Safety and Security
Purpose Statement:
Conestoga Christian School is committed to the safety of our
students, staff, and volunteers. Following the example of Nehemiah, we
believe we are called to pray and prepare in order to keep our campus
safe. We will endeavor to ensure the physical well being of faculty,
staff, and students by assessing and addressing
safety issues within the
school’s facilities and ensuring effective policies to address the
presence of potentially destructive human interactions. Essential to
this agenda is training for faculty, staff, and students in appropriate
safety and emergency procedures.
REMS Grant:
In September 2009 the school made an 18 month commitment to join a consortium of public and private schools and participate in the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Grant. The REMS Grant is a federal grant administrated by the Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13). This grant provides a framework for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in regard to critical emergencies that may occur within a school setting.
The decision to join the REMS Grant Consortium came in the wake of
increased incidents of school violence throughout our country. In
response, CCS Board members and administration met with parents to
assess ways we could make our school a safer place. At that time our
Critical Incident Plan was reviewed, a Safety and Security Committee was
established, safety vulnerability assessments were conducted, and funds
were raised by the PTF for the installation of a camera monitoring
system. Since that time we have continued to be vigilant in our efforts
to create a safe and secure environment for our students and staff. In
an effort to insure the effectiveness of the emergency plans the school
had in place, a decision was made to participate in the grant project.
Functional Drill:
On Friday, April 1, 2011 Conestoga Christian School conducted a functional drill for the purpose of practicing our evacuation plan and Parent-Student Reunification Plan. This drill was different from other drills in that the participants included, not only CCS faculty, staff, and students but also parents, local fire companies, EMTs, and local and state police. It was an opportunity to practice our emergency procedures in a simulated real-life situation so we are better prepared to deal with a critical emergency should one ever occur on our campus. It is our prayer that this drill was an emergency plan that, Lord willing, we will never have to use.
See A Gallery of Photos from our Functional Drill here!
Many thanks to the Caernarvon Fire Company in Churchtown for working with CCS to plan our functional drill. We appreciate the participation of the Caernarvon Fire Company, Twin Valley Fire Department, Caernarvon Twp. Berks Co. Police Department, and the PA State Police, Ephrata Barracks. All of these local responders were necessary to the success of our drill on April 1, 2011. CCS appreciates the opportunity to work together with these community agencies so we can be better prepared to deal with school emergencies.