about the importance of these drills and their purpose.
Emergency Preparedness
Each district decision is made prioritizing the safety of students and staff. We have specific safety practices and procedures developed by safety teams composed of staff and emergency personnel. For more information on our district’s safety plan and the types of drills we conduct, please visit our school website or contact your child’s school directly.
Communications
In the event of a real emergency, we will notify you as quickly as possible through our opt-in alert notification system, which includes email and text alerts. Voice messages may also be sent to students’ primary contacts.
Sign up for the district’s alert notification system: If you are new to the district or haven't signed up for the district's alert notification system yet, we encourage you to do so. This system also provides updates on weather-related school delays and closings:
https://www.cvcsd.stier.org/PortalLogin.aspx.
It's important to ensure your contact information is current. If you've recently changed your phone number or email, please update your details in the system. For any questions, you can reach out to Chenango Valley’s Director of Technology, Sarah Latimer, at
[email protected] or 607-762-6820.
We will keep you informed if there are any changes to the plan above. We appreciate your continued support in helping us maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all students to learn and grow. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.
Sincerely,
Dr. Larry Dake
Superintendent of Schools