At St. Lawrence O'Toole, we take measures to assure the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Fire drills, earthquake drills, and intruder drills take place on a regular schedule throughout the school year. In addition, a disaster drill is practiced whereby a full school evacuation and release to parents and guardians is practiced.
All parents, guardians, visitors, guests and volunteers of St. Lawrence O'Toole are required to report to the school office where you will be asked to sign in. With the approval from the teacher and/or staff, a Visitor Badge will be issued and you may proceed to the classroom or areas of responsibility.
This policy is strictly enforced and parents are asked to be respectful of this procedure.
St. Lawrence O'Toole adheres to the mandates of the
Safe Environment for Children Program of the Diocese of Oakland. Volunteers are screened according to the provisions of Megan’s Law; they are "LiveScan" fingerprinted and take the online training, VIRTUS. The Diocese of Oakland has requested that adults also present TB Skin Test or TB Risk Assessment clearances. Our school office documents completion of the aforementioned requirements. These must be completed and cleared by the Diocese and school office before volunteering in any capacity in the classrooms or school-sponsored programs and activities.
A Shared Responsibility
VIRTUS is dedicated to raising awareness of abuse and neglect, and providing resources to help protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. The Safe Environment for Children Project is mandated by the U.S. Conference of Bishops and our diocese to ensure a safe environment for our children. There are several components to the program.
- A curriculum component for grades TK-8 concerning child safety, with a special emphasis on child abuse and its prevention is taught in by the homeroom teachers. Material is provided to the teachers at each grade level by the Oakland Diocese.
- Another component is the mandatory training of all staff members, parents and volunteers each year. If a parent, guardian or volunteer does not complete the 3 components of the mandatory SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING, s/he will be unable to work in a classroom, volunteer, attend a field trip or fundraiser where children are present. There is also a component requiring that all parents and volunteers be screened through the Megan’s Law process. All staff members are fingerprinted as part of the hiring process.
Preventing & Reporting Child Abuse
In 1963, California enacted the first law in the United States requiring the mandatory reporting of child abuse. By 1967, all 50 states had similar laws. These laws seek to protect children by establishing a legal duty for individuals in certain occupations to report abuse - and imposing penalties for failing to make a report. These laws also authorize other adults to contact the authorities to report problems and establish the immunities and responsibilities of these "ethical" or "permissive" reporters.
Children at St. Lawrence O'Toole School and Parish, follow the provisions of VIRTUS. This entails taking a training course and providing a certificate of successful completion.
Click here to go directly to the VIRTUS website to begin your online training.