Dear Parents,

OUR CHILDREN ARE MOST PRECIOUS TO US!!

The security and safety of our school boys is of paramount importance to us. At St. John’s, we believe in being a step ahead. We have always had in place a well thought out and planned system of checks and balances for the security and safety of our children. These are upgraded and improved upon at regular intervals. You will find them listed below.

As you are aware sundry advisories are also being received on a daily basis regarding new precautions to be implemented. The school is making every effort to comply at the earliest. The good news is that most of it is already in place!

Some of the precautions will require your close and patient cooperation, but we are confident that as caring parents, you will partner us cheerfully in this endeavor to keep your children safe, no matter how great the inconvenience faced.

PLEASE NOTE: A Formal Child Protection Policy has been in place since 2012 and is designed to generate a child-friendly environment in the school.

The following are some important points which have been drafted, keeping in mind the guidelines by UT Chandigarh (Office of the District Education Officer) and the CBSE Advisories.

St. John’s Check List

Safety and security of students from the time of arrival till they leave the school premises.

• Staff is in place to attend to children coming in early. School gates will only be opened at 07:30 A.M.
• Children are assembled at designated areas and kept under the strict watch of the staff.
• Teachers escort the students to their classes.
• Attendance marked each time the class returns from an activity and after recess.
• A head count of students is done regularly in the junior classes.
• In the senior school, attendance is taken at the beginning of each period.
• Absentee proforma filled – SMS are sent to the parents of absentees on a daily basis.
• Regular Snake Checks of the premises, especially the fields and green areas are conducted by personnel authorized by the Chandigarh Administration.
• Mobiles are banned for the students.
• A nurse is stationed in the office to attend to any emergency.
• First aid protocols are affixed at important points all around the school.
• Each classroom is equipped with a basic first aid box. Expiry of all medications is regularly checked.
• Special care is taken of the students who are allergic or diabetic or having any other health issues.
• During Dengue/Swine flu season we instruct our students to wear full sleeves and long trousers especially in junior school.
• Surprise checks of students’ bags are conducted by authorized people.
• PTI`s are on duty at the time when sport academies are on -before and after school hours.
• A buddy system is in place for the school students while visiting the washroom. No student will go to the washroom alone.
• There is one attendant per washroom at all times.
• Maids and support staff accompany the junior school on outdoor trips.
• Strict segregation of areas during the break time for children and staff on duty.
• No vendors are allowed onto the premises during school hours.
• Teachers strictly adhere to the “No Meeting” policy during the school hours.
• Taking the safety and security of our children further, regular health checks are conducted. No child is allowed to leave the class without the permission card issued by the teacher.
• A Four tier system is in place for a child leaving before time. Diary note to be signed by the Class Teacher, the Coordinator, the School Reception and Checked at the gate.

Dispersal:

• Students are escorted personally by the teachers to exit points at the time of school closing.
• Gate passes are issued for any change of mode of transport or if the identity card is not available. This is done only against a note sent by the parents.
• No vehicle can enter the school premises without a vehicle sticker. Students have also been issued identity cards.
• Car boys are handed over to the parents personally. Letters of authority are taken in advance if the child is picked up by someone other than the parent.
• In case a student has to go by cab, it is the responsibility of the parents to book it on their own and no booking of cab is done from the school. Parents are to take the responsibility for the safety of their child.
• Teachers do not leave before the departure of the buses.
• Teachers have been allotted duties to monitor traffic in the morning as well as breaks to ensure that the children are under supervision.
• Boys going home late are seated and supervised in a designated area allotted for the same.
• Phone facility is made available to the students for contacting their parents.

Bus Safety:

• CCTV, GPRS and Speed governors have been installed in all the buses.
• The School has specially purchased an Alcohol Meter. Regular testing of the bus staff takes place and is recorded. A zero tolerance policy to alcohol consumption is in place.
• Bus dispersal forms are filled daily by the teachers before the bus leaves.
• Bus boys are seated in pre-assigned seats. Attendance is taken and is duly checked by the school authorities before the buses leave. Buses park in a “Vehicle Free Zone” at the time of embarkation to ensure the safety of the children from the traffic in the car park area.
• Students taking half day and/or not availing the bus service for the day need special permission for the same.

Police verification of all School Personnel

• Police verification of the teaching staff, members of the administrative block, computer staff, and grade D staff is undertaken.
• The Head of our Institution – our Principal, Mrs. Kavita Chatterjee Das has also undergone the same.
• All the conductors, drivers and bus attendants are verified.
• All contractual staff is hired only after thorough background check and identity verification through Voter card or Aadhar card etc. Police verification is also carried out for such staff.
• All contractual staff are appointed through a reputed agency.

Psychometric Evaluation

• We are already in dialogue with the CBSE regarding the administering of the same.

Installation of CCTV cameras

• CCTV cameras have been installed and constant checks are conducted to ensure their proper working.
• Camera recordings are monitored regularly by the school authorities.

Entry into the school premises must be in compliance with security norms.

• Entry of persons/vehicles is recorded at the school gates by the security agency guards.
• Entry is not given to any vehicle without the permission sticker/proper verification.
• Entry to the school building is strictly restricted and guarded.
• An efficient communication system is in place between the school reception and the school gate guards on duty.
• All visitors are required to fill in the “PERMISSION SLIP” proforma. One is handed over to the reception and a carbon copy of the same is retained at the gate.
• Visitors must wear a visitor’s card around their necks for the entire duration of their visit in the school and return it at the gate when they depart.
• Students will not be allowed to enter the school without wearing an ID Card.
• Strict protocol is in place to ensure that the drivers, attendants and other support staff are not given unrestricted access to the school building during school hours.
• Drivers and bus attendants are not allowed unrestricted movement in the school premises.
• Specific areas for the above mentioned persons have been designated and separate toilets and water points have been allocated.

Properly built boundary walls and infrastructure.

• The school is adequately gated and secured with the help of a grilled boundary wall.
• CCTV cameras are in place and repair of the same are carried out at regular intervals.
• School audit for fire safety is conducted regularly.
• School is regularly checked for safety of the building and the certification for the same is in place.

Restrictions regarding the usage of toilets.

• Renovated Washrooms, updated with modern amenities have been provided for the students at every floor of the school building. Notices have been put for the usage of these only by the students.
• Separate toilets have been provided for the teaching staff, administrative staff members, female attendants, Grade D staff.
• All washrooms are regularly checked and inspected by the designated staff members.
• The administrative staff takes periodic rounds of the wash rooms, lunch areas, classrooms and open spaces during and after school hours.

Sensitization about the safety of children

• There are SEVEN counselors to guide and observe the children.
• PO’S (Protection Officers) have been appointed in the Junior and the Senior Wing of our school are specially trained by the brothers to deal with any kind of problems pertaining to the students.
• Specially trained personnel have been assigned the task of periodical orientation and counseling of the drivers, bus attendants, peons, gardeners, watchmen and other support staff.
• Training of Support Staff and drivers are conducted regularly.
• The medical and eye- checkup of the bus personnel is conducted regularly.
• A Life skills programme is in place to educate our children and the students too are sensitized through the multimedia programmes about the concepts of ‘good touch & bad touch’.

Consultative processes with the parents and children

• Guidelines with respect to the travel in school buses are given to the parents through a notice and also through the Parent Teacher Link Book.
• Suggestions are sought and incorporated through the means of the Parent Teacher Link Book as well as through personal interactions.
• Each academic year the parents are oriented about the safety and security measures for their wards undertaken by the school.
• Parents are counseled through audio/visual means to create awareness about the safety of their wards.
• Children are familiarized with redressal systems through the following:
  • The Parent Teacher Link book has numerous pages dealing with redressal systems and advisories. A diary quiz is conducted to familiarize the children with the same.
  • Constant interaction and counseling sessions are held by the school counselors. NB: There are SEVEN counselors in St. John’s.
  • Student suggestion boxes are situated all over the school.
  • Child Safety and Protection Committee.
  • Students Grievances Redressal Forum.
  • Parent-Teacher-Student Committee.
  • Bus Committee

WORK IN PROGRESS

As St. John`s has always been keen to improve the safety and security of the students and staff, we are therefore in the process of adding to the above mentioned points:

• The school is in the process of generating Identity cards for all the parents.
• Parents, guardians, house help and drivers will not be allowed to enter or leave the school premises without showing their identification.
• Vendors vehicles and staff will be frisked by the school security both at arrival and at departure.
• Dispersal of all students from the campus or at the time of alighting from the bus at designated stops will be strictly against the presentation of the identity card by the student and the I-Card by the attendant or the parent.
• Female Attendants will be on duty in every bus and will be present till the last stop.
• Parents/Guardians/house help/drivers will not be allowed to enter the school without a parent I-Card issued by the school.

Kindly Note:

• We know and appreciate that your time is precious. However, we have to make a team effort to ensure the safety and security of your child. Sometimes dropping the child inside may take some time as there is a rush in the morning and afternoon. However, a little bit of patience will ensure your child stays safe. We request all parents to drop and pick up their wards only from inside the school premises.
• Our society is unfortunately proving more and more unsafe for our children. It is therefore vital that we do NOT permit our young ones to leave the school premises unattended. Parents are therefore advised to personally collect their children or else ensure that a responsible adult is designated after giving written permission to the school with this duty. In the event that you still wish your son to leave the school premises unattended, we request that the same be submitted to the school in the form of an affidavit, giving the school permission to allow your son to leave unattended and clearly stating that you do not hold the school responsible for your son’s safety once he sets foot outside the walls of the school.
• As you are aware, the staff is now reporting a good half hour earlier to school in order to be present when your children arrive. As they are also parents of children, we seek your close cooperation in ensuring that your son is collected in time when school closes. Any parents, who is delayed by more than half an hour beyond the time school ends, will be requested to meet with the Coordinators/Principal before their sons are handed over to them.
• Kindly note that parents being the guardians of their children, need to attend the PTM`s personally to ensure that they receive feedback about their sons and are able to communicate their concerns directly to the school. Please note, that no one except parents or legal guardians will be permitted to attend PTM`s. They will also be required to carry identity proofs with them at that time.
• Finally, as already advised in circular SJSH/2017-18/2324, parents are reminded to please ensure that they have all drivers, staff, tuition teachers etc verified in the interests of the security of their children.
• In conclusion we once again reiterate that the school is doing its level best to ensure the security of your sons, but without your active participation it will not be possible.

We continue to strive for the Safety and Happiness of our children and staff.

Warm regards
St. John’s High School.