Delaware Emergency Management Agency

Comprehensive School Safety Program

2017 Annual Report
State of Delaware
Department of Safety and Homeland Security
165 Rd 488, Smyrna, DE 19977

A.J. Schall, Agency Director

Evelyn Brown, Program Manager

John Barr, Program Planner

This shall serve as the annual progress report on the Comprehensive School Safety Program as required by the
Omnibus School Safety Act, for the Academic School Year of 2017-2018.

In June 2012, the Delaware General Assembly passed the Omnibus School Safety Act tasking the Department of
Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS) with maintaining and sustaining a Comprehensive School Safety Program
(CSSP). The program is under the leadership of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. The purpose of this
Act is to enhance public safety in all of Delaware’s public and charter schools, through the development and
maintenance of comprehensive, site-specific, National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliant safety and
emergency preparedness plans. This Act is intended to promote a cohesive and coordinated approach between
emergency responders, education professionals and other supporting agencies during a critical incident within a
school setting in a manner that minimizes administrative and other burdens upon schools. A subsequent
Amendment to the Act was passed in 2014, requiring each public and charter school to hold one tabletop exercise
and two lockdown/intruder drills per academic school year.

Delaware continues to progress in all areas of school safety, and our primary mission to provide oversight of the
Omnibus School Safety Act remains constant. Each year, school administrators are required to provide data to
DSHS/DEMA documenting individual school compliance with the Act. In order to be considered fully compliant, each
school must complete two (2) Lockdown/Intruder Drills, and one (1) Tabletop Exercise per academic school year.
During our first auditing year, 69% of District and Charter schools were compliant with the mandate of the Act. This
year, we are 100% compliant, a proud accomplishment by the school leaders in our state. We attribute this increase
in participation and compliance to the tragic events that occurred in several schools throughout our nation during
this past school year, and the need for enhanced school safety. The latest school shootings and violence has also
had a significant impact on schools performing lockdown/intruder drills, along with tabletop exercises to help test
best practice responses. During May of 2018, the CSSP team continued supporting School officials via email, phone
calls and visits, to complete lockdown/intruder drills and tabletop exercises prior to the end of the school year. This
has increased compliance to 100% for all State District and Charter Schools. The data detailed in the chart below
indicates significant yearly improvement in the overall school compliancy.

School Safety Compliance

120%

100%

80% 95% 100%

60%
69%
40%

20%

0%
2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Compliance %
The Cabinet Secretary of DSHS and the Director of DEMA recognize all schools that achieve100% compliancy by
attending school board meetings and awarding a certificate and decal to the school principal to proudly post. This
signifies the school is compliant with the Omnibus School Safety Act for the year and also notifies parents
immediately that the school is aligned with the DSHS/DEMA School Safety mission and remains current with the Act.

2017-2018 Year in Review

Academic year 2017-2018 started with a software update for the CSSP Emergency Response Information Portal
System, the platform hosted by SafePlans, which is utilized by all Public and Charter Schools in DE. This system
houses the NIMS safety protocols, floor plans, aerial photos and drill data. The update brought added capabilities
for strengthening school safety, such as an anonymous reporting tool, easier accessibility through a smart device,
and enhanced floor plan/mapping capabilities. CSSP staff provided hands on training opportunities for all Districts
and Charter Schools, along with PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) personnel, various Law Enforcement agencies
and first responders.

Annual Activities
851
716
546 537
446
358 314
270
188

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Table Top Exercises Lockdown / Intruder Drills Total

First Responder Training on the Emergency Response Information Portal

CSSP worked closely with DE PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) Personnel in the 911 Centers, providing instruction
on the use of the Emergency Response Information Portal (ERIP). This training allows 911 personnel to access and
utilize floor plans and aerial photos of a school. This tool can provide valuable logistical information during an
emergency, when LE and EMS/Fire may be entering a school without prior knowledge of the layout. PSAP Personnel
can help guide the first responders through the building, saving valuable time during an emergency incident/violent
event.

This year CSSP hosted a National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) Advanced SRO Course, with 13
SROs and Constables in Attendance. CSSP also partnered with DSP in hosting the NASRO Basic SRO course, which
provided training to 18 SROs and Constables. CSSP recognizes the importance of the SROs and Constables who work
in Delaware Schools and collaborates with these School Officers on a continual basis, utilizing their expertise on
school safety matters. These courses assure our School Resource Officers are receiving the NASRO foundational
Triad concept, which divides the responsibility of the SRO and Constable into three areas; Educator, Informal
Counselor, and Law Enforcement Officer. Our School Resource Officers and School Constables continue to lead by
example and promote a positive image of law enforcement to our State’s youth, while providing a front line defense
in the event of an emergency.

On July 16th, CSSP hosted the first Delaware School Safety Symposium. Two nationally recognized school safety key
note speakers were brought in for morning sessions, and during the afternoon attendees were able to choose from
six (6) different break-out sessions. These sessions provided instruction on subjects such as “Developing and
Implementing a Lockdown/Intruder Drill”, “School Reunification and returning to the New Normal”. These sessions
were taught by local law enforcement and educators. The response to the symposium was overwhelmingly positive,
with the possibility of becoming a yearly event. In total, 225 people attended, including School administrators, Law
Enforcement/SROs, School Constables, Local Fire and EMS teams, along with Emergency Management personnel. It
was a time for educators and first responders to strengthen their partnerships, while gleaning valuable school safety
initiatives and best practice responses.

Safety Assessments and Training

CSSP continues to provide School Safety Assessments when requested by a school or district. Each assessment
involves utilizing Crime Prevention through Environmental Design principles (CPTED), and a report is submitted to
the school upon completion. These assessments help schools address current safety and security concerns, while
identifying safety needs in preparation for future safety enhancements.

CSSP provided training in areas such as “Active Shooter, Run/Hide/Fight”, “Creating a Bomb Threat Team” and
“Situational Awareness”, among other subjects. CSSP assists with Tabletop Exercises and Lockdown/Intruder drills,
and remains available to School Safety Teams. CSSP acts as a liaison between the schools and first responders,
linking the two entities thereby creating strong safety/crisis teams which help develop a solid safety centered
foundation for every school. CSSP avails itself to schools in an effort to ease the burden on school administrators by
serving as a strong resource and active participant in individual school safety endeavors. CSSP provides educational,
age appropriate books and resources for staff and students.

On November 3, 2017, CSSP met with school administrators in NCC regarding the county wide lockdown that
occurred as a result of an active shooter incident in Maryland and Delaware. During this meeting, strengths and
weaknesses were discussed regarding the lockdown of students, with needed changes identified. Valuable “Lessons
Learned” were taken from this meeting, with an overwhelming acknowledgement that critical emergency situations
can happen at any moment, signifying training and practice is paramount to ensuring a safe campus. From this
meeting, CSSP worked with DIAC, the State Fusion Center, to ensure they could provide pertinent information to
Schools during a critical incident of this nature in the future.

CSSP personnel have seen an increase in requests from private schools regarding development of Comprehensive
Safety Plans, developing and implementing intruder/lockdown drills along with facilitating tabletop exercises.
During this past academic year, CSSP personnel have assisted 5 large private schools, and have requests pending for
assistance in the 2018/2019 school year. School Safety continues to be a growing concern, and DE private schools
are seeking added resources and training when planning for emergencies.

CSSP staff worked closely with the Governor’s Office and Legislators during the 2018 legislative sessions, making
themselves available to discuss school safety legislative initiatives. The 2018 session included the passing of HS 1 HB
49, and HS1 HB 335. HS1 HB 49 implements safety features for new school construction or major renovations, such
as a secure vestibule entrance and ballistic resistant material in office areas used to screen visitors. HS1 HB 335
provides partial or full funding for projects that will improve school safety and security for District or Charter Schools.
Both bills will help ensure our campuses remain safe, and any future safety improvements will follow a nationally
recognized best practice protocol.

Program Updates and Goals for 2018-2019 School Year

CSSP will implement new initiatives for the 2018-2019 school year, which will continue to enhance and promote safe
schools. They include, but are not limited to the following:

Stop the Bleed training and distribution of Stop the Bleed kits to each school

 Train the trainer opportunities will be established in each county for school personnel
 Upon completion of the training, each school will receive 2 complete “Stop the Bleed kits”
 Schools will be able to train additional staff on “Stop the Bleed” principles, assuring in the event
of an emergency, staff will be able to administer emergency first aid until first responders/EMS
arrive.

Create School Safety Plan Audit/Assessment Teams:

 The number of assessments/audits per year would be based on available staffing and funding
levels (approximately 226 public/charter school buildings)
 Provide Quality Assurance for school safety plans and exercises, updated floor plans, etc.
 Ensure first responders serving the specific school locations are included in tabletop exercises
and any live/full scale exercises
 Provide recommendations for improvements to the physical structure as related to safety

CSSP will continue to audit, monitor and evaluate school safety in Delaware. A comprehensive study will highlight
schools/districts that have dedicated school safety roles, and what that dedicated position has accomplished.

In February 2018, Governor John Carney said; “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.” Delaware
Emergency Management Agency remains dedicated to serving our schools assuring they receive support, resources
and training to meet the challenges of keeping Delaware school children safe. There is no finish line for school safety.
As a community and a State we must continue to push school safety, monitor national trends and best practices and
ensure that all our partners do not become complacent.