The Goals for Safe School in New Mexico include:

1.   All students in New Mexico will have access to public educational services in a safe, secure, healthful, caring, and respectful learning environment.

2.   All school personnel in New Mexico will be able to carry out their duties in a safe, secure, healthful, caring, and respectful work environment.

3.   Students, school staff, parents, and communities will understand that safe schools are everyone’s responsibility.

The School District Wellness Policy, under New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) 6.12.6: requires local school boards, school districts and charter schools to develop and implement a policy that addresses student and school employee wellness through a coordinated school health approach.  Within this policy is the requirement for school-level safety plans at each school building, focused on supporting safe, secure and healthy and environments.  The plans must include, but are not limited to sections on:

§  INTRODUCTION

§  SCHOOL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

§  PREVENTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

§  SCHOOL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN 

(BEFORE, DURING & AFTER)

The Policy takes into account the inclusion of a School-Level Safety Plan that delineates the differences between rural and urban areas as well as the cultural diversity of all the communities in New Mexico.  The School-Level Safety Plan requires parent and community involvement in planning and maintaining a safe learning environment.

“If you, [School Districts and Schools], do have an emergency plan in place, please review it, update it as necessary, and practice that plan regularly. Knowing what to do when faced with a crisis can be the difference between calm and chaos”.

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education              

December 17, 2012