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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SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Practical Counseling Approaches for Schools - Included for 563 members
This intensive training is designed to provide school social workers, counselors, and psychologists with immediately usable, evidence-based counseling models that are highly effective and time-efficient within a typical school setting. The course focuses on integrating key techniques from various modalities to maximize student success in academic, behavioral, and social-emotional domains.
Using skill-building exercises, role-play, and concrete examples, participants will:
1. Master Brief, Time-Sensitive Models
2. Integrate Advanced Therapeutic Skills
3. Apply Models in School Contexts
Participants will leave with a diverse counseling toolkit of practical techniques and interventions, enabling them to flexibly and effectively address a wide range of student mental health and behavioral needs.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Northwell Mental Health PD - Introduction to Stress First Aid
Recognizing that school staff are frequently exposed to high-stress situations, burnout, and secondary trauma, this program introduces the practical, evidence-based framework of Stress First Aid (SFA). Participants will learn to identify the signs of stress in themselves, colleagues, and students, applying core SFA principles such as Covering, Calming, Connecting, Competence, and Confidence to provide immediate support. The course emphasizes proactive intervention, effective communication, and robust self-care strategies, ultimately empowering staff to build personal resilience, prevent acute stress from escalating, and cultivate a more supportive and healthy school community.
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 in the last 12-18 months are eligible to participate in the Refresher Training. 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
Rethinking Physical Education: The Big 7 Activities for an Active Life PE/HE CONSORTIUM
This session introduces the "Big 7”-seven foundational activity categories that support long-term physical literacy. We'll explore how to align these with standards, plan across the year with purpose, and design curriculum that helps students build confidence, skills, and a lifelong relationship with movement. Leave with a framework that grounds your teaching in what matters most-and tools to help students move with meaning, both now and in the future
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
RECOVS MHELP (Mental Health Education Leaders Partnership) Meetings
Mental health leadership teams from SWBOCES's RECOVS Mental Health Grant Consortium will meet to discuss and collaborate around grant implementation, including:
- Social-Emotional Learning
- MTSS-i (including systems & structures and data & assessment)
- professional learning
- budget & logistics
- other grant-related considerationsCenter for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Unpacking the June 2026 English Regents Exam: What's Changing & How It Matters
The shifts coming to the English Regents in June 2026 aim to bring greater clarity, accessibility, and alignment to the Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards. While the changes are small, the updated exam and performance level descriptors provide an opportunity to ensure our instruction and materials align.
In this session, participants will inspect the revised materials and consider what these updates mean for classroom practice, including:
- exploring what the changes in the language of the Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) reveal about expectations for student writing and reading.
- identifying smaller shifts in the exam itself, including adjustments to task directions, rubrics, and source types.
- examining any additional guidance released by NYSED.
- time for collaboration and questions.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
via Zoom
Northwell Mental Health PD -Tics and Tourette's [Virtual]
This session will provide educators and school mental health staff with a comprehensive understanding of tic disorders, including Tourette's Syndrome, a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects children and adolescents. Participants will gain practical strategies to support students with tics in the classroom, reduce stigma, and promote a positive and inclusive learning environment.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Implementing the NYSED Numeracy Briefs: Number Sense and Mathematical Language Routines for Secondary Math Educators
NYSED's Numeracy Initiative and accompanying Briefs promote high-leverage instructional practices, such as Number Sense Routines and Mathematical Language Routines (MLRs), to deepen mathematical understanding, support language development, and boost engagement for all learners, including English language learners and students with disabilities.
This professional learning session will equip educators with both foundational knowledge and practical tools to implement these routines effectively within their specific grade. Expert math coach Marija Kero from Generation Ready will lead an interactive day of learning that features live modeling of key strategies, hands-on practice with authentic classroom tasks, and collaborative lesson planning aligned to the NYS Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
The session will begin with an overview of the NYSED Numeracy Briefs and explore the vital role of number sense and academic language in fostering fluency and conceptual understanding. Participants will engage in modeling and guided practice with Number Sense Routines and MLRs designed to spark productive math discourse and make content accessible to all learners. Special emphasis will be placed on strategies that scaffold both content and language, offering targeted support for multilingual learners and students with diverse learning needs.
Throughout the day, participants will collaborate to design instructional plans using the featured routines. These collaborative planning sessions will offer opportunities to apply new learning, exchange ideas, and receive peer feedback. By the end of the workshop, educators will leave with a clear, actionable plan to implement inclusive, language-rich numeracy routines that build mathematical thinking, amplify student voice, and ensure equitable access to rigorous math instruction.Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
LETRS for Elementary Educators- Volume 1
LETRS is professional learning for elementary educators that invests in teachers' literacy knowledge and professional practice. Teachers gain essential knowledge to master the fundamentals of literacy instruction required to transform student learning. This program is recommended for educators with kindergarten through third- grade students and educators with students working toward proficiency in fourth and fifth grade. LETRS fills gaps in teacher preparation education by covering all layers of language organization (phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax, semantics) and their relevance for teaching reading, spelling, writing, and oral language. All participant materials are included. This course is accredited by the International Dyslexia Association ®
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Integrating Social-Emotional Learning to Improve Student Achievement
Even when educators believe in the value of social-emotional learning (SEL), SEL can feel like something "extra.” This session will ground educators in how SEL is integral to academic achievement (and success in the world at large). Then, we will explore strategies for embedding attention to social-emotional learning in academic instruction, and participants will apply their learning to plan for the 2025-26 school year.
Participants will be able to:
• Understand and articulate how social-emotional learning (SEL) is essential-not additional-to academic success and lifelong achievement, drawing connections to the New York State SEL Benchmarks, CASEL Core Competencies, and the New York State Portrait of a Graduate.
• Identify and analyze how the integration of SEL within academic instruction supports student engagement, motivation, and achievement across content areas.
• Explore and apply evidence-based strategies to embed SEL into instructional practices using tools such as the CASEL 3 Signature Practices and the CASEL Frame Coach Reflect framework.
• Design actionable plans to integrate SEL intentionally into classroom instruction and school-wide practices for the 2025-26 school year, with a focus on sustainable impact and alignment with district and state priorities.
• Reflect on current practices and identify opportunities to strengthen SEL integration at the classroom, school, and systems levels.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
