School Safety & Security

Safety and Security at Duanesburg Central Schools

DCS has a district-wide Safety Committee that  develops and maintains a publicly available comprehensive District Safety Plan that outlines what to do in the event of many emergency situations. It is filed with the NYS Education Department and the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office. The district plan is public.

Both the Elementary School and the Jr/Sr. High School have safety teams that develop and maintain their own building safety plans outlining evacuation routes, shelter sites, procedures for addressing medical needs, transportation, and emergency notification to parents. The building plans are confidential.

DCS also has a district Crisis Team that responds to crises related to tragic events within the district. This team is made up of district social workers, counselors, the district psychologist, the district’s School Resource Officer (SRO), principals, and the superintendent.

For questions concerning safety and security at DCS, or about the District Safety Plan, please contact Assistant Superintendent for Management Services, Jeffrey Rivenburg:
jivenburg@duanesburg.org
(518) 895-2279  X 241

Safety Forum (January, 2023)

In January of 2023, Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Niedermeier gave a presentation detailing the district’s safety policies and procedures, and shared various safety upgrades that have been made throughout the district in recent months.

View a PDF version of Dr. Niedermeier’s presentation. 

Watch the Safety Forum on-demand on the district’s YouTube channel.

Security Measures

• Identification badges are provided and required for all school employees and visitors.
• A single point of entry to buildings is required. The entrances are monitored and unknown visitors are questioned as to the purpose of visits before entry. All visitors are required to sign in. 
• Visitors must provide photo identification which is then run through the district Raptor system to identify potentially harmful individuals. 
• Video surveillance is accessible to administrators throughout the district.
• Sheriff’s office and emergency responders work annually with the district to complete: safety audits/inspections; crisis management trainings; various drills/simulations/tabletop exercises for staff 
• The district maintains a full time School Resource Officer (SRO) who is jointly employed by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office
• The district hosts an Fingerprint-supported, background checks are completed for all applicants for certification and all prospective employees.
• Two hours of violence prevention and intervention training are provided as part of the certification process for teachers, aides and administrators.
• Safety training is provided each year as part of one staff development day.
• An annual report on all violent incidents is filed with the NYS Commissioner of Education.

Preventative Measures

• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
• Multi-tiered Systems of Supports
• Social and emotional learning
• K-5 lessons from social worker
• Two 6-12 counselors
• Social workers at each building
• In-house Mental Health Clinic staffed by Northern Rivers
• Student Code of Conduct
• Progressive disciplinary approach
• Extracurricular activities and athletics
• Mental health and wellness education in Health classes
• District wellness committee programming
• Peer mediation and conflict resolution;
• Anonymous reporting mechanisms for reporting

Safety Drills

Fire drills, lockdown drills, and go-home-early drills are an important part of keeping students and staff prepared and our school safe. Practicing for emergencies is key. A set number of drills is required by the state, and drills are held throughout the year, not announced ahead of time and coordinated with local fire, emergency and law enforcement agencies.

Student Code of Conduct:

DCS’ Student Code of Conduct can be accessed here.

School Policies:

There are several Board of Education policies in place that specifically address school safety and security. Among them:

• Policy 3411: Prohibition of Weapons on School Grounds
• Policy 3412: Threats of Violence in School
• Policy 5681: School Safety Plans
• Policy 5683: Fire and Emergency Drills, Bomb Threats, and Bus Emergency Drills
• Policy 3420: Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment in the District
• Policy 3421: Title IX and Sex Discrimination

The policy manual for the Board of Education can now be found on BoardDocs. If you have any questions about the policy manual or need assistance accessing BoardDocs, please send your request to the Board of Education clerk Celeste Junge at cjunge@duanesburg.org. 

Additional Resources:

Dignity for All Students Act (DASA): 

New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) seeks to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function. The Dignity Act was signed into law on September 13, 2010 and took effect on July 1, 2012.

The district’s DASA coordinators are:

Learn more about DASA at Duanesburg Central School and/or file a DASA complaint here.

New York State Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE):

Details about SAVE can be found here.

New York State Sex Offender Registry:

The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) maintains the Sex Offender Registry and provides information to the public, law enforcement agencies, businesses and other entities about individuals required to register as sex offenders in New York State. The registry can be accessed here.

Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office:

The Duanesburg Central School District works closely with the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office to continually monitor and assess the safety and security of the district.