The School Safety Plan is essentially the foundation the school uses to maintain a safe and secure educational environment. The existence of a comprehensive school safety plan is a generally accepted standard of school safety, as well as a mandatory requirement of Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-83, and Mississippi Public School Accountability Standard, 2017 (Process Standard 31). Specific accreditation Standard for school safety include:

• 1. The school must have a crisis response plan that includes specific staff response protocols for: (Crisis Plan Review)

• a. Fire

• b. Bomb Threat/Explosion

• c. Tornado/Hurricane/Inclement Weather

• d. Armed/Unarmed Intruder

• e. Earthquake

• f. Interior/Exterior Hazardous Materials

• g. Threats unique to the geographical location of the school

• 2. Staff member roles and responsibilities must be identified, and they must be familiar with the crisis response plan. (Staff interviews)
• 3. Staff Crisis (Emergency) Response Team identified as well as contact information
• 4. Drills must be documented in accordance with the following schedule: (Drill File)

• a. Fire Drills-Monthly

• b. Tornado Drills- twice per year

• c. Lockdown/Intruder- twice per year

• 5. The school must have two (2) family reunification points designated to include maps to these locations. (Crisis Plan Review)
• 6. The school must have two (2) evacuation locations designated to include maps to these locations.
• 7. The school must be compliant with all pertinent Mississippi Codes: (District Policy and Procedure Manual Review)

• a. Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-53 - Dissemination of the Student Code of Conduct

• b. Must possess and enforce the Student Disciplinary Plan

• c. Must report all crimes in accordance with the provisions of Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-29.

• d. Must have a restraint policy.

• e. Must have a search policy for students, personal property, and vehicles that is enforced.

• f. Must have an enforced visitor control procedure.

• g. School Safety Personnel:

• 1) SROs and SSOs must be certified by MDE within 2 years of appointment to the school if employed by the school district.

• 2) All school safety personnel must be supervised by the superintendent or designee, excluding principals.

• 3) SROs must be certified full-time police officers.

• 4) SROs must be armed and deployed in accordance with the generally accepted Standard of police practice. They must qualify with firearms bi-annually.

• 5) SROs must attend Active Shooter Training (ALERRT) every third year.

• 6) All school safety personnel must receive a minimum of 40 hours service training as approved by MDE each year.

Assessment Evaluating school safety procedures and practices is an ongoing process. One of the first steps in designing a School Safety Plan is the evaluation of the school's current safety status and statistics. When drafting a school safety plan, a safety committee shall be formed with representatives of all elements of the school and community responders. This plan shall be reviewed by all involved and signed off on by each entity involved. The plan shall be reviewed/revised annually during the summer and submitted for board approval. The school safety plan must have annual board approval.

School Safety Plan Components There are three (3) components to a School Safety Plan.

• 1. District and School Policies and Procedures Manual

• Policies and procedures that are clearly communicated and consistently enforced to afford a safe school operating environment. A listing of policies, procedures, and regulations the district and/or school has enacted are typically those items listed in:

• a. Employee handbook: Monitoring duties, intruder policies, and evacuation procedures.

• b. Parent/Student Handbook: Uniform policies, code of conduct policies, etc.

• c. Discipline Code: Hearing procedures and prohibited conduct.

• d. District Policies and Procedures: Safety policies, campus security policy, assessments conducted, needs identified, alternative school/detention policy.

• e. Maintenance Policies: Athletic procedures and transportation policy.

• f. Programs and staff training the school uses to reduce violence or non-compliant behavior such as DARE, GREAT, Youth Crime Watch, ROTC, Teen Court, etc.

• 2. Programs that Promote Compliant Behavior and Reduce Prohibited Conduct

• A listing of those programs that have been implemented to encourage a safe and secure school environment and compliant behavior. The program shall:

• a. Be statistically proven to promote good character and encourage compliant behavior.

• b. Have a means of objectively measuring the success of the program.

• 3. Crisis Response Plan

• In accordance with Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-101 the school safety plan must include a comprehensive listing of Crisis Response Protocols to include all staff actions and a protocol for the following events at a minimum:

• a. Fire

• b. Tornado/Inclement weather

• c. Hurricane

• d. Bomb Threat/Explosion

• e. Intruder (armed and unarmed)

• f. Earthquake

• g. Threats unique to the school such as nuclear incidents, hazardous materials spills, train derailment, etc.

Each classroom shall contain emergency packs that include color cards for outside evacuations only (Red - have an emergency issue, Yellow - need assistance from an Administrator, Green - no issues), class roster with emergency student contacts, emergency procedures checklist, whistle, and list of any specific special needs (medications, dietary needs, or other medical issues pertaining to students).

School Safety Personnel Assignment of personnel shall be based on the school safety assessment, threat profile, needs of the district, and funding availability. In accordance with Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-321, all security or law enforcement personnel assigned to a school district on a full-time basis (greater than 75%) must be certified by MDE within 2 years of appointment if employed directly by a school district. The School Resource Officer (or SSO/CEO) shall be an integral part of all safety planning areas since this individual is responsible for safety planning and response.

School Resource Officer (SRO)

• 1. Definition: An officer, commissioned by a local law enforcement agency or school district, who has at least three (3) years of full time commissioned law enforcement service and is a graduate of the Basic Law Enforcement Officer Training Program and the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) School Resource Officer Basic Course. This officer shall be supervised by the superintendent or their designee, excluding principals. The officer typically spends 40% of their time in enforcement and security administration, 30% teaching character related education subjects, and 30% mentoring at-risk students.
• 2. Duties/Qualifications: Must be at least 24 years of age and have at least three (3) years of law enforcement experience prior to assignment. The SRO is assigned to a school district on a full-time basis. Duties include school safety planning, enforcement, teaching, and mentoring. It is recommended that the SRO have an assigned office space, computer, and phone line. This allows the SRO to have a location to write reports, maintain intelligence logs, communicate with surrounding Law Enforcement for situational awareness, and research items that may provide safety and security to schools. The SRO is expected to be armed and maintain qualifications with the issued weapon every six (6) months. Officers shall be screened for intelligence, ability to teach subjects within their area of expertise, and their ability to interact with students. The SRO is not merely an armed security guard.
• 3. Minimum Training Standard:

• a. Completion of the Police Officer Basic Course (reserve basic is not acceptable).

• b. Completion of the MDE School Resource Officer Basic Course within two (2) years of appointment (See MS Code 37-7-321).

• c. 40 hours per year of MDE sanctioned in-service training.

Campus Enforcement Officer (CEO)

• 1. Definition: An officer, commissioned by a local law enforcement agency or local school district in accordance with Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-321 who is a graduate of the Reserve Police Officer Basic Course and is assigned enforcement, security, and safety duties.
• 2. Duties/Qualifications: The Campus Enforcement Officer (CEO) is a School Safety Officer that is commissioned by a local law enforcement agency that has law enforcement authority. The CEO has authority to carry a weapon and make arrests. The officer is responsible only for enforcement and safety related activities. The Campus Enforcement Officer is not trained in school safety, planning, classroom teaching, or counseling related duties.
• 3. Minimum Training Standard:

• a. Completion of the Reserve Police Officer Basic Course

• b. 40 hours per year of MDE sanctioned in-service training is recommended.

School Safety Officer (SSO)

• 1. Definition: A security and safety specialist, employed by the school district or private security company, who has been contracted by the district to provide routine safety and security duties.
• 2. Duties/Qualifications: The School Safety Officer (SSO) is assigned routine duties of safety and physical security under the supervision of a School Resource Officer, Campus Enforcement Officer, or school administrator. The SSO does not have authority to carry a weapon or make arrests. The SSO conducts routine patrols, secures buildings, and checks for safety hazards.
• 3. Minimum Training Standard:

• a. Completion of the MDE School Safety Officer Basic Course

• b. 40 hours per year of MDE sanctioned in-service training

31. The school district complies with State Board Policies and State and Federal laws to provide Safe Schools. Each school has a comprehensive School Safety Plan on file that has been approved annually by the local school board. Miss. Code Ann. §§ 37-3-81., 37-3-82, 37-3-83, 37-7-321, 37-11-5, 37-11-29, 37-11-53, 37-11- 67, and 37-11-69, the Mississippi School Safety Manual and the MDE Occupational Safety and Crisis Response Planning Manual.

The Department of Education, using only existing staff and resources, shall establish and maintain a School Safety Center, which shall operate a statewide information clearinghouse that: (a) provides assistance to school districts and communities during school crises; and (b) provides technical assistance, training and current resources to public school officials and parents who need assistance in researching, developing and implementing school safety plans and in maintaining a safe school environment. However, no monies from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grant may be used for the School Safety Center.

(2) The school board of each school district, with the assistance of the State Department of Education School Safety Center, shall adopt a comprehensive local school district school safety plan and shall update the plan on an annual basis.

This manual provides guidance to school districts to develop and implement comprehensive school safety plans.