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School Safety

Student safety is our first priority. We define school safety as schools and school-related activities where students are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and substance use. School safety is linked to improved student and school outcomes. In particular, emotional and physical safety in school are related to academic performance. 

New York State Requires Teams and Plans for school safety, District-wide Safety Team (responsible for developing the District Safety Plan) and Building-Level Emergency Response Teams (responsible for developing building-level emergency response plans). Learn more about the safety teams' collective responsibilities here>>

View or Download to review the >>2024-2025 District-Wide Safety Plan


Per NYS regulation, this publication was posted for 30 days (July 11 - August 12, 2024) for public review.


One of the most critical components of our school safety planning relies on our ability to contact parents/guardians when it's most important. Follow the tips below to make sure we can reach you.

1. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date and current in SchoolTool. Have a change? Complete the change of information form found here: www.elmiracityschools.com/contactchangeform

2. Save us as a contact. The District uses an automated calling system which may be flagged from phone carriers as SPAM. One way to ensure you know it is us when we call is to save us in your contacts. Create a contact in your phone with 607.735.3000 as Elmira City School District. Also, save your student's school number. Find a list of school phone numbers here: www.elmiracityschools.com/contactus

3. Consider your student's school and district the primary source of information. Reading or posting misinformation on social media creates chaos during complex situations. When there is an emergency, depending on the nature of the crisis and the resources available (i.e. phones, Internet), the District communicates via email, phone and text through School Messenger. Learn more about emergency communications and response plans here: https://www.elmiracityschools.com/district/about_us/student_safety/emergency_response_protocols

School Safety and Student Wellness

Safety is the top priority in our Elmira City Schools. When we look at safety, it is not just about physical safety. Students must feel welcome and emotionally safe. They also must have relational trust in adults at the school, who they have confidence will be there for them if they need something, or if they need to share important information about a situation. Learn more about our support-based Community Schools model here: https://www.elmiracityschools.com/student_services/community_schools

The District-wide School Safety team has created and implemented a comprehensive system that includes trained staff, protocols, programs, and policies to keep students and staff safe before, during, and after school. Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility - safety of our students and staff is reliant on building trusted partnerships with parents, students and school communities across the district.

Components of School Safety

Each component listed below is critically important and interrelated with the other components. Proactive policies and approaches are the best way to address the safety challenges that schools face.

Physical Safety  

Physical Safety

All schools have a safety plan that determines how they will keep their school physically safe.

Only authorized individuals are able to enter the schools. Guests entering any ECSD school requires an ID to be run through our Visitor Management System that will track individuals who are entering the schools to support in the access control plan. The District also has a rigorous background check policy to ensure that the adults supporting schools have been appropriately vetted and deemed safe to be working with students. >>Read more about Building Security Protocols
     
 Emotional Safety and Trust  

Climate and Behavioral Support: Emotional Safety and Trust

The District as a whole, both administrators, faculty and staff, all work towards the goal of ensuring that there is a welcoming environment for students so they view their school as a safe place to be, enabling them to focus on learning and academic achievement.

All teachers and staff play a role in incorporating social emotional learning into their daily curriculum because students also play a role in supporting their peers in providing for an emotionally-safe environment. >>Request Counseling Support
     
 Together  

Prevention: Conflict Resolution and Reporting

Students and families can take an active role in protecting school safety. Sometimes, a student’s school experience is interrupted by an emergency or a crisis situation. To report such incidents, we have a number of mechanisms in place for you to notify us. >>Report a Concern

The Code of Conduct sets expectations for students, parents, teachers, other staff, the Superintendent and the Board of Education in the areas of behavior and discipline. It includes behavioral expectations and their consequences. >>Read more about the Code of Conduct.

Frequently Asked Questions


The Elmira City School District takes great efforts to protect the privacy and security of your student’s data and personally identifiable information.

>>Read more about the Student Data Privacy Act and security measures here.

Schools can play a vital role in the prevention of violence through preparedness, education and training; however, they need help from the entire community in this effort. In partnership with Chemung County, every school has a School Resource Officer on staff. Our SROs are experienced, retired police officers from the area who have a vested interest in the safety and futures of our Elmira community. On top of ensuring safe environments, a goal of these officers is to interact with students in a positive manner on a daily basis. SROs often assist with counseling, crisis management, as well as provide education to students on how to become productive members of this community.

>>See a list of our School Resource Officers, organized by school, here.