RANDOLPH — Members of Randolph Central School’s District Safety Committee recently met to review the district workplace violence assessment as a part of the newly required Workplace Violence Prevention program from the state.

Superintendent Kaine Kelly said Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed an amendment to New York State’s Workplace Violence Prevention Law that extends the law’s protections to public school districts, charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES. This legislation went into effect Jan 4.

“This legislation mandates that these educational institutions develop and implement comprehensive workplace violence prevention programs,” Kelly said. “These programs must include a detailed policy statement, a workplace risk evaluation, and a system for reporting and addressing incidents of workplace violence. The goal is to ensure a safer environment for all school employees by identifying risk factors, providing annual training, and maintaining thorough records of any incidents.”

The amendment was part of a broader initiative to enhance safety and accountability in public schools in the state, Kelly said, and by May 3 all affected schools had to be fully compliant with the new regulations. Workplace violence risk evaluations had to be completed by March 4 and workplace violence prevention programs had to be in place by March 19.

“The legislation aims to create safer educational environments and underscores the state’s commitment to protecting school staff and students,” Kelly said. “The implementation of these programs is seen as a proactive measure to prevent workplace violence and improve the overall safety and morale within schools.”

The committee’s discussion focused on the new law and what the responsibilities of the committee will look like now because of it. They also reviewed the most recent workplace violence risk assessment for the school and plans for mitigating areas of potential exposure. The workplace violence risk assessment for state schools includes several key components to help identify and mitigate potential hazards. This includes, identifying risk factors — evaluating the workplace to identify specific factors that may contribute to the risk of violence. This includes examining the physical environment, such as building design and security features, as well as organizational factors like staffing levels and work practices. Common risk factors include working in public settings, handling money, working late at night or early in the morning, and working alone or in small numbers.

Also included is the assessment of vulnerable areas, which looks at identifying specific areas within the school that may be more susceptible to violence. This might involve examining locations with uncontrolled access, areas with a history of security issues, and places where staff interact with the public or volatile individuals. Evaluations should consider past incidents of violence and their causes to understand patterns and prevent future occurrences.

The third part of the assessment looks at consultation with employees, involving them and their representatives in the assessment process to gain insights from those who are directly exposed to potential risks. This collaboration helps ensure that all relevant factors are considered and that employees feel involved in developing solutions.

The fourth area is focused on implementation of controls and preventative measures, working on developing and implementing strategies to mitigate identified risks. This could include physical modifications such as better lighting, and security cameras, administrative controls like staffing changes or policy adjustments, and procedural changes like reporting systems and emergency protocols. Specific measures might involve making high-risk areas more visible, enhancing security during vulnerable times, and ensuring clear and accessible reporting mechanisms for incidents.

The final part of the assessment is documentation and training, which involves maintaining thorough documentation of the risk assessment process, findings, and implemented measures, and providing comprehensive training for employees on the identified risks, preventive measures, and procedures for responding to incidents of violence. This training should be conducted at the time of initial assignment and annually thereafter.

“By conducting a detailed risk assessment that includes these components, schools can create a safer environment for staff and students, ensuring that potential threats are identified and addressed proactively,” Kelly said. “It does not dramatically change anything that we currently do for ensuring the safety of our students; it just focuses some of our discussions in different directions.”