Yes. Safety Teams have been put in place to: collect data on safety drills; analyze the data to identify areas of success and needs for improvement; design drill reports that summarize the findings for both individual schools and the District; and create and deliver individualized trainings to buildings and staff to address persistent issues. 

Members of the Safety Teams include Safe Schools Officers and School Police Officers who have undergone special training. Drill evaluations will begin during the 22-23 School Year, with a focus on lockdown drills and the emergency preparedness protocol, which is discussed below. Safety Teams should not be confused with Threat Assessment Teams, which are discussed below.

Yes. All RSD Schools have in place an Emergency Operations Plan/All Hazards Plan. These plans cover the entire timeline of an incident. They address preparing for emergencies, managing localized incidents, alerting first responders, accounting for students, reunifying students with their parents/ guardians. The Plans describe what actions each stakeholder will take before, during, and after incidents. Stakeholders include: staff, students, faculty, substitute teachers, district administrators, medical staff, mental health professionals, parents/guardians, and first responder agencies (Police, Fire and EMS)

The All Hazards Plan is distributed to each location and facility within the Reading School District and is available to all Reading School District staff members via the Intranet and/or internal staff Google Drive.

An abbreviated version of the plan, known as the Emergency Guide, is also distributed throughout the Reading School District and is formatted for quick reference during an emergency situation. Electronic versions of the plan are maintained on flash drives and distributed to key personnel throughout the Reading School District for easy access during incidents.

The All Hazards Plan and Emergency Guide are reviewed annually. Changes/revisions are made to ensure that the plan remains responsive and relevant. 

The Plan and Guide are not publicly accessible, however, because they contain sensitive information relative to security and safety. 

Yes. Each school has a Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Team that is comprised of an Administrator, School Counselor, School Psychologist, Safe Schools Member, and Mental Health Professional. The “CSTAG Team” model is an evidence-based model for schools to use in conducting threat assessments and identifying interventions in K-12 schools. The goals are to prevent violence and resolve the problem. The team is familiar with legal issues in the threat assessment so that proper procedures are followed for local authorities' involvement. Again, due to the sensitive nature of the protocol, the protocols are not publicly accessible. However, they are widely-used and reliable. Whether and how local authorities, e.g., the Reading Police, respond is based on their own assessment of the situation at hand. Certain situations require the District to notify the Reading Police Department based on School Code, including most suspected felony offenses.

Steps are currently being taken to address all doors throughout the District, including properly securing doors, closing down “hang out” spots, deploying Raptor Visitor Management System, sign-in/sign-out protocols, visitor badges, card access, hall sweeps, video surveillance, Neighborhood Resources Offices from RPD, increasing the number of District-employed School Police Officers, shifting coverage assignment for Safe School Officers, and emergency drills.

Physical safety measures include locks, cameras, personnel, and technology. School policy and procedures are followed regarding the functions of each physical safety measure. We continuously reassess and address physical safety concerns.

Under School Code, fire drills are conducted in each school building at least once per month while school is in session, and safety drills are conducted annually in the first 90 days.

Schools may also conduct two additional security drills per year in lieu of a monthly fire drill.

Bus evacuation drills are done twice annually during the school year. The drills are reported to PDE to ensure compliance with School Code. 

Families are not notified about the results of school safety drills due to security concerns over sharing specific information about how drills are conducted. However, this information is reported to the state to ensure compliance.

Each building is different based on its size, location, grade level, and student population. However, each building has pre-identified routes and points of reunification.Students will be escorted out of the building to these areas. They are instructed to bring their immediate possessions, including jackets and phones. Student counts are taken and maintained.

Reunification plans would be followed to ensure that every student is safe and accounted for during the crisis and afterwards to successfully reunite students with their parents/ guardians. Police and fire departments would be involved as needed. We aim to maintain a process that ensures all staff and students remain calm during a stressful situation.

If it becomes necessary to activate the Parent/ Student Reunification Plan, school officials will contact parents using the automated call system. The Superintendent’s office and the Communications person will also notify the local media outlets with information and instructions.

When parents/guardians arrive at the reunification location they are greeted by the Greeters. Greeters’ direct parents/guardians to the correct station based on the last name of the student. Once the parent/guardian is at the appropriate station, a Checker at the station locates the Crisis release form for the student. Checkers will also require legal photo identification from anyone attempting to pick up a student. Checkers will verify the photo ID against the crisis release form to ensure that the person requesting to pick up a student is legally able to do so.

Once the parent/guardian ID is verified the Checker provides a Runner with a Student Release Form. The Runner takes the Student Release Form to the student area, recovers the student, and brings him/her to the reunification area. At the reunification area, the Runner verifies the identification of the parent/guardian, marks the form that the ID was checked and releases the student.

Teachers in the student areas will keep accurate records of students and their locations during the reunification. Teachers will use appropriate Student Status Record. Upon arrival at the reunification student area, teachers complete their daily attendance records to complete this form. Teachers update this form as students move through the reunification process.

After consulting with appropriate first responders, families are notified through the RSD App, Blackboard, Remind, and Dojo, and the RSD Website. Local media may also be contacted through authorized press releases.

Yes. Safe2Say is a violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. It teaches youth and adults how to (1) recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be threats to themselves or others and (2) to say something before it is too late through an anonymous reporting system. It is a toll free, anonymous tip line for reporting weapons, threats, safety concerns and criminal activity. Designated staff have been trained to respond to the tips as they are funneled through the S2S hotline.

Safe2Say Anonymous Tipline

The best ways for parents to help protect their children are to encourage students to report any suspicious individuals or activities on school grounds and to be involved in our schools. Volunteer opportunities are available in our buildings, and we know that students respond well to, feel comforted by, and appreciate the presence of caring adults in their schools. Exposure to positive adult role models for our students is critical to keeping our school community safe and welcoming.