From L to R: (Front) Melissa Lindner, Notre Dame High School; Karen Green, St. Joseph’s School; Jason Smith, Batavia City School District; Susan Wakefield, St. Paul’s School; Jacqueline Simpson, New York State School for the Blind; (Back) Matt Lutey, Batavia Police Department; Connor Borchert, Batavia Police Department/BCSD SRO; Eric Hill, Batavia Police Department; Lynn Eick, St. Paul’s School
Press release
BATAVIA, NY—The Batavia City School District, along with the Batavia Police Department, Notre Dame High School, St. Joseph’s School, St. Paul’s School, and the New York State School for the Blind, announce the city-wide implementation of standard critical incident response protocols.
Representatives from each school and the Batavia Police Department met earlier this summer to discuss the implementation and training for the new standard response protocols (SRP) as outlined by the I Love U Guys Foundation.
According to the I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol Program:
“A uniform, planned, and practiced response to any incident is the foundation of a safe school. Safe business. Safe community. The SRP is action-based, flexible, and easy to learn. It rationally organizes tactics for response to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders, and other threats to personal safety.
The benefits of SRP become quickly apparent. By standardizing the vocabulary, all stakeholders can understand the response and status of the event.
For students, this provides continuity of expectations and actions throughout their educational career. For teachers, this becomes a simpler process to train and drill. For communities, it leverages the growing adoption of the protocols from residents of all ages. For first responders, the common vocabulary and protocols establish a greater predictability that persists through the duration of an incident.
People easily understand the practices and can reinforce the protocol. Additionally, this protocol enables rapid response determination when an unforeseen event occurs.”
The terminology protocols that will be implemented at each school include:
Crisis response training for each of the schools began in August and will continue throughout the year.
“The SRP is not a replacement for any school safety plan or program. It is simply a classroom response enhancement for critical incidents, designed to provide consistent, clear, shared language and actions among all students, staff, families, and first responders. As a standard, SRP is being adopted by emergency managers, law enforcement, school and district administrators, and emergency medical services across the country.”
“I’m thrilled to see Batavia’s educational community come together to implement these essential protocols,” said Superintendent Jason Smith. “In a crisis situation, clear communication is critical, and the standardization of these terms will provide clear direction to our students, staff, families, and community in case of emergency. Thank you to our partners at the Batavia Police Department for leading this effort and for their consistent prioritization of school and community safety.”
“The Batavia Police Department is very excited to be able to partner with our schools to implement the SRP,” said Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch. “This is the first city-wide implementation from the School Safety Team, which is comprised of members from each city-based school and officers from the department. We are looking forward to the team’s continued work to make our schools safer for the students and faculty.”
The I Love U Guys Foundation was started in 2006 by Ellen and John-Michael Keyes following a school shooting that took the life of their daughter, Emily. On that day, Emily sent two text messages… One to her mother, Ellen, “I love u guys. K” and to her father, John-Michael, “I love you guys.” The foundation’s mission is to restore and protect the joy of youth through educational programs and positive actions in collaboration with families, schools, communities, organizations, and government entities. Today, the Foundation is led and supported by survivors, family members, first responders, and community members with a vested interest in safety, preparedness, and reunification in schools.