Administrators maintain high visibility throughout the school before and after school and during the school day. Administrators make frequent classroom visits. Administrators are often on duty in the cafeteria and on the playgrounds during the lunch periods.
Teachers monitor attendance daily and data is entered into the school tracking system. When children are out of school for more than three days and/or the school has not been notified, teachers contact parents. When absence form school is excessive, the school counselor notifies families. If the problem persists, an administrator intervenes, sometimes working through the military command.
Students recycle aluminum cans through a student organization. Money is used to beautify and maintain an outdoor classroom.
Students in grades 1-4 are permitted to ride bicycles to school if their parents have filed a Bicycle Rider’s Permit in the main office. All bicycle riders must wear helmets. Bicycles must be locked during the school day. No scooters or other wheeled vehicles are permitted on campus. Bicycle riders must lock their bicycles in the bike racks behind the school and line up with their class in the appropriate areas.
The Military Police present a course for bicycle riding safety to the fourth grade students each spring.
Students who eat breakfast may enter the building at the Normandy Street entrance at 7:45. They proceed immediately to the cafeteria. They remain there after completing breakfast until the entrance bell sounds. Aides supervise them.
School bus safety rules are outlined in the Student/Parent Handbook. Students are regularly reminded of safety rules. Adults supervise the boarding and unloading of buses.
When students are checked out of school during the day, the person checking the student out will be required to provide identification. Only those people designated in the WinSchool data base as authorized by parents to pick up students will be allowed to take children from the school. If parents have an emergency during the day and call to request that their children be dismissed to anyone not authorized on the pick-up list, the secretaries will call the parent back to verify the authenticity of the request and identification will be required of the adult picking up the child. Children will not be allowed to leave the school during the day to walk home. An adult must physically sign out children who are withdrawn during the day.
All chemicals used in the facility for cleaning or any other purposes are labeled appropriately and stored in locked cabinets or closets. A data sheet is maintained by the supply clerk which clearly identifies chemical contents, safety precautions, etc.
All staff members are trained annually on identification and appropriate reporting procedures for suspected child abuse or neglect. All reports are made by the school counselor or the administrators to the proper authorities (FAP, DoDEA, District Superintendent). All serious incidents are reported to the district superintendent and DDESS headquarters as well as the appropriate authorities (Social Work Services, MP's, etc.).
If parents or authorized adults have not picked children up by 3:00 and an emergency contact is not available, the MP's will be contacted.
Two school counselors teach regularly scheduled classes on peer relations, substance abuse, conflict resolution, interactions with strangers, etc. Additionally, the counselors work with students in small groups or individual sessions to resolve personal problems.
The school nurse, physical education teacher, and several other staff members are trained to administer CPR.
A standing committee made up of administrators, the school nurse, the guidance counselors, and a teacher representative is in place. The committee is aware of the procedures to take in the event of any crisis situation, which might arise at school. In the event of any emergency situation, the committee is activated.
A Military Police crossing guard is on duty at the corner of Bastogne and Normandy before and after school to assist students crossing the streets at the intersection. A school staff member is assigned as a crossing guard in the school parking lot before and after school.
A student dress code is outlined in the Parent/Student Handbook. Each parent is given a handbook on registration.
Parents
may drop off children from vehicles at the Normandy Street Entrance
not earlier than 8:10 A.M. At that time, the kindergarten aides
are on duty to supervise students being dropped off, crossing the cross
walk, and lining up by class groups in front of the school. Students
in first grade line up in front of the school. Other students line
up by class at the door nearest their classroom. They enter the school
in an orderly line by classes when the entrance bell sounds at 8:25
A.M.
Parents who drive their children to school must either park in the parking lot and the children will be assisted across the crosswalk by an aide or parents may escort children across the crosswalk. Neither children nor parents are allowed to enter the building until the entrance bell sounds. If parents enter this entrance they must proceed to the main office, sign in and get a visitor’s badge, even for short visits. The halls are monitored by aides until 8:30. At that time, all entrance doors are locked and children and parents must enter through the main office area on Normandy Street. Students who are brought to school after the tardy bell sounds must be signed in my parents at the main office.
Students
who walk to school proceed directly to the area behind their classes. Students
in grades 2-4 line up behind the school where they are supervised by
aides until the entrance bell sounds. If parents enter the school
with students
they must proceed to the main office and sign in and get a badge. Aides
monitor the entrance doors and hallways until the tardy bell sounds.
Preschool
students and Special Education students enter and exit the school through
the entrance on Bastogne Street. The Special Education bus and
daycare bus drop off and pick up curbside at that entrance. The
entrance is supervised at both entry and dismissal by the preschool
teachers, aides, and Special Education Aides. Preschool parents
must sign in and get a badge if they accompany children to class.
If school is dismissed early due to inclement weather conditions or other emergencies, a notification system is put in place. Secretaries and all staff who do not have classroom supervision duties (supply clerk, administrators, secretaries, nurse, educational technologist) begin to contact parents by telephone. Cell phones are used to ensure enough free telephone lines. Parents who are contacted are requested to notify friends and neighbors.
Signs which designate emergency points of contact among staff members are posted at each school entrance. An emergency lock box is mounted at the main entrance door. The box contains a master key. Access is only by fire department personnel.
All users of the facility are required to sign a Facility User Agreement. Custodians are assigned during hours of building use to ensure security and cleanliness.
The Faculty Handbook contains regulations and procedures for field trips to ensure the safety of children. The regulations include adequate chaperones, distance students can travel, bus safety, identification badges for children, parent permission forms, emergency contact numbers, directions and releases for administering medication, provision of first aid kits, etc.
Children are required to use passes in the halls whenever an adult does not accompany them.
When weather is inclement, children enter the school at the appropriate entrance and proceed to their classroom. They line up outside the classroom and are supervised by aides until the entrance bell sounds.
A 100% hands-on inventory is completed on all accountable government property on an annual basis by the supply technician. All durable equipment is bar-coded and maintained with a checkout system.
All building keys are numbered and accounted for in a Key Control Log. Keys are checked out to staff members during the school year and returned during the summer months. Multiples of keys are kept in a secured key box in the principal's office. Facility users are given access to the building by a custodian who is assigned duty for the duration of the activity. Master keys are issued to administrators, custodians, and the secretaries.
Special education teachers and several instructional aides are trained in Non-violent Crisis Intervention Techniques which are used to restrain students in a safe manner whenever necessary.
All outside doors except the Normandy Street entrance are kept locked throughout the day. After the tardy bell sounds, all outside doors with the exception of the main office entrance on Bastogne Street are locked by custodians. Custodians check throughout the day to ensure that all outside doors remain locked. There are two exceptions to this: 1) The courtyard door that leads to the playground is opened during the lunch period so that children may exit and enter to use the restroom, if necessary. Lunchroom monitors and custodians monitor entrance from this door during the lunch period (11:00 - 1:00). The double doors immediately behind the media center are kept unlocked so that children may access the playground and the classrooms in the huts. The door is monitored by the Media Technician and custodians throughout the day. Administrators patrol the halls periodically throughout the day as well. Any person spotted in the school without a badge is stopped, questioned and sent to the main office to sign in and get a badge.
All medications are kept in a locked cabinet in the school nurse's office. The school nurse or an administrator is the only personnel authorized to administer medications to students at school.
Bicycle patrolmen from the MP's periodically observe traffic at drop-off and pick-up times. They make recommendations for increased safety to the administration, as needed.
Custodians
and administrators regularly inspect playgrounds for safety and make
or request needed repairs. Adult supervision is provided to students
at all times when they use playground equipment.
Teachers
accompany students to the restroom as class groups periodically throughout
the day, monitoring the use of the facilities. At other times
throughout the day, custodians monitor the restrooms for cleanliness
and appropriate use by students.
Staff members submit repair requests to an administrator when minor repairs are needed. Administrators regularly inspect the building and report needed repairs to the district office.
Safety drills are scheduled and conducted monthly for both fires and tornadoes. The drills occur at various time during the school day to ensure that children are aware of procedures when they are at various places in the school (gym, playground, cafeteria). Exit routes with alternate routes are posted in every room in the building near the exit door.
Safety inspections are conducted on an on-going basis by both administrators. Each custodian is assigned a section of the building as his/her main responsibility. The custodians are tasked with inspecting the building on a regular basis to check for safety hazards. The Fort Bragg Fire Chief makes regular inspections of the facility and reports any safety hazards to the Principal.
As part of the guidance curriculum, children are taught strategies to avoid interactions with strangers. That training is also made available to parents through PTA meetings.
A standing committee is in place throughout the school year. The task of the committee is to review safety plans, including emergency exit routes and make recommendations to the administration for changes. The members are also expected to periodically inspect the facility and playgrounds and report needed repairs or any safety hazards. The Assistant Principal chairs this committee and makes reports to the Principal.
Each classroom teacher is required to post and regularly reinforce classroom and schoolwide rules. The rules are written to address appropriate conduct and student safety. The school rules are published in the Parent/Student handbook. Teachers' individual rules are posted in each classroom.
Administrators and counselors have received training in prevention of sexual harassment. Students are trained through the counseling program. Consequences for student sexual harassment are addressed in the Student/Parent Handbook.
As part of the initial process of employment at Fort Bragg Schools, prospective employees are screened for suitability to work with children.
All staff members are issued picture ID badges, which must be worn at all times while the staff member is on duty in the school.
Through the D.A.R.E. program, officers teach 3rd & 4th graders about substance abuse, and learning to say, "No!". The officers also work with 1st & 2nd graders on rules to keep them safe.
Younger students who attend classes in the portable buildings behind the school are accompanied by an adult as they come and go from the main building. Older students are sent in groups at scheduled times.
All
children in the school are trained by the counselors and classroom
teachers on Conflict Resolution. These strategies are used by
children and adults throughout the school to help children learn appropriate
ways to solve problems. Lunchroom monitors are also trained
in Conflict Resolution strategies to ensure consistency in the classrooms,
in the cafeteria, and on the playground.
All visitors are required to sign in at the main office and get a visitor’s badge. Badges are numbered and color-coded. Signs are posted at each entrance stating the requirement to sign in and get a badge. All staff members are aware that anyone in the school must be wearing a badge at all times. All visitors not wearing a badge are stopped and reminded of the sign-in requirement by staff members when they are sighted in hallways. The school secretaries track the issuance and return of badges daily. If visitors fail to return a badge, they are called by the secretaries and asked to return the badge to the school.
Visitors, unknown to the office staff, who are picking up or visiting children in the school are asked for identification.
No visitors are allowed in hallways or classrooms after 2:00 P.M. The only parents allowed in classrooms after 2:00 are volunteers who have been scheduled to work in a particular classroom.
Only
one parent visitor or set of parents (mother and father) is permitted
to visit in classrooms at one time. Younger siblings are not
permitted to visit in classrooms. Parents may eat with children
in the lunchroom on an infrequent basis.
Butner Elementary School has a zero tolerance policy for weapons in the school. The Student/Parent Handbook outlines the discipline policy. Parents are required to sign a statement that they received a copy of the Discipline Policy when they register their children for school.
The exterior windows throughout the school are covered with Mylar to prevent shattering of the glass in case of breakage.