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
SLS Council Meeting
The School Library System Council is responsible for developing and approving the Plan of Service; is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Plan of Service; recommends for approval the annual budget prior to submission to the District Superintendent for his signature; and supports the activities of the School Library System, through service on a committee.
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
SLS SORA Training and Support: How to get the most from your digital collection
The SWBOCES Digital Library Program is a collaborative online service that includes eBooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines. Member libraries have one representative on the Digital Library Advisory Board that creates collection development guidelines, curates specialized collections, selects digital content for inclusion, and promotes the use of the digital library.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
RECOVS MTSSI Lab: Understanding, Designing, and Implementing MTSS-I systems and structures
District MTSSi teams from SWBOCES's RECOVS Mental Health Grant Consortium will meet to discuss and collaborate around grant implementation through the lens of MTSS. Together, we will collaboratively explore the components of MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports). Guided by the NYSED MTSS-I Pilot, we will investigate and design systems and structures. Our focus will be on exploring effective implementation strategies and utilizing data to enhance school and district practices. This group aims to share experiences, best practices, and develop tools to empower faculty and staff in meeting the unique needs of every student through the structures and guidelines provided by the RECOVS Mental Health Grant.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Early Learning (PK-3) Educators Network
Join us for collaborative learning experiences with colleagues who are dedicated to enhancing the educational experiences of Early Learners (PK-3) across all content areas. Together we will explore best practices, theories, and innovative approaches to early childhood education. Members of the group will engage in activities such as sharing resources, analyzing current research, developing curriculum strategies, and reflecting on their teaching methods. We welcome teams of teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, early learning specialists, department chairs, and all who support Early Learning.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
2024-25 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leaders' Action Network
This professional learning workshop is designed to support school district teams in identifying, developing, and executing an initiative to create equitable systems within their districts. The Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Education Framework, will anchor our work to - "create student-centered learning environments that: affirm racial, linguistic and cultural identities; prepare students for rigor and independent learning; develop students' abilities to connect across lines of difference; elevate historically marginalized voices; and empower students as agents of social change.” Each participating district is strongly encouraged to register as a team of at least two members and up to 5. Together, participants will LEARN, SHARE and ACT on a new initiative or grow an existing one, that supports your district's vision to create inclusive school communities. We will provide strategies and support to help build a solid foundation for successful implementation. The intentional collaboration among various stakeholders ensures that this work is a shared responsibility, reinforcing the idea that creating equitable educational environments is a collective effort.
Network Goals:
- Ground our work in NYSED's CRSE Framework and NYSED's DEI Policy
- Identify an area of focus and implement action steps to support your district's DEI initiative
- Contribute to Network resourcesCenter for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Initial Certification Training
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® provides your staff with the skills to safely recognize and respond to everyday crisis situations that may involve more challenging behaviors. NCI™ training is designed to help you achieve compliance with current legislative initiatives and best practices.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Initial Certification Training
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® provides your staff with the skills to safely recognize and respond to everyday crisis situations that may involve more challenging behaviors. NCI™ training is designed to help you achieve compliance with current legislative initiatives and best practices.
Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
SLS Collection Development Collegial Circle
Join us for five sessions focused on a different area of diverse collection development. Each session will be two hours in length. The first part of the session will be educational in nature with participants learning about new books that have been published, how to find high-quality engaging literature, and identifying ways to continue to identify diverse books. Time will also be spent developing cultural competence with a critical eye towards eliminating problematic titles from current collections. The second part of the workshop will give participants time to create booklists, develop promotional plans, and work on their collection development with colleagues.
Areas of focus:
Session 1 - Native American
Session 2 - Black/African American
Session 3 - AAPI
Session 4 - LGBTQ
Session 5 - Hispanic/LatinoCenter for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support -
SWBOCES - 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, 3rd floor, Harrison, NY
PK-12 Literacy Study Group: Bringing NYSED's Literacy Initiative and SOR into Practice
In response to NYSED'S Literacy Initiative, the Science of Reading and meeting students' academic needs, this study group will provide a recurring opportunity to convene with colleagues to collaborate around leading for literacy and the systemic and classroom-based practices that will support all students' literacy development. As schools and districts pursue similar aims and navigate similar obstacles, space for reflecting on and sharing practices and navigating challenges can serve as a forum for mutual support. During the sessions, time for grade level focus work groups (Elementary and Secondary) will be built in.
We welcome teams of teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, reading specialists, department chairs, and all for whom literacy instruction is integral, to join us as leaders of literacy.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
