School Safety and Facilities
Brandon A. Cruz, Supervisor
School Safety & Facilities
(914) 345-8500, Ext. 3167
bcruz@swboces.org
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention®
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® Training provides your educators with the skills to safely recognize and respond to everyday crisis situations. You will learn to:
- Minimize Physical Interventions
- Recognize & Respond to Defensive Behaviors
- Understand What’s Behind the Behavior
- Address the Needs of the Individual
Regional Crisis Response Team
The SWBOCES Regional Crisis Response Team (RCRT) supports school districts after a crisis by providing Consultation, Counseling, Debriefing, and Support. A crisis can be a natural disaster, the passing of an individual within your school community, or a distant event that has a deep effect on students and staff. More information about the becoming an RCRT member or accessing services is available on the RCRT Resources Page
Coronavirus Resources
Southern Westchester BOCES has assembled and shared reliable resources about the COVID-19 outbreak since early in the pandemic. Our Coronavirus Resources Page is a continuously updated repository of information and guidance from medical professionals and public health officials, curated to inform and protect the health and safety of our community.
Events coming up
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via Zoom
Meet-Up: Shaping the Future: A District & Building Leader Roundtable on Principal Development
In this meet up, local district leaders will come together for a focused conversation on the critical need for purposeful and explicit professional learning for building leaders. With insights from district leadership, PLCS will shape an ongoing Principal & School Leader Forum, launching this fall, to strengthen leadership capacity and align professional learning with real-world district needs.
Your input will directly inform the design of the Principal & School Leader Forum, ensuring it provides meaningful, actionable learning opportunities for principals. Join us to help define what impactful leadership development should look like for our schools.
Some questions we will consider: What are the most pressing challenges your building leaders face in their roles today? What professional learning topics do you believe are most critical for principals and school leaders right now?
What skills or competencies do you wish to see strengthened in your principals over the next 1-3 years?Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Facing History's Approach to Teaching Social Studies
In this virtual session, Facing History* will introduce educators to its approach to social studies education and share tools to help teachers build learning environments where students are able to grapple with the complex histories, choices, and actions of individuals, groups, and institutions in the past and present.
*Facing History & Ourselves focuses on equipping schools, districts, and teachers with the tools they need to shape the future by nurturing empathy, curiosity, and civic responsibility in young people.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Meet-Up: Leading for Literacy: The role of the Assistant Principal
Join us for an engaging virtual meetup dedicated to supporting assistant principals in their critical roles as literacy leaders. This session will focus on the importance of the Science of Reading (SoR) and how assistant principals can champion this research-based approach to literacy in their schools. Together, we will explore strategies for fostering a culture of literacy, understanding the key principles of the Science of Reading, and creating actionable plans that support teachers and students. Through collaborative discussions and expert-led insights, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to guide and support educators in implementing SoR practices effectively. You'll leave equipped with practical tools, resources, and strategies to lead your school's literacy initiatives with confidence and impact. Whether you're looking to build stronger literacy instruction in your school or strengthen your leadership in literacy development, this meetup will provide the inspiration and knowledge you need to be a transformative force in literacy education.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
SLS Annual Joint Conference-Pathways to Progress: School Librarians Forge Ahead
The SLS Annual Joint Conference,"Pathways to Progress: School Librarians Forge Ahead," addresses the evolving landscape of education and the crucial role of school librarians. Pathways to Progress will equip school librarians as learning leaders with the tools and knowledge necessary to respond to contemporary factors influencing education and student learning. Through multidisciplinary engagement and upholding professional standards, school librarians can inspire students to develop diverse skill set that prepares them for the complexities of the modern world.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Meet-Up: Key Considerations for Supporting Literacy in the Secondary Classroom
Middle and high school educators have historically expected students to come to class ready to comprehend "grade level text." However, many students need - and all students can benefit from - intentional instruction to make sense of the content area reading we expect of them. Rather than evade the challenge, come to this Meetup to discuss some keys to supporting our tweens and teens in developing their literacy competence and confidence. The session will provide explicit suggestions and allow for dialogue around our experiences in our schools and classrooms.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Teaching Social Studies: Assessment Strategies, Source Analysis, and Skills including Historical Empathy - with Greg Ahlquist
This interactive workshop with Greg Ahlquist* focuses on practical assessment strategies in social studies & using quick smaller assessment tasks as part of our instructional practice. Using the Global & US Regents exams as a springboard, we'll explore effective methods for reading & analyzing diverse sources (textual, informational, & visual) applicable to daily instruction & equipping students to read more effectively. Beyond the Regents, we'll delve into broader assessment practices & discuss the Social Studies Practices and skills and strategies for cultivating historical empathy, an overlooked skill, which we will connect to our classrooms & consider instersections with social-emotional learning (SEL), NYS's Portrait of a Graduate, and the NYS Social Studies Framework.
Participants will leave with concrete tools, practical strategies, & a deeper understanding of how to integrate source analysis & historical empathy into their teaching to foster student success. Time will also be devoted to create tasks & materials aligned to the thinking & discussion of the day. Participants are also invited to bring best practices & strategies on these topics to share.
*Greg Ahlquist is a High School Social Studies teacher and Teacher Center Director in Webster, NY where he was the 2013 New York State Teacher of the Year. He leads the district's induction program for mentors and new staff. In addition to speaking and leading professional learning on Social Studies teaching, the new Regents exams, mindset, and leadership, he has led instructional design projects for NYSED, Advanced Placement, and the World History Digital Education Foundation.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Meeting the Needs of All Students in Physical Education (Adapted PE) PE/HE CONSORTIUM
The purpose of this workshop will be to present information, assessment activities, and strategies specific to serving children with disabilities in general and adapted physical education environments. Sensory-based activities will be presented along with various adaptations that can be utilized for ALL students in PE. Additionally, teachers will experience the concept of "Simplexity Games” (games that address ability levels, simple to complex) and experience modified equipment that will address the wide range of abilities and disabilities commonly found in today's Physical Education classes.
Instructor: Tim Davis, Ph.D., SUNY Cortland, National Chair of Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) Program, oversees national standards and certification process in Adapted Physical Education sponsored by the National Consortium on Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPERID)Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Meet-Up: School Safety: Introduction to CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Do you find yourself in potentially dangerous situations while working at school? Are you familiar with de-escalation strategies to avoid these types of situations? This meetup will introduce participants to the two-day CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention certification course. Participants will learn that different types of behavior require different responses in order to de-escalate, with the goal to avoid a potential outburst and as a last resort use safe physical interventions.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Meet-Up: School Safety: Introduction to CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Do you find yourself in potentially dangerous situations while working at school? Are you familiar with de-escalation strategies to avoid these types of situations? This meetup will introduce participants to the two-day CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention certification course. Participants will learn that different types of behavior require different responses in order to de-escalate, with the goal to avoid a potential outburst and as a last resort use safe physical interventions.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Meet Up: Suicide Safety for Teachers and School Staff
Suicide Safety for Teachers (SST) is one of a series of school-based suicide prevention offerings of the Suicide Prevention Center of New York (SPCNY) funded through the New York State Office of Mental Health. This training is designed to meet the most basic awareness needs of school staff.
SST Training Objectives:
•Review the importance of suicide prevention
•Describe Characteristics of at-risk students
•Outline educators' limited but critical role
•Clarify building referral procedures
•Identify school & community resources.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support
Mandated Training
The Mandated Training Link above lists School Safety training mandates and Facilities requirements for all NYS schools and districts. Please refer to the link and to our Training and Services listed below.
Regional Facilities News
Southern Westchester BOCES is proud to partner with the Southeastern Chapter of the New York State School Facilities Association (NYSSFA). Please use the links below to find the NYSSFA meeting calendar and training information.
NYSSFA Calendar
NYSSFA Training Opportunities
School Safety Training
- Active Shooter Training
- Building Level Emergency Response Planning
- CPR/AED
- Crisis Response Training
- DASA/Violence Prevention refreshers
- Develop Crisis Plans
- Incident Command Management
- Lockdown Emergency Training
- New Building Emergency Plan Template
- Risk Assessments
- Safety Audits
- Table Top Exercises
Facilities/Compliance
- Asbestos testing and training
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Chemical Hygiene Plan Development
- Chemical and Petroleum Storage
- Cooling Towers Inspections
- CPR/AED
- Fire Inspections
- Indoor Air Quality Testing
- Lockout/Tagout
- Playground and Gymnasium Inspections
- Right to Know
- Underground Storage Tank Programs
- Water Testing
