The Board of Education of the North Colonie School District adopts this policy to assure that procedures are in place to identify if a student has behaviors that impede his or her learning or that of others, including consideration of whether a student has the tendency to wander or elope. If a student is identified as having a tendency to wander or elope, a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) of the behavior should be conducted and a plan for intervention to address the behavior through proper supervision and an individualized behavior intervention plan (BIP) must be developed based on the results of the FBA. These procedures are designed to prevent and address instances of wandering and elopement, particularly for students with cognitive impairments.
Definitions:
Elopement: leaving an assigned area without permission from, or knowledge of, staff.
Wandering: meandering which results in a student leaving a safe environment, intruding into inappropriate places or becoming lost, often related to distraction.
To avoid and address instances of wandering and/or elopement, the Procedures developed shall address the following:
- Annual training of staff to address student supervision, wandering and elopement and proper responses which includes
a. Communication of the above policy and procedural expectations related to student elopement and wandering.
b. Training and supervisory notification and 911 calls
c. Communication protocols with local police
d. Use of school-wide communication and alert systems
e. Pre-assignments for building and ground searches
f. Procedures for assuring that crisis response and law enforcement officials have access to floor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the school interior, school grounds and road maps of the immediate surrounding area
g. Immediate family notification
h. Identification of students with known elopement behaviors to local building principals, hall monitors, and security guardsi
i. Consideration of installment of door alarms and use of other elopement warning devices
j. Ensuring that students with known elopement behaviors carry basic identification at all times.
These wandering and elopement procedures shall be incorporated into the school’s safety building plan, as appropriate.
Adopted: October 24, 2016