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: 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 -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Science Investigation (Biology). Structure and Function: Balancing Act -Exploring Feedback and Homeostasis
This one-day session focuses on Science Investigation (Biology) Structure and Function: Balancing Act -Exploring Feedback and Homeostasis.
This Investigation is a hands-on laboratory experience that prepares teachers to ready students for the new Biology Regents Examination to be administered in June 2025. (This is 2 of 3 Science Investigations: Biology).
Participants in this one-day session will: experience this Investigation both as a teacher and student; plan and conduct an investigation to determine the body's response to an external factor that may affect feedback mechanisms related to thermoregulation; analyze data related to the regulation of blood glucose levels; analyze collected data to draw conclusions about thermoregulation; explore a phenomenon and draw conclusions relating to feedback mechanisms that maintain homeostasis; deepen their understanding of NYSED's expectations for the new Regents' exam in Life Science: Biology.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
NYS Literacy Initiative: An exploration of the P-3 L
NYS Literacy Initiative: An exploration of the P-3 Literacy Instructional Best Practices Tool
In response to NYSED's Literacy Initiative and NYS Education Law §818, this session will provide administrators and literacy leaders with an opportunity to learn about, explore and plan for utilization of the P-3 Instructional Best Practices Tool. The P-3 Instructional Best Practices Tool is to be utilized when reviewing instruction and making the required attestation per Education Law §818 by September 2025. Subsequent to the law's 2024 passage, districts must reflect on the instructional best practices and literacy curriculum for students in prekindergarten through third grade, ensuring literacy instruction and interventions align with the Commissioner's requirement that literacy instruction be based on the body of research known as the Science of Reading. Participants will have time to walk through the resource, reflect on the implementation of the best practices, and consider the steps to complete the attestation process.
We welcome teams of teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, reading specialists, and other literacy leaders to join. Note: If you attended the NYSED/BOCES launch sessions on January 7th, or the SOR PreK-12 Study group on January 15th, this will be an expanded version.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® Key Points Refresher Recertification
The Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® Key Points Refresher is designed to help improve your understanding of key program concepts, enhance your skills and provide strategies to apply the information to workplace realities. Only participants who have completed the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training during the 2022-2023 school year are eligible to participate in the Refresher Training. You must attend all sessions. In addition, we are asking that individuals attend in pairs or trios so that they can perform the physical interventions with a partner. All participants must complete the physical interventions in order to receive certification.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
PE/HE CONSORTIUM - Women's Health
Women's health is the catalyst to women empowerment. Women empowerment will elevate an individual's lifestyle, prevention, and safety for long term health and wellness. Participants will focus on health promotion and education regarding girls and young women in health education and physical education. Participants are guided by the National Health Education Standards alongside receiving best practices through health skills based activities and resources. Learning Objectives:
• Educators will be able to enhance their knowledge and comprehension regarding Girls / Young Women and health topics
• Educators will be able to gain women's health resources and services that can be an aid for students, families, and classroom teaching
• Educators will be able to transfer health skills based activities into their classroom for positive and meaningful engagementCenter 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
