Liberty Central School District is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all members of our community. We have developed a Workplace Violence Prevention Program in accordance with state regulations. The board policy can be found here.

What is Workplace Violence?

Any physical assault or acts of aggressive behavior occurring where a public employee performs any work-related duty in the course of their employment including but not limited to:

• An attempt or threat, whether verbal or physical, to inflict physical injury upon an employee;
• Any intentional display of force which would give an employee reason to fear or expect bodily harm;
• Intentional and wrongful physical contact with a person without his or her consent that entails some injury;
• Stalking an employee with the intent of causing fear of material harm to the physical safety and health of such employee when such stalking has arisen through and in the course of employment.

Program synopsis

All LCSD employees will be informed of the requirements of the law, the risk factors in their workplace, and the location of the written Workplace Violence Prevention Program.

Training is required for employees on the measures they can take to protect themselves from the risks identified in the assessment and the details of the written Workplace Violence Prevention Program. Employee workplace violence prevention training will be provided annually, and will include a range of topics, developed in partnership with district and union leaders.

Reporting Procedure

Any employee who witnesses or encounters any act of violence should do the following:

• Immediately notify their supervisor and/or the assistant superintendent of schools as appropriate.
• Call 911, when imminent danger is present, as appropriate, and notify their immediate supervisor

Post incident response

• The supervisor will immediately conduct a preliminary inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the incident and make a prompt report to the assistant superintendent of schools using the Workplace Violence Incident Reporting Form available online and in each building’s main office.
• Injured employees will receive prompt and appropriate medical care.
• The incident will be reported to the appropriate authorities as required by applicable laws and regulations
• Management is to be informed about the incident in writing
• The premises will be secured to safeguard evidence and reduce distractions during the post incident response process.
• The need for appropriate treatment for victimized employees will be addressed. In addition to physical injuries, victims and witnesses may suffer psychological trauma, fear of returning to work, feelings of incompetence, guilt, powerlessness, and fear of criticism by supervisors or managers.
• Any reported workplace violence incident will be thoroughly investigated.
• In the event that critical incident management or crisis counseling is needed following a workplace violence incident in Liberty’s workplace, arrangements will be made through management, employee unions, or the assistant superintendent of schools.

Retaliation and false reports

Retaliation against an employee who makes a good faith report of violence or other disruptive behavior is strictly prohibited and shall be subject to appropriate corrective or disciplinary measures. An employee who, in bad faith makes a false report, is also subject to disciplinary action.

LCSD is prohibited by law from taking any retaliatory action against any employee who has made management aware of what the employee deems to be an imminent danger; has requested that the Commissioner of Labor conduct an inspection; or accompanies the commissioner during an inspection of the district, pursuant to §27-b.6 of Article 2 of the State Labor Law.