Health and Safety
Health and Safety
The safety and welfare of our students, staff and building visitors is our highest priority at the Montessori Regional Charter School.
Safe2Say Something
Students and staff are trained every year about the Safe2Say Something system. This program teaches students and staff on how to recognize the warning signs and signals from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others. They are encouraged to say something and report concerns to a hotline via phone call, website or by using the Safe2Say app available through Apple App Store or Google Play. This program is run by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Montessori Regional Charter School has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP) for use in emergency response.
The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is based on an all-hazards approach as opposed to individual scenarios and utilizes clear common language around five specific actions:
- HOLD: This action is used when hallways need to be cleared, such as during a medical emergency. Students will be held in their classrooms, and no one should be in the hallways.
- SECURE: This is called when a threat or hazard is outside of the school. All outside doors will be locked, and all activities will continue as usual inside the building.
- LOCKDOWN: This is the most serious action, called when there is an active threat or hazard inside the school. Students and staff will be secured in their classrooms, doors will be locked, and lights will be turned off.
- EVACUATE: This action is used when students and staff need to leave their current location and move to another area, such as in the case of a fire alarm or gas leak.
- SHELTER: This is called when an emergency requires students and staff to take specific protective actions, such as during a tornado, earthquake, or hazardous material spill.
For parent guidance on what to do during each of these actions see the handout below. Other languages are available on the iloveuguys.org website.
Water Quality Testing
To prevent exposure to lead contamination in the drinking water of Pennsylvania's schools, the Public School Code was amended in June 2018 (by Act 39 of 2018Opens In A New Window) to:
- Encourage schools to test for lead in their drinking water;
- Require schools that do not test to discuss lead issues at a public meeting; and
- Implement a plan if results exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national primary drinking water standard of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Under Act 39 of 2018, schools may, but are not required to, test for lead levels annually in the drinking water of any facility where children attend school.
If a school chooses not to test for lead levels, then the school must discuss lead issues in school facilities at a public meeting once a year. This meeting may be a stand-alone meeting or part of an existing public meeting (such as a school board meeting).