Campus Safety

The Public safety Department works closely, and in concert with, Lower Merion and Haverford Police Departments. Lower Merion Police has provided training to faculty, staff and the Public Safety Department. The Haverford School's emergency preparedness plans have been modeled after those developed and accepted by most school districts across the United States. The plans being used have been cited by the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the American Prepared Campaign as a national model. 

The nationally accepted plans were customized to fit The Haverford School through the combined oversight of school administrators, school public safety staff members, local law enforcement, emergency management, and public health officials. 

The Haverford School public safety program:

• Examines potential emergencies and disasters based on the likely risk posed 
• Develops and implements programs and actions aimed toward reducing the impact of these events on the school community
• Prepares us for those risks that cannot be eliminated
• Prescribes the actions required to deal with the consequences of the events and takes action to quickly recover from the event.

Our emergency planning focuses on the four (4) phases of emergency management: Mitigation/Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
These plans are regularly reviewed and updated annually. They include procedures to respond to critical incidents, and school personnel practice these drills each year.
The Haverford School works in close collaboration with local, state, and federal officials to pro-actively develop and maintain plans for coping with emergency response situations. They involve efforts to protect all students, employees, and visitors while they are at the School.

The actions taken during any type of emergency situation depend a great deal on the specifics of the incident. The nature of the threat may dictate any of the following responses: immediate evacuation, lock down, or it may initiate a shelter in place response. School administrators have a variety of tools to use and have received training on how to operate in each of these situations.

To insure that this institution is current on security and safety technology and responses to threats, The Haverford School's Public Safety Department continually reviews all policies, procedures, and protocol that deal with campus emergencies. The Public Safety Department, working in concert with Steve Beck, the Safe Schools Coordinator for the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, performed a comprehensive building and campus safety and security assessment.

Upon completion of the campus assessment, the Safe Schools Coordinator presented a thorough and extensive report that examined all aspects of safety and security for The Haverford School. This report provided a guide with recommendations on how we may improve what we already have in place. It is the intent of the Public Safety Department and the school administration to make this a continuing annual process.

Administration, faculty, and staff as a general reference guide use the Haverford School Crisis Management and Security Plan. This guide provides fingertip immediate assistance in managing emergencies on campus. Preparation and readiness help us to respond quickly should such events arise.