Security

Click here to read the 2024 Security Update Letter

• School Security drills are an exercise, other than a fire drill, to practice procedures that respond to an emergency situation including, but not limited to, a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, or active shooter situation and that is similar in duration to a fire drill.  
• Every school is required to hold at least one fire drill and one school security drill each month within the school hours, including any summer months during which school is open for instructional programs.  
• During the academic year schools are required to hold a minimum of two of each of the following security drills:  Active shooter; Evacuation (non-fire); Bomb threat; and Lockdown.
• School districts have the ability to practice other types of drills as well.  For example, school districts can utilize: Shelter-in-place; Reverse evacuation; Evacuation to a relocation site; Testing of school's notification system and procedures; Testing of school's communication system and procedures; Tabletop exercise; and Full scale exercise.  
• Per Chapter 4 of the New Jersey Fire Code; 408.3.1 First emergency evacuation drill.  The first emergency evacuation drills of each school year shall be conducted within 10 days of the beginning of classes.  
• As of September 2011, schools are required to conduct a school security drill within the first 15 days of the beginning of the school year.  
• All building occupants are required to participate in drills.  However, two (2) of the eight (8) mandatory drills do not have to include students.  
• A School Security drill is similar in duration to a fire drill.
• Please visit www.state.nj.us/education/schools/security/ in order to learn more about the different types of drills and general information from the New Jersey Department of Education regarding School Preparedness & Emergency Planning.
• In early 2022, Governor Murphy signed a new law that states "A school district shall provide written notification to the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the district following completion of a school security drill, which notice shall be provided to the parent or guardian by no later than the end of the school day on which the school security drill is conducted."

To ensure the safety and security of our students and staff and the orderly operation of the Chester School District, all parents and guardians and other individuals planning to visit our schools during the school day are required to follow the district registration and check in/ check out procedures. Please take time to review the visitation procedures. 

• Visitors must show their photo IDs upon entering the buildings
• If you are planning to visit a classroom or other area of the school building during the school day, you should call the building office and pre-register for an appointment prior to the date of the visit. Absent an emergency, requests to meet with a classroom teacher or other staff member should be made at least 48 hours in advance to allow the school sufficient time to make arrangements for substitute coverage as necessary.  
• No visits will be allowed during the time of student arrival or dismissal. 
• Upon arrival at the school building, all visitors must register in the building office before proceeding to any other part of the building.  
• As part of the registration process in the front office, all visitors will be asked to electronically sign the visitor register and provide their driver’s license or other state-issued photo-identification for clearance by the building office staff before proceeding on the visit.
• Once registered, the visitor will be issued a Photo Visitor Identification Badge, which must be displayed at all times while the visitor remains in the school 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. 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 and sign out on the electronic Visitor Register kiosk and return the visitor badge. Once the visitor has checked out of the building they are required to immediately leave the premises.  If they have a need to return, they will have to begin the registration process once again.
• Visitors may not allow others to enter the building with them if they have not gone through the registration process for themselves.  
• If a visitor is denied access to the building, they will be asked to leave the premises and can request a meeting at a later time with administration to discuss the issues surrounding their denial of building entry.  
• Staff not having proper identification and district issued key/fob may be asked to register in the visitor management system for the day or until the time their identification or key/fob can be replaced.  
• At no time are weapons (concealed or not concealed) allowed in the school building or grounds unless by an active Official Law Enforcement Officer. The officer must reveal to the Administration that he/she has a weapon on their person.  Without proper authorization, the District reserves the right to deny entry to such individual(s). 

 

Please note that parents and guardians who are dropping off items for a student in the front office/entryway, and who will not otherwise be proceeding into the school building, may do so without advance registration. 

These procedures are implemented pursuant to Board Policy #1250, which is available for review on the district's website and applies to all Chester School District buildings.

The district reserves the right to deny any individual entry to any school building when there is reason to believe that such individual's presence would be detrimental to the operation of the school and the learning environment.