School safety is a priority, and Franklin Public Schools (FPS) is conscious of the responsibility we have to protect the safety of our students and staff.   In collaboration with the Franklin Police Department, Franklin Fire Department, and Franklin Facilities Department, we have developed a series of plans focused on four key areas:  Plans & Protocols, Procedures, Visitor Management, & Training.  Our goal is to share as much information as possible with our community without compromising the integrity of our plans which could impact the safety measures in place.  

We encourage parents/guardians to be a  part of our community safety net.  We ask that you remain vigilant and alert our schools and police about anything suspicious that you might see or hear concerning our school community by adopting the "see something, say something" strategy and asking your children to do the same.

Emergency Response Plan and Preparedness Guide 

The purpose of each plan is to prevent and minimize the effects of serious critical incidents and emergencies by implementing comprehensive school safety practices and protocols.  Our school safety protocols are developed and reviewed annually by district and public safety personnel, then reviewed with all staff at the start of the school year as part of our mandatory training.

Designed to give school personnel consistent step-by-step procedures to follow in an emergency or crisis situation and assist in the containment of dangerous situations, minimize injuries and threats to health and safety, inform parents/community members and mediate the negative impact on the school community following a crisis. 

Medical Emergency Response Plan

Identifies specific actions to take in case of a medical emergency to reduce the incidence of life-threatening emergencies and support efficient responses to such emergencies. They were developed in consultation with members of the FPS staff, including the school nurses, school administrators, athletic director, and athletic trainers.  This plan is reviewed annually or whenever there are physical changes to the school campus, including new construction, and submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education every three years.

Town of Franklin Emergency Management Plan 

Comprehensive town-wide planning was developed in collaboration with the Franklin town departments (Police, Fire, Dept. of Public Works, Technology, Facilities, Transportation, etc.) in case of a disaster or community emergency.  Provides coordination and procedure to support the community in the event of a declared emergency or natural disaster. 

Threat Assessment Protocol

Provides a systematic approach to assessing potentially threatening comments, conduct, behavior, or circumstances that could impact the safety of our school community.  A threat assessment team exists at each school and is represented by the school administration, a school resource officer, central office administration, a school counselor(s), other appropriate school personnel, and local law enforcement as appropriate. These protocols were created collaboratively with the Franklin Police Department. 

Responding to Threats Communication

Transportation Incident Response Protocol

These protocols, developed by the Student Services specialized transportation department, serve as a guide in assessing a potential emergency to determine the courses of action that best address various situations.   These guidelines apply to student activity trips and regular school transportation routes.  If a student experiences a medical concern while being transported, drivers are expected to assess the type, severity, and immediacy of the medical concern and evaluate the First Aid needs. 

Additional emergency response plans exist in conjunction with the Franklin Police and Fire Departments, which include tactical plans, rally points, and family reunification plans. 

Cori/Sori Checks For School Volunteers
All school volunteers and chaperones on field trips must undergo a CORI/SORI check before participating. CORI is Criminal Offender Record Information. SORI is Sex Offender Record Information.

Child Abuse and Neglect
If school staff suspects that a student is being abused or neglected, they are required by law (M.G.L. Chapter 119, Section 51A) and FPS policy to report it to the Mass. Department of Children & Families (DCF). All reports are strictly confidential. DCF maintains a 24-hour Hotline: 1-800-792-5200.  The FPS policy also gives procedures for how schools will respond to reports of child abuse or neglect, including cooperating with DCF investigations.

Release of Students to Adults Other than the Parent
Schools will not allow anyone other than a child’s custodial parents/guardians to take the child away from school. If you want a relative, friend, or care provider to pick up your child at school, you must give written permission or call the school. If you call, the principal must verify that it was the parent/guardian making the call. The individual must show identification before the school will release the student.

Upon arrival at the school building, all visitors must register in the main office and sign the Visitor Book before proceeding further.  Once registered, the visitor will be issued a Visitor Identification Badge, which must be displayed at all times while the visitor remains in the building or on school premises.  Visitors must remain in approved areas only and, at all times, act in a manner appropriate to the safe functioning of the school environment. Any individual who engages in uncooperative or disruptive behavior will be required to leave the premises.  Upon conclusion of the visit, the visitor must return to the building office and sign out on the Visitor Book. The District reserves the right to deny an individual entry to any school building when there is reason to believe that such an individual's presence would be detrimental to the operation of the school and the learning environment. 

Keep your child’s information current in Aspen. Contact your child’s school right away if there are any changes.

• Parent/guardian’s home, work, and cell phone numbers, email address

• Best number to receive automated phone calls 

• Current address

• An emergency contact person with a current phone number and address (if the parent cannot be reached)

• Health insurance information

Training

Staff is trained on the school safety protocols and emergency response procedures as appropriate.

• In-person staff training (annually)

• Mandatory online staff training (annually)

Drills

We practice emergency drills with our staff, students, and police and fire departments requiring different responses, such as offsite evacuation throughout the year.  

• Lockdown (Fall and Spring)

• Fire Drills (Fall and Spring)

• Bus Evacuations (Fall)

Access Controls

All Franklin Public Schools buildings are locked at all times, with school access control protocols in place.  All of our buildings are equipped with security access controls and camera systems. Doors remain locked during the school day as well. Our plans include continuing to provide safety enhancement in our protocols and systems as new information, new technologies, and revised practices become available.

This overview is generalized to preserve a level of operational security for the school district and law enforcement.  If you have any questions about these procedures, please contact the office of the superintendent.