Guideline for Ensuring Safety and Security of Students in Schools

Government of West Bengal
School Education Department
Bikash Bhavan, 6th floor, Salt Lake City
Kolkata – 700 091

Memo no: 235-SSE Date: 26.10.2017

From: Principal Secretary
School Education Department, West Bengal

To: District Inspector of Schools (Primary Education) (All Districts)
District Inspector of Schools (Secondary Education) (All Districts)

Sub: Guideline for ensuring safety and security of students in Schools

Safe and Secure learning environment in school is a basic and essential need of children in schools and as Schools have to play a very important role in ensuring physical, mental and emotional health and related safety issues of the school students, it becomes the responsibility of the School Management/ Authorities to consider safety issues with respect to their school campus considering the following points:

1. Headmaster or Teacher-in-Charge in every school will constitute a Student Safety and Security Monitoring Committee (SSMC) with following members and will convene its meetings bi-monthly;

• a. In Primary School:
• (i) Head Teacher/ Teacher-in-Charge as Chairman
• (ii) A female teacher or male teacher, in case female teacher is not available
• (iii-iv) Two guardians representatives
• (v) Invitee member(s) from the department of Health and Family Welfare/ Police Department/ Fire and Emergency Services Department as per specific requirement
• b. In Upper Primary/Secondary Schools:
• (i) Headmaster/ Teacher-in-Cnarge/ Chairman/
• (ii) A female teacher or A male teacher, in case a female teacher is not available
• (iii) President of the School Managing Committee
• (iiii-iv) Two guardians representatives
• (vi) Invitee member(s) from the department of Health and Family Welfare/ Police Department/ As per specific requirement.
• Details of this Committee including contact details of Chairman/ Members shall be prominently displayed on the school notice board and website for the information of all concerned.

2. All steps should be taken for prevention of vector borne deceases, Dengue and malaria. For this purpose school campus must be neat and clean with no water logging.
3. Mid-day Meal should be served upon the students only after tasting by Headmaster/ Teacher-in-Charge or the teacher approved for this purpose and all necessary preventive measures must be taken in the process of cooking Mid-Day-Meal and in serving Mid-Day meal where meal is transferred from the central kitchen safety mechanism should be in place to ensure food remains safe during transportation.
4. Drinking water sample should be drawn and be tested at Water testing labs of Public Health Engineering Department, Government of West Bengal. Necessary remedial action shall be taken as per the result of such water testing report.
5. A protection mechanism shall be placed to insured student safety from cyber threats and cyber crime, where students are using computer in Schools. Protection from dangerous online games and needs to be safe while taking selfie, should be stressed.
6. All schools will ensure the provision of separate toilets for girls, boys, Schools employees and visitors.
7. In Schools where Fee Collection process is manual, a practice of putting cheque/ Draft in the box at the gate of the School or Fee Collection Counter at the gate of the School may be adapted to minimize unnecessary entry of outsiders in Schools campus.
8. Where ever possible School will provide CCTV cameras in all vulnerable areas and will ensure that such cameras are working all the times.
9. Police Verification must be done before/ after engaging Contractual employees providing different types of services in the Private schools
10. Student Safety and Security Monitoring Committee will also take necessary action on to complaints related to Protection of Children from Sexual Harassment Protection Act, 2012.
11. Local police station may be requested to brief sensitize teaching, non teaching staff and students on safety and security issues.
12. Practice of random checking of visitors/ parents/ students to prevent carring of any objectionable metarials or items by frisking or handhold metal detectors may be introduced in private schools.
13. Antecedents of School bus conductor and Drivers should be get verified through the Police Department and they should not be allowed to enter into school campus.
14. Self-Defence camps may be organized annually for students of secondary schools to equip them to take care of there own safety and security.
15. Age-appropriate discussion with students by the teachers should be encourage to make students aware of there safety needs, precaution to be taken and to make deference between good or bad touch/ conversation.
16. Agenda of Student Safety and Security should be discussed in Parents Teachers meeting for getting feedback from the parents and assurance on the School Management regarding procedures and arrangement being put in to place for this purpose.
17. Electrical wiring, fans, tubelights and bulbs should be checked for safety monthly. Ceiling fan should be checked for ensuring that they do not fall. Once in six months an electrician should certify safety of electrical connections.
18. The message of Safe Drive, Save Life and traffic safety should be discussed and displayed in schools.

Necessary legal steps including revocation of No Objection Certificate issued by School Education Department/ Directorate may be taken by the concerned authorities if goss violation, of these guidelines is found in any Schools.

Sd/- Dushyant Nariala, lAS
Principal Secretary
School Education Department
West Bengal

No. 235-SSE dated 26.10.2017, Source