Safety and Daily School Daily Procedures

  • Due to ongoing updates, please refer to the Dows Lane Buzz emails for the most up-to-date information.

    Safety:

    All of the doors in Dows Lane Elementary School are locked throughout the day.  After supervised arrival, the main entrance is locked at 8:00 AM. At our main entrance, a security guard is present throughout the day. All visitors must buzz in, show a photo id, and sign in with our security guard. After your visit to a classroom or other room in the building, please exit from the same Main Entrance doors and return your visitor's id. Please be mindful that while you are visiting the building for an event, all of the other students and staff are engaged in learning, and instruction should not be interrupted.

    (If you are dropping off a late lunch or snack, please plan to drop it off before 10:15am, so we have time to deliver it to your child).

    Drills:

    • Each month, all students participate in safety drills. We also recognize that for some of our youngest students, this may be the first time they are practicing drills.
    • Fire drills are the most common as they are our first level of evacuation.   
    • Other drills are practiced monthly, including:
      • Lockdowns (in the event of a threat inside the building)
      • Lockouts (in the event of a threat outside of the building)
      • Shelter in Place (in the event of high winds/weather/natural disaster)
      • Hold in Place (in the event we need to keep children in classes due to emergency personnel in the building)
      • Off Site Evacuations (in the event we must leave Dows Lane).  

    For safety reasons, we do not release full procedures and directions for these drills.  

    Emergency School Closings:  

    IUFSD uses an alert service to  communicate with families about weather related closures, delays or emergency related events. You can receive alerts on your home phone, cell phone, email, as well as a text message. Please contact the Main Office at 914-591-6012 with changes to any contact information. You can also stay informed via News 12 or WFAS Radio. The websites are listed below:

    School closings are also reported on the following websites:
    Channel 12 - www.news12.com
    WFAS - www.wfasfm.com

    Bus Safety:

    All buses are attended by a bus monitor in addition to their driver.  Students receive safety tips and experience a bus safety drill two times during the school year. Please remind your child that all safety procedures they would follow in your car must be followed on the school bus. In addition, please remind your child that the rules on the bus are the same as the rules in Dows Lane. Students who violate bus rules are in jeopardy of facing school consequences and potential bus suspension.

    Dows Lane School-wide Bus Expectations can be found here

    Code of Conduct:

    IUFSD Code of Conduct
    Elementary Language Code of Conduct

    Building Security & Visitor Procedures:

    When visiting a class or attending a school function during the school day, guests are asked to park off-site legally. The parking lot at Dows Lane has available parking space for staff and also handicap vehicles only.

    At our Dows Lane main entrance, a security greeter is present at all times.  All visitors must be buzzed in and sign in with our security greeter. All visitors are directed to the main office for further assistance.

    • Visiting a classroom or staff member:  
      • All visitors to our school building are required to sign in at the security desk. If you are visiting a classroom, you will need to make sure that the classroom teacher is expecting you. If you are visiting a staff member, you should schedule an appointment in advance.
      • Visitors need an appointment to meet with school staff. 
      • Upon signing in, the security guard will give you a visitor badge that you must wear during your time at Dows Lane.
      • You must show photo identification to enter the building. 
      • During the school day, students and staff are engaged in instruction and learning. Please do not enter a classroom or distract students from learning if you do not have an appointment.
    • Dropping off something for your child or picking something up:  
      • All items may be left with our security guard who will ensure they are delivered. 
      • Please label items with your child and teacher's names.
      • To maintain uninterrupted instructional time, no adult is permitted to deliver items to the classroom directly. 
    • Medical pick up or emergency needs:   
      • We are always here to help.
      • Please let the security guard know what you may need.
      • You will be directed immediately to the nurse or administrator.    

    (If you are dropping off a late lunch or snack, please plan to drop it off before 10:15am, so we have time to deliver it to your child).

    Emergency Dismissal Forms:

    Please be sure we have an accurate record of any and all phone numbers by which we can contact an immediate family member. In addition, you will be required to identify guardians who have your permission to pick up a child in the event of any change in procedures or emergencies.  

    Child Custody and Visitation Rights:

    • In order to follow the dictates of the law, when a Dows Lane family experiences divorce or separation, it is necessary for the building administrators to obtain a copy of the most recent/updated court orders regarding custody and visitation in any case that restricts one parent’s rights to see or be in contact with a child.  
    • Without legal paperwork, the school has no authority to remove a parent from our premises or refuse a parent’s access to his or her child. Please know that all such documents remain strictly confidential.