Safety and Security for BHA Educational Programs

Safety is our priority. The following document describes our policies and protocols to help ensure the safety of students attending BHA programming. Our teachers have been trained in CPR and First Aid, and have also received training in dealing with crisis situations. 

Over the course of the year, we practice safety procedures (such as fire drills or sheltering inside the building) with the children in an age-appropriate way. Please read the following for more information about our procedures.

Emergency Contacts:

• We ask that each family have at least one adult using the Remind app/website. This is where we will communicate about class-wide situations (general updates, announcements when school is closed, etc.).

• In the event of a school-wide emergency, we will communicate with families via Remind.

• For individual concerns (sick child, etc.), we will first reach out to the parent/guardian listed in the child’s registration paperwork, and then to the emergency contact if the parent/guardian is not available. Please let us know if there is someone else responsible for your child during the school day. If a student is facing an emergency medical situation, we will call 911 immediately and then call the student’s parent/guardian.

Entry/Drop-off/Pick-up Protocols:

• Enter and exit through the kitchen door for classes when other events are not occurring.
• For Masa, ring the doorbell to enter on Fridays. On Sundays, the door will be unlocked for fifteen minutes before and after arrival/dismissal times.
• For preschool, the door will be unlocked for five minutes before and after arrival/dismissal times, and parents may use the doorbell at other times.
• We will have a teacher or parent watching the door at arrival and dismissal times to make sure of who enters and exits the building.
• At all other times, the door will be locked. Visitors can ring the bell for access to the building.
• Parents need to notify us in advance if someone else will be picking up their child. Masa will use a sign out sheet to confirm who picked up a child (Sundays only). Preschool students must be signed out by someone on their contact list in order to be dismissed.
• For adult classes, door will be unlocked for fifteen minutes prior to class start time, and locked when class begins. If someone arrives late, they should ring the doorbell.

Fire/CO2 alarm/General Safety protocols:

• Evacuate quickly through the nearest door.
• Go across the parking lot, and wait next to the neighboring building until BHA is deemed safe. If the building is not safe in a timely fashion, we will contact parents/guardians to pick up their children, and will communicate our location to parents via Remind.
• Do not stop for shoes, coats, bags: evacuate immediately.
• Teachers take attendance and make sure that all students are accounted for.
• We have safe havens in the neighborhood in case we must evacuate and seek a secondary shelter. Teachers will work as a team to evacuate all students, call 911, and ensure everyone’s safety. Then we will notify families via the Remind App of next steps.