Safety

North Hills School District is committed to taking proactive measures to protect the safety of all our students and staff members. We have made preparations to deal effectively with emergency situations that could occur in or around the school while classes are in session. While we hope that a natural disaster or other serious incident never occurs, our goal is to be as prepared as possible for any potential emergency. Our priority at all times is to protect all students and staff from harm.

North Hills School District and all school facilities have crisis and safety plans. The plans are designed with the assistance of administrative staff members, as well as local law enforcement, emergency management, and public health officials. The plans, which are regularly reviewed and updated, include procedures to respond to a variety of crisis incidents. School district personnel and students practice drills associated with specific emergencies on a regular basis.

North Hills School District administrators consult with local, state and federal health, safety and emergency personnel to develop and maintain plans for coping with a variety of emergency situations. The district's Safety Team, made up of school administrators and staff and North Hills School Police officers, meets during the school year to discuss crisis response, management, prevention and communication.

All NHSD facilities have an emergency preparedness plan. The response to each situation will differ based on the specifics of that situation. Flexibility of the plan is key to the success of the response. In general, each plan involves the designation of a building-level safety team, development of Standard Response Protocol procedure responses specific to each building; preparation of a portable critical response kits that contain key information and supplies; designation of one or more appropriate evacuation sites; provisions for training personnel and updating the plan; checklists for dealing with specific types of incidents; and resources for help before, during and after an event.

All NHSD school plans have been reviewed within the last 12 months, and school crisis teams have received training. If you have any questions about school safety responses, please contact your building principal.

Safe2Say Something

School safety and security concerns can be reported to school administrators and NHSD’s police department using Pennsylvania's Safe2Say Something reporting system.

Safe2Say Something, an anonymous reporting system used by Pennsylvania's 500 school districts in coordination with local law enforcement and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” before it is too late.

• Website: www.safe2saypa.org/tip
• Phone: 1-844-SAF2SAY (1-844-723-2729)
• Mobile App - Available for iOS and Android devices

Safe2Say Something is NOT an emergency hotline. If you need immediate assistance and/or are reporting an event that could immediately impact the school community, call 911.

Tips reported to Safe2Say can include:

• Sensitive information regarding student safety, bullying or violence
• Illegal activity such as vandalism, theft or drug use
• Concerning posts on social media
• Students who may be in need of any type of assistance

Adverse consequences, including serious criminal charges, may result from the submission of a false report. All submissions can be traced in the event of misuse or abuse of the reporting system.

Additional Tip Lines

• RESOLVE Crisis Network: 1-888-7-YOU-CAN (1-888-796-8226)
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• PA Childline: 1-800-932-0313

North Hills School District has several systems in place to connect with families in the event of an emergency including our automated phone and text message system, email, website, app and social media.

Our phone and text message system will be utilized in the event of an emergency that requires immediate attention. All alerts are shared via email, and when appropriate, posted on our website, app and social media sites.

Please make sure your contact information, including phone number and email address, is up to date in PowerSchool to receive emergency communication. Contact your child’s school directly to make changes.

In the event of an emergency:

• Do not come to the school or or evacuation location until you are instructed to do so. It may be necessary to keep the streets and parking lot clear for emergency vehicles.
• Do not call the school. It is essential to keep the phone system open for emergency communications.
• Do not post inaccurate or unverified information on social media. Doing so might spread rumors and could cause danger to our school community.
• Call 911 to report time-sensitive information or suspicious behavior.