Safety Information
School Safety Resources, Trainings and Programs
The Red Hook Central School District engages in a wide range of programs and trainings, and offers resources to the community, to support student, staff and family safety. Scroll down to read about our partnership with Dutchess BOCES’ Regional Safety Services, the District-wide Safety and Emergency Management Plan, the School Emergency Parent Guide, our Threat Assessment Training, the Code of Conduct, the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, the Dignity for All Students Act, our Mental Health Supports, our School Resource Officer Program and our Multi-Tiered System of Supports. Download a PDF version of this list here.
Regional Safety Services (RSS):
Dutchess BOCES
The District partners with the Regional Safety Services (RSS) through Dutchess BOCES. This service provides a broad range of health, safety and emergency planning services. This service helps to strengthen staff members’ ability to respond eectively through training and drilling in order to keep our schools safe. Team members from RSS regularly attend the District Safety Team meetings, and the Building Safety Team meetings, as needed. The service also provides ongoing communication to the district on local, regional and national safety updates and alerts. They provided additional trainings for Incident Command System, Threat Assessment Training and Reunification Training.
You can learn more on the Dutchess BOCES website.
District-Wide Safety and Emergency Management Plan
The District-Wide Safety and Emergency Management Plan outlines the District’s planning guidelines as well as the risk reduction/prevention and intervention. It also includes the
response, communication and recovery plans the District has in place if an incident occurs. The Board of Education must approve this plan annually.
The District-Wide Safety and Emergency Management Plan can be found on the RHCSD website here.
School Emergency Parent Guide
The District has also made a School Emergency Parent Guide available to be accessed at any time. This shorten guide outlines how to prepare for a school emergency and what to do during a school emergency. It also outlines the terms that may be used in an emergency.
Threat Assessment Training
This training is designed for school-based threat assessment teams to answer key questions on establishing threat assessment processes within our school, district, and community. This training not only explores questions related to the principles of threat assessment such as behaviors, communication, and follow-up, but it also focuses on training the teams in the use of the evidence- based Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines Tool established by Dr. Dewey Cornell and apply it to real-world scenarios. A school triage team contains, at the minimum, an administrator, a mental health professional and a school resource officer or other law enforcement representative.
Code of Conduct
The Red Hook Central School District is committed to providing a safe and orderly school environment where students may receive and district personnel may deliver quality educational services without disruption or interference. Responsible behavior by students, teachers, other district personnel, parents and other visitors is essential to achieving this goal.
The District has a long-standing set of expectations for conduct on school property and at school functions. These expectations are based on the principles of civility, mutual respect, citizenship, character, tolerance, honesty and integrity.
The Code of Conduct can be found here.
Say Something
Anonymous Reporting System
The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System enables students to anonymously report an issue 24/7/365 through an app, hotline, or website when they see a classmate who is at risk of harming themselves or others.
We encourage you to visit the Say Something website to learn more.
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
For many years, the Red Hook Central School District has taken a proactive stance for character education in our schools, committed to the idea that all people deserve a safe, healthy environment in which to learn and grow. It is with this sentiment that we enthusiastically embrace the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Our District vision has, over the years, led to many programs and initiatives aimed at harnessing the energy of collaboration between students and staff to establish a welcoming environment for every pupil. In Red Hook we seek not only to provide strong academic instruction, but also to educate the ‘whole child’; to do everything in our power to protect their social, emotional, and psychological development.
Learn more about DASA and read the policy in full on this district webpage.
Mental Health Supports
There are mental health professionals available to all children of every grade throughout the District. If your child is struggling, there are Psychologists, Social Workers and School Counselors employed in the district to help guide your child through their difficulties.
The mental health backpack is a useful tool found here on the RHCSD website. It includes important links to resources, events, and clinical topics that provides information on specific disorders.
School Resource Officer Program
The Red Hook Central School District partners with the Red Hook Police Department for our comprehensive School Resource Officer program. The officers that serve in that program have vast experience and backgrounds to assist in creating a safe school environment. The Officers also promote awareness of the laws and other safety issues and serve as a confidential advisor and link to community support services. The program provides a bridge to youth in establishing a trusting channel of
communication. They assist administration with implementing the SAVE legislation requirements.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports
(MTSS)
A multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is a proactive and preventative framework that integrates data and instruction to maximize student achievement and support students social, emotional, and behavior needs from a strengths-based perspective. MTSS offers a framework for educators to engage in data-based decision making related to program improvement, high-quality instruction and intervention, social and emotional learning, and positive behavioral supports necessary to ensure positive outcomes for districts, schools, teachers, and students. The MTSS framework is comprised of four essential components: screening, progress monitoring, multi-level prevention system, and data-based decision making. Depending on state law, MTSS data may also support identifi cation of students with learning or other disabilities.