Port Chester Public Schools District

Safety & Security

The Safety and Security Department at Port Chester School District is dedicated to creating a safe and secure learning environment for all students, staff, and visitors. Our mission is to implement comprehensive measures that ensure the physical and emotional well-being of everyone within our educational community. With a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement, our department strives to maintain a supportive atmosphere that fosters academic growth and personal development.

Key Goals and Objectives:

Safety Infrastructure: Our first priority is to assess and enhance the safety infrastructure of all school facilities within the district. This includes conducting regular safety audits, upgrading security systems, and implementing appropriate access control measures.

Emergency Preparedness: We regularly update comprehensive emergency response plans for various scenarios, including natural disasters, medical emergencies, and potential threats. Regular drills and training sessions will be conducted to ensure all stakeholders are well-prepared to handle emergencies effectively.

Student and Staff Well-being: The safety and well-being of students and staff are of utmost importance. We will focus on promoting mental health awareness, establishing counseling and support programs, and implementing anti-bullying initiatives to create a positive and inclusive environment for everyone.

Community Partnerships: Collaboration with law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and parents is crucial for enhancing safety measures. We will actively engage in partnerships to strengthen our safety network and share resources and knowledge.
Technology and Innovation: Embracing modern technology and innovative solutions will aid in bolstering our security efforts. We will invest in state-of-the-art systems, such as video surveillance, access control, and threat detection tools.

Continuous Training: Regular training and professional development for school staff will be a priority. This will ensure that they are well-informed about safety protocols, aware of potential risks, and equipped to respond appropriately in challenging situations.

Safety Culture: Fostering a culture of safety and security within the district is essential. We will encourage open communication, encourage reporting of concerns, and celebrate safety achievements to build a collective sense of responsibility for everyone's well-being.

Data-Driven Approach: Utilizing data and analytics, we will continuously monitor safety trends and incidents to identify potential areas for improvement and make informed decisions regarding resource allocation and intervention strategies.

By prioritizing safety and security within the Port Chester School District, we believe that our commitment to safeguarding our learning community will pave the way for academic success, personal growth, and a thriving educational experience for all stakeholders.

Cybersecurity

Port Chester Schools has two main areas of cybersecurity. Internally we focus on data privacy while externally we focus on the infrastructure to provide safeguards.

The district DPS team meets biweekly to discuss, review and improve our data privacy protocols. These include requiring all vendors to sign data privacy agreements and parent bill of rights agreements. We ensure the district is in compliance with NYS Ed-Law 2d and protecting student and staff data. We provide a robust training for all new teachers about cybersecurity and data privacy as well as require all staff complete a data privacy refresher training each year. We also constantly have email campaigns to all staff about the importance of not sharing student data, protecting and maintaining passwords, and how to identify a phishing threat. We also have an external BOCES consultant review all of our procedures and meet with the DPS team to discuss findings and make recommendations.

In terms of our cybersecurity infrastructure and safeguards, we have several network-facing devices that protect outsiders from getting through to the district network from the internet such as an intrusion prevention/detection system and firewall. While browsing the internet in the district or on a district device, the students have their web browsing activity filtered to prevent browsing inappropriate content or malicious websites containing malware. Students’ email communications are protected through configurations such as geo-fencing, spam protection, whitelisted/blacklisted senders and other privacy controls. On any device that isn’t a domain-enrolled Chromebook where the device is safely locked down utilizing Google’s Admin Console, the users are protected with Next Generation Anti-Virus and Policy to prevent any malicious programs from executing and to ensure good computer hygiene.