Safety and Security
Both the Sousa School and the Port Washington UFSD have taken a number of steps to increase safety and security over the past few years. Sousa has a full time Security Guard, Anthony Cangelosi, who has various assignments around the school including helping with arrival and dismissal procedures, checking to ensure all doors remain closed and locked during the school day, monitoring the activity and whereabouts of guests during meetings and school events, and keeping the school grounds and parking lots secure.
All adults must enter the Sousa Elementary School via the main entrance and sign in their name and destination within the school at the desk in the main lobby. Every adult must be registered the first time they enter the building by scanning a valid ID while they are in the building. Every adult guest must wear a school provided ID badge while the individual is in the building. Once the individual surrenders the ID badge and signs out, they must exit the building. Since all district employees also wear an ID, this allows anyone in the school to easily spot a person who does NOT have such an ID. For rare events with many guest attendees (such as concerts), procedures that involve other forms of registering and signing in will be clearly communicated upon entrance to the school. Please follow all written and verbal directions from Sousa staff members during those events.
All of the children at Sousa are required to practice a number of various safety routines and procedures throughout the year. These include bus safety drills, fire drills, and other emergency protocol drills such as lockdown, shelter in place, and/or evacuation drills. As you might expect, most of these drills are done without prior communication to either students, parents/guardians, or staff. If you feel that such drills might be disturbing to your child, please contact the child’s teacher or the school guidance counselor, Mrs. Biblowitz, or school psychologist, Dr. Koo.
Should you have questions, concerns, or suggestions for safety at Sousa, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. Sheehan.
Internet Safety
Here at Sousa, while we recognize the Internet as an excellent resource, we also recognize our responsibility to protect the safety of our students while in our care. Our goal is to partner with parents to assist them in doing the same.
Internet Safety is a part of our K-5 Curriculum. Although the building has wi-fi access, students will not be permitted to use the Internet for anything other than school related purposes. Additionally, there are filters in place to ensure your child’s safe usage of the Internet while on school premises. Any questions or concerns regarding your child’s Internet usage at school can be addressed directly with your child’s classroom teacher.
Today’s children look first to the Internet when seeking information. In past generations, school aged children researched their projects in a safe environment by going to libraries and working under the guidance of trained professional librarians. While the Internet can be an incredibly useful source of information and entertainment, it can also be an unsafe place unless our children are aware of possible dangers. We encourage you to talk to your children about Internet Safety issues and explain the importance of their actions when using the Internet.
The potential use of the Internet as a means of harassment and bullying is another issue our children are faced with today. In an amendment to the Dignity Act, effective July 1, 2013 (Chapter 102 Laws of 2012) Cyber Bullying is defined as harassment or bullying by any form of electronic communication, and includes incidents occurring off school property that create or would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment. As a parent, you play a critical role in the safety and protection of your children. Let your child know you support the Dignity Act and explain how it encompasses Cyber Bullying.
It is our common goal to maintain an ongoing dialogue with your children to ensure they understand the scope and power of the Internet in order to protect their safety. For additional information regarding DASA, Internet Safety, and Cyber Bullying, please visit the district website www.portnet.org along with the following web sites: