Emergencies in schools are defined as undesirable events that occur and have the potential to cause injury or illness to members of our school community or disrupt the orderly educational process. They range from acts of bullying or harassment to catastrophic natural or man-made events. Emergency management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing for an emergency situation or disaster before it occurs as well as supporting and rebuilding from the emergency after natural or human-made disasters have occurred.

Emergency management in our schools is the continuous process by which our staff, students, administrators, parents, school groups, emergency responders and our community manages hazards in an effort to avoid or mitigate the impact of disasters resulting from hazards. Preventive measures and good planning will reduce the likelihood that emergencies will occur and allow us to address those that do in an expeditious and effective manner.

Districts are required to develop district-wide school safety and emergency management plans designed to prevent and effectively manage such events to minimize the effects of serious incidents and emergencies. These plans also facilitate the coordination of the District with local and county plans and resources when incidents and emergencies occur.

The district-wide plan is responsive to the needs of all schools in the District and is consistent with the more detailed building-level emergency plans. Districts are vulnerable to a wide variety of acts of violence; and natural and manmade disasters. To address these threats, the State of New York has enacted the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (S.A.V.E.) law. Project S.A.V.E. is a comprehensive planning effort that addresses prevention, response, and recovery with respect to a variety of emergencies in schools.

The Babylon Union Free School District supports the S.A.V.E. legislation. As such, the Superintendent of Schools, Board of Education, and the entire District staff encourages and advocates on-going district­ wide cooperation in support of Project S.A.V.E.
 

BUFSD District-wide Safety & Emergency Management Plan: English | Spanish