POSTED FEBRUARY 2, 2023

In light of recent school and community shooting tragedies around our country, the Elizabethtown Area School District recognizes that there is a heightened awareness of school and community safety. To that end, the District wanted to share basic information about our safety efforts.

EASD SAFETY AND SECURITY MEASURES

• PERSONNEL: The District recently hired Garret Rain to be our Safety and Security Coordinator. Mr. Rain is a retired captain for the Pennsylvania State Police. He has years of experience supporting school districts through his efforts with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s Safe School Project. Mr. Rain’s position is funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. You can direct any questions you may have about the District’s safety planning to Mr. Rain at garret_rain@etownschools.org.
• PLANNING AND PREPARATION: The District approved its revised Emergency Operations Plan in September 2022. This plan provides school district personnel with emergency protection, mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery procedures relevant to natural, technological, and human-caused disasters. For obvious security reasons, we cannot share the entire plan with the community; however, you can find a public portion on our website in the Safety and Security section.
• SAFETY FRAMEWORK: Our school safety framework consists of five pillars: 1) Environment, 2) Prevention, 3) Preparation, 4) Partnerships, and 5) Countering. Components of these pillars include but are not limited to building relationships, providing training for and conducting drills with our faculty and staff, employing an Elizabethtown Borough Police Officer as our school district School Resource Officer, formation of threat assessment teams to evaluate risks, making use of a web filtering system to identify issues of concerns, and ensuring our school buildings are properly maintained to support school safety.
• STUDENT SUPPORTS: The District employs a wide range of student support services that are vitally important to fostering a school climate that is conducive to student safety, social and emotional well-being, and ultimately student learning. These include school-based counseling services, trauma and crisis counseling support, facility dogs, social workers, and mental health screenings.
• TIP LINE: The District continues to use the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Safe2Say Something Anonymous Tip Line. This platform allows youth and adults to share information anonymously with a crisis center when they believe an individual is a harm to themselves or others. You can access the Safe2Say Something tip line at www.safe2saypa.org. 
• BEST PRACTICES: The District continues to conduct regular and routine reviews of our schools for alignment with best practices and standards. Most recently, the District has implemented a plan to address a recent trend of "swatting." Swatting entails the making of a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address. While we cannot share the details of our response, we are confident we are prepared to respond in such a way that keeps students, staff, and visitors safe; classes in session; and leverages the support of local law enforcement in our investigation.

HOW YOU CAN PARTNER WITH US

• KNOWLEDGE: Stay informed and up to date on District’s student well-being, safety, and security measures by visiting our website and clicking on the Safety and Security link.
• SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: Do not assume the District knows. Keeping our schools safe is a responsibility we all share. If you believe you have information to share related to student and school safety, please contact your child’s principal or use the Safe2Say Something Tip Line immediately. If you believe the threat is imminent, call 911.
• COLLABORATION: Talk with your children about the seriousness of threats and the importance of reporting suspicious activities, threats, or disturbing information to a trusted adult.
• COMMUNICATION: Make your child aware that the District and law enforcement agencies take any type of threat seriously. A student that makes a threat could face not only discipline from the District but also criminal prosecution, even if such incidents are intended as pranks or are false reports. 

In closing, student, faculty, and staff safety is the District's number one priority, and we will continue to be vigilant. It is equally vital for all of us to recognize that everyone in our school community plays a role in ensuring our students' well-being, safety, and security. Rest assured, we are committed to providing a welcoming, safe, and secure learning environment that allows our students to thrive in school. Thank you for your continued partnership.

Thank you,

Dr. Karen Nell, Ed.D.
Acting Superintendent of Schools