Safety and Security

Contact

Dr. Rebecca Lorfink
Assistant Superintendent
& School Safety Coordinator
717-885-1210
rlorfink@yssd.org

 

Related Links

Safe2Say Something Website

Student Care Teams

Volunteer Application Information

York Suburban School District is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all of our students and staff. While nothing is ever fail-safe, we utilize a number of measures to ensure the safety of students and staff.

These measures include developing an All-Hazards plan that establishes protocols for emergency preparedness and response, regular emergency drills and exercises, canine sweeps, and ongoing safety training for school staff and administrators.

In addition to these measures, York Suburban participates in a statewide anonymous reporting system called Safe2Say Something, utilizes the Raptor Management System for entry to our schools, and has installed video surveillance throughout all district buildings.

Safe2Say Something

safe2say phone screen

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and encourages them to “say something” before it is too late.

How can you submit a tip?
There are three options for submitting an anonymous tip:

  • Call the tipline: 1-844-SAF2SAY (1-844-723-2729)
  • Use the website: https://www.safe2saypa.org
  • Use the mobile app available in iOS and Android stores

How does it work?

  • Submit an anonymous tip report through the Safe2Say Something system
  • Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
  • Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
  • The school and, as needed, local law enforcement, assess and intervene with the at-risk individual
  • If additional information is needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app

For additional information and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit the Safe2SaySomething website.

Student Care Teams

As part of our ongoing focus to create and maintain a safe, positive school culture at York Suburban, Student Care Teams have been established across the district. The primary functions of these teams are to support students proactively, encourage communication between students and trusted adults, and decrease the likelihood of tragic events in our community. Members of the Student Care Teams are trained to conduct threat assessments using an evidence-based, proactive approach.

Please visit the Student Care Teams webpage for additional information and contact forms.

Threat Assessment Presentations

To learn more about the threat assessment process, informational videos geared toward parents and students are offered in both English and Spanish.

To view the presentations, visit: https://schoolthreatassessment.com/course

  • Parents and Guardians Use Code: p237np
  • Students Use Code: sdxnsm

Raptor Visitor Management System

raptor logo - man giving woman his ID

Part of keeping students and staff safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor Visitor Management System allows us to quickly identify those who may present a danger to our students. Additionally, in the unlikely event of an incident, police and other authorities will have access to these electronic visitor logs, which have a photograph of the visitor and a date and time stamp of their entry and exit times.

How does it work?
Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID, such as a Driver’s License, which can be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system.

The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national registered sex offender database and a database created by the district that includes parents or guardians with custody issues, restraining orders, etc. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded, and the information is not shared with any outside agency.

If no concerning matches are found, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. Upon completion of the visit, the visitor will return to the office to return their badge to a staff member and then exit the building through the entrance.

The process to scan an ID, run the check, and print a badge takes about 30 seconds to complete, and a visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who are only dropping off an item in the office or picking up paperwork or a student.

For additional information about our procedures and expectations for visitors, please refer to Board Policy 907: School Visitors.

School Security Personnel

The 2024-25 PA Budget includes Senate Bill 700—School Security Personnel, which requires Pennsylvania school districts to have at least one full-time school security personnel on duty during each school day. The Code defines three categories of school security personnel: school police officers, school resource officers, and school security guards. The Bill was effective for the 2024-2025 school year; however, there is a waiver for school districts like York Suburban that cannot meet the requirement given the short notice.

At this time, we are pursuing an option allowing the York County Regional Police Department to partner with York Suburban, even though we would not be under their jurisdiction. York County Regional Police Department has a robust school resource officer program in place in multiple local districts.

Volunteer Clearance Policy & Procedures

For the safety of students and staff members, any adult wishing to volunteer is required to complete our Volunteer Application Process before being approved to do so. Additional information can be found on our Human Resources webpage.