“The safety of Delaware’s children is paramount, and Delaware’s educators and agencies work every day to ensure our students are safe when they go to school. We wanted to create an online resource to answer any questions about school safety and act as a space for you to provide feedback and ideas for improvement.” – Governor John Carney
Delaware School Safety - Frequently Asked Questions
What does the State of Delaware do to ensure safety in schools?
Each year, Delaware’s Comprehensive School Safety Program (CSSP) works with public and charter schools statewide to help administrators update their individual school safety plans. The CSSP certifies schools with completion of two lockdown drills and one table top exercise as required by Delaware law. Many districts and schools arrange drills in coordination with CSSP, law enforcement, school personnel and first responders to ensure staff and students are ready to respond appropriately in an emergency.
CSSP offers regular training on all aspects of emergency management as it pertains to school safety including preparation, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery. Examples of regular trainings offered include but are not limited to violent intruders, bomb threats, severe weather responses, mental health awareness and tools, behavioral threat assessments, and family reunification.
Are schools required to have school safety plans?
Are schools required to have school safety plans?
All public and charter schools have a school safety plan that addresses numerous hazards or emergency incidents including violent intruders, and natural hazards.
With the assistance of CSSP, the plans are developed by school safety teams which should be comprised of administrators, teachers, staff, law enforcement, first responders and contain detailed information specific to each school.
Schools are required to review, update and test plans annually through drills and tabletop exercises.
Does CSSP offer violent intruder training and drills in schools?
The CSSP will work with schools to conduct active shooter training and drills. Schools must complete two lockdown drills and one table top exercise annually. The CSSP also assists with table top exercises with school personnel and offers online training as well.
How are students informed about the proper response during an emergency?
CSSP offers educational materials for students providing a safe and effective forum for teachers to talk with students about emergency response. Districts and Charter Schools should partner with law enforcement agencies in drills teaching students how to best respond. Question and answer sessions should be held immediately after the drill to give students an opportunity to ask questions and share concerns. The drills and discussions help build confidence in the student’s ability to respond in an emergency.
Do schools have security officers?
Many school districts have School Resource Officers (SROs) or constables. Schools without a dedicated officer assigned should have a strong partnership with their local law enforcement agency. The decision to have on site security or law enforcement is determined by the school district.
Does CSSP provide any additional training for school safety?
In addition to the online training available to school personnel, the CSSP hosts a variety of training seminars for SROs, constables and school staff. The CSSP works with schools to determine areas of necessity through a needs assessment, and couples findings with best practices to determine trainings and initiatives.
