Safety measurements in Haryana schools

Memo No: 8/193-2017-PS(4) Dated: 15.09.2017
Subject: Regulations on School Safety
The school education department, government of Haryana has approved the Safety Regulations for all schools operating in the state. These Regulations as enclosed herewith are to be followed by all concerned in letter and spirit.
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HARYANA GOVERNMENT SCHOOL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
REGULATIONS ON SCHOOL SAFETY
Whereas a safe environment to work and study in schools is the utmost need for
a successful academic functioning of the schools to meet the objectives of
schooling in the State of Haryana.
Whereas in furtherance of Article 21 & 21-A of the Constitution of India whereby
the rights of life and liberty and education have been guaranteed to all school
going children, the State Government is committed to ensure safe conditions
within the premises of all the Government and Private schools in Haryana.
Since, children spend a large part of their day in schools and while travelling to
and from their schools hence, their safety during this time is exceedingly
important. Cases of abuse of children on the school premises, or even accidents,
come up from time to time that can be reasonably prevented if some standard
operating procedure is followed.
Whereas the safety issues are multi-faceted and multidimensional, so, while the
physical infrastructure needs to be robust and safe, the human interventions
and interactions are also required to be of qualitatively good standard. Timely
supervision, re-orientation, publicity on safety issues are also very relevant in
this regard.
Whereas, the State Government is empowered to regulate the affairs of all kinds
of schools operating in the state, and whereas the powers have been conferred
upon the Director, School Education Department under Section 21 of the
Haryana School Education Act, 1995 to give directions to the managing
committee requiring it to rectify the defects or deficiencies found at the time of
inspection or otherwise in the working of the school and under Rule-187 of
Haryana School Education Rules, 2003 to authorize any officer(s) for inspection
of all or any of the functions and activities of the recognized schools, and
whereas under Section 35 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education Act 2009, the appropriate Govt. has been authorized to issue
guidelines and give such directions, as it deems fit, to the local authority and to
the School Management Committee regarding implementation of the provisions
of the Act.
Therefore, invoking the provisions of Haryana School Education Act and the
Rules framed thereunder and RTE Act 2009, the Director, School Education
Department /appropriate Govt., being lawfully empowered, hereby, provides for
a mechanism to ensure safety of academic environment to all stakeholders
of all schools across the State.
1. Safety Committees
To ensure implementation of the regulations on safety norms and to
provide for a standing mechanism to have supportive supervision of the
schooling system, safety committees at three levels are constituted hereby.
One, at the district level, other at Sub division Level 86 third, at the school
level. The District Level Committee shall have a general superintendence
and control over the safety issues of the schools in their respective areas,
the sub division level committee shall keep a close eye to ensure that the
compliances are being made as per directions, whereas the school level
committees shall attend to the specific day to day problems with regard to
the safety concerns of the schools. The jurisdiction of these committees
shall be preventive as well as curative.
1.1. District School Safety Committee (DSSC)
Every district in the State shall have a district school safety
committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner of
the district. The other members of this committee shall be as under:
i) Superintendent of Police/representatives of CP, not below the
rank of DCP.
ii) Civil Surgeon
iii) Executive Officer/Joint Commissioner Municipality
iv) Executive Engineer (B&R)
v) Secretary RTA
vi) District Town Planner.
vii) Representative of private schools as nominated by the Deputy
Commissioner.
viii) Any other person the Deputy Commissioner may deem fit.
(Like Child psychologist, Member of CWC etc.)
ix) District Education Officer as member secretary.
x) District Elementary Education Officer as additional member
secretary.
This committee shall take steps to get the schools inspected at regular
intervals, through Sub division level committees or may inspect itself
taking suo moto cognizance of any incident, for ensuring adherence to the
regulations on safety norms. Further, this committee will act as an
appellate authority against the decision of any lower level committees. The
committee shall periodically carry out awareness campaign amongst the
students, teachers and prepare publicity material, if need be, for
maintaining safe standards in the schools and prevention of any untoward
incident relating to schools. All actions, directions, orders of this
committee shall be counted as lawful for enforcement by one and all
concerned.
1.2. Committee at Sub-Divisional Level
There shall be a School safety committee at sub-Divisional level
under the Chairmanship of Sub-Divisional Magistrate having
following members:
i) Deputy Superintendent of Police/ACP.
ii) Block Development 86 Panchayat Officer.
iii) Block Education Officer.
iv) Representative of RTA
v) Representative of Private Schools Association to be nominated
by SDM.
vi) Representative of Parents Association.
vii) Any other person the SDM may deem fit.
This committee shall ensure timely inspections and monitoring of
the safety apparatus concerning schools. It can give directions to
the schools/ school level committee for implementation of all steps
needed to secure the smooth functioning of educational institutions.
Any public person, noticing any lapse in the security system of any
school, shall be authorized to bring it to the notice of the school as
well as the SDM concerned. The SDM shall immediately get the
complaint examined and issue necessary directions for rectification
of the lapse, if any, found in the security of the school. Every school
shall be bound to display the names and telephone, including
mobile numbers of the SDM, DEO, BEO and SHO on a place
prominently accessible and visible to the general public.All actions,
directions, orders of this committee shall be counted as lawful for
enforcement by one and all concerned.

1.3. School safety committee
Every school shall constitute a school safety committee under the
chairmanship of the principal having other members as under:
i) Teacher of physical education
ii) Coordinator of the school
iii) Security In-charge of the school (nodal officer to have liaison
with different offices of the district administration)
This will be mainly responsible for execution and obedience of the
safety regulations and directions contained herein as well as those
received from higher level authorities.
Functions
a. To prepare Child Protection Document specific to school
environment and circumstances
b. To prepare a Movement Plan - As to which areas will be sanitized
for children only movement.
c. To prepare a Communication Plan.
d. To prepare Crisis Management Plan complete with evacuation
plan, capability mapping etc.
e. To appoint Safety/Vigilance Officer, Health officer etc.
f. Training calendar - for various type of capacity building of staff
in students and counselling sessions.
2. Safety Issues
A threat to safety can originate from any quarter. Therefore, we have to be
vigilant on all these. There are many well-known risk patterns, yet, at the
same time, many modern and complex situations have also started
coming up which cast a shadow on the safe development of the academic
environment of the educational institutions. To have a healthy
atmosphere in the schools, we have to attend to all of these aspects of
safety.
2.1.Journey to and from Schools (Transportation)
For this purpose, the role of the staff manning the transport
facilities, the vehicles etc. assumes pointed importance as listed
below:

2.1.1. School Bus
i) Buses should be painted yellow and have the words 'School
Bus', name of school and route number displayed
prominently.
ii) Buses should not have curtains or dark films. They should
have internal white lighting and activities in the bus should
be visible from the outside.
iii) Buses should have a valid certificate of fitness, pollution and
insurance certificate.
iv) Buses should have horizontal grills on the windows.
v) Buses should have a first-aid box.
vi) Buses should have a fire extinguisher.
vii) Buses should have working speed-governors and should not
be driven at a speed of over 30 kmph.
viii) Buses should not carry more than the specified number of
children permissible as per capacity and permit.
ix) Buses should have a qualified driver and conductor.
x) Bus drivers should possess a valid driving license with
minimum 5 years' experience of driving a heavy vehicle.
xi) The driver should have no previous record of any traffic
offences or challans.
xii) The driver must be reminded to strictly follow all traffic rules
and use safe driving habits; specifically he must never use
mobiles while driving.
xiii) The school bus shall have painted on it valid telephone
numbers and e-mail ids of the bus-in-charge as well as the
school principal/Admin head for feedback in case of improper
driving; it should be updated in case of change of number.
This information must be displayed even if the bus is a
contract bus and it is the responsibility of the Bus-in-charge
to ensure this is complied with.
xiv) The School Bus-in-charge must ensure that the bus is being
driven only by the authorized driver at all times on the route
viewing of bus CCTV footage.
(1211)

xv) The School Bus-in-charge should ensure that all drive.rs
attend a refresher training session every 6 months.
xvi) Due action must be taken against any driver/conductor
where warranted, which may include removal of the driver
from services if it is a case of dangerous driving.
xvii) The person who made the complaint must be informed of the
action taken based on the complaint within 3 days.
xviii) These complaints must be reviewed by the Administrator of
the school as soon as possible.
xix) In case there is a request during school hours to pick up a
child (who normally uses the bus) due to an emergency, such
exit should not be permitted if the person is not the
parent/guardian him/herself, even if they are carrying the
identity card, until and unless this has been specifically
verified with the parent. Especially if the person is a
driver/maid or any other relative, such pick-up may be
permitted only once the school has verified this with the
parent.
xx) Children reaching school by bus should have a safe passage
from the bus to the school premises. Ideally, the bus should
stop within the boundary wall of the premises. If access
makes this impossible, then there must be school guards
present to ensure safe passage of children from bus drop
point to school gate and every single bus has been emptied
and no child has remained in a bus, before the buses move to
park or leave the premises as may be the case.
xxi) At dispersal time, children of classes KG to 2 must be
accompanied to the school bus in a group by a designated
representative.
xxii) Every bus should have one female teacher and one female
helper/ didi present on the route. Therefore presence of an
adult female is essential before the first student boards the
bus at the start of the journey and also till the last student
gets off at the end of the journey.

xxiii) Attendance of all children on that route must be taken by the
teacher in charge of the bus at the start of the journey and at
departure time.
xxiv) In case a child who usually travels by bus is being picked up
by the parent for some reason, this should be done only after
due procedure of request for special departure from parent to
the Class teacher, and a specific gate pass signed by the Busin-
charge. This gate pass is required to be given at the gate
when the parent leaves with the child (if in Class 5 or below)
or by the child him/herself (if in Class 6 and above).
xxv) Routing should be accordingly planned so that the first and
last child is not a female.
xxvi) Routing of the bus should be planned so that children are
dropped as close as possible to their residence.
xxvii) The bus driver should ensure that the doors of the bus are
closed before he begins moving, children are seated and that
no child is directly in front of the doors even when closed.
Conductor/helper should also ensure that there is no
hindrance in passageways and all emergency exits are clear.
xxviii) When children, especially those in Class 5 and below, get off
at their bus-stop at/near their homes, it is imperative that
they are not left alone on the road but must be handed over
only to the parent/maid or authorized representative upon
showing the identify card in their custody.
xxix) Once all children are dropped at their stoppage, the female
teacher or female attendant, who is the last to get off, must
report to the Bus-in-charge confirming that the route is
completed and all children safely dropped off.
xxx) The Bus-in-charge will routinely monitor that all routes are
being adhered to or by frequent monitoring of GPS tracking,
as the case may be.
xxxi) The location of the stop should also be such that
inconvenience to smooth flow of other traffic is minimized -
i.e. it should not stop in front of a gate or bus-stop or block a
turning, as more cars/buses crowd also increases safety risk
for children besides creating inconvenience to others.

Secondary Education
xxxii) If however the location is such that it is not possible to stop
without blocking other vehicles, then under such
circumstances, a clear priority shall be given to the
bus/vehicle that is loading/unloading school children, while
other vehicles may wait their turn to enter/exit/cross the
access point till the children are safely out of the way. The
conductor with his whistle will play the manual role of
ensuring other vehicles wait (which could also be performed
by flashing lights or movable yellow arrows fitted on the bus
if this more advanced signaling is feasible).
xxxiii) Whenever any vehicle is reversed then another staff/ helper
should ensure that no child is in the vicinity of such activity.
2.1.2. Journey not by School Bus
i) Children from Class 5 or below should not be allowed to leave
the school premises on their own but must be picked up from
the designated spot within the premises by the
parent/authorized representative after showing the parent's
identity card.
ii) In case the parent who usually picks up the child cannot
come to pick up their wards at the last minute for some
reason, they must compulsorily inform the school teacher
concerned (or the Admin in charge) through SMS or phone, if
not informed already in writing through the child by a note or
diary where this was known in advance. They may then
authorize someone else to pick up their child who must carry
the identity card.
iii) In case there is a request during school hours to pick up a
child due to an emergency, such exit should not be permitted
if the person is not the parent/guardian him/herself, even if
they are carrying the identity card, until and unless this has
been specifically verified with the parent. Especially if the
person is a driver/maid or any other relative, such pick-up
may be permitted only once the school has verified this'with
the parent.
iv) School guards at dispersal area should not leave till pick-up
of the last student to prevent any single case of a child waiting
alone on a public road.

v) School guards should be trained at alertness to watch for any
undesirable characters who may be loitering in the area,
particularly faces seen frequently even if they have no reason
to be present. It is the school's responsibility to bring this to
the attention of local police station, who will liaise with the
concerned authorities to rectify this.
vi) In case of students travelling by private vans hired directly by
parents, the concerned parents may contact Traffic Police
directly in case they are concerned about any violation by
these private vehicles which may risk safety of the children.
3. Safe School Campus
A student spends a large part of his day in the schools. Various kinds of
activities like academics, sports, extra-curricular activities, functions etc.
are participated in by him. The atmosphere in and around all these
activities is required to be conducive and safe.
3.1. General Discipline
i) Entry/ exit of all persons in the school should be logged clearly
with their in and out times specified, so that at any point,
there is a clear record of both insiders and outsiders present
on the premises. There should be only one entry/ exit point to
the premises.
ii) Daily attendance of students will be recorded through the
class teachers at the beginning of each day and after lunch
break must be ensured.
iii) A separate register should be maintained for visitors or
parents, including the name of the visitor, address, telephone
no., purpose and person being met, in and out time,
signature.
iv) The identity cards should have a photograph of the child with
name, class 85 section, blood group, names and mobile
numbers of parents. If the child uses a bus, bus route number
should also be indicated.
v) Identity cards must be worn by all children, irrespective of
whether they travel by school bus or some other shared
transport or cycle or walk to school, or whether they are being
dropped and picked up by the parents/ other arrangement.

vi) The identity cards must be issued to all the staff members
(Teaching 8s Non-teaching) and to be worn mandatorily during
their duty hours.
vii) Walls around the school must be high enough to prevent any
scaling; schools with lower walls must raise height of wall.
Access to areas like bus area, gym, swimming pools, sports
rooms/ fields, canteen, toilets, parking lots, terrace etc.
should be confined to persons whose presence in the area is
required, and are therefore specifically authorized to have
access to these areas.
viii) Parents or other visitors may not have free access across
premises during school hours, and if their entry is
necessitated (for children with special needs), they must be
accompanied so that their access is limited and monitored.
ix) Likewise, students too should not have free access to wander
around premises during school timings, and should be made
to understand which areas are out of bounds and at what
times it is permitted for them to be in specific areas.
x) Every classroom must have open windows that permit viewing
into the classroom.
xi) There should be separate toilets for girls and boys, for
teachers, and for support staff. The Support staff in particular
should not be allowed to use toilets meant for children, even
if they are assisting in this section.
xii) Staff managing toilets should only be female. No male staff
should be present on school premises in support roles like
toilet cleaners/ attendants.
xiii) Special care and extreme caution are required in swimming
pool areas; strict supervision at all times is a must to prevent
any case of drowning; at no time must any child be left
unattended in or in the vicinity of the swimming pool.
xiv) In case children have to stay back for after school activities,
there should be a reliable authorized adult in charge,
preferably a permanent teacher who takes responsibility to
ensure safety of children till the final dispersal.

xv) Absence of students: It is recommended that the school puts
in place a system to ensure absence of a child from school is
noted early in the day which makes it easier in case of
accident/kidnapping. If a child is not attending school, the
parents must inform the teacher by email or sms not later
than 10 minutes after the official start of school.
xvi) No entry of plumbers, electricians, carpenters, labourers, etc.
is to be permitted on premises during school hours even if a
new wing is being constructed, unless it is to attend to an
emergency, in which case the person must be accompanied
by a school admin. All children must be taught in open
classrooms, the doors of which should not be locked under
any circumstances.
3.2.CCTV Cameras
The school must have adequate CCTV coverage. Cameras must cover
all critical areas of the premises. Areas for specific attention are as
indicated:
i) entry and exit points of the school (in case there is a side
entrance, this too must have a CCTV camera)
ii) all corridors and staircases
iii) library, infirmary, auditorium
iv) inside elevators
v) dining halls, sports rooms, computer labs
vi) entrance to classrooms
vii) entrance to toilets
viii) sports fields, swimming pools
ix) areas where buses assemble
x) entry and exit point of premises
xi) any point on the outer perimeter/wall which is vulnerable,
and which could show footage of persons attempting to gain
entry to the premises, especially covering persons outside the
main entrance.
xii) The cameras must have point, tilt and zoom capability and
the recording capacity of the footage should be at least 45

days and the record must be kept for a minimum period of
two years.
All private schools shall immediately arrange for the installation
of CCTV cameras at sensitive places. The Government schools
shall raise the demand for budget after doing a survey of
sensitive locations of the schools.
3.3.Neighboring Premises
i) Unauthorized vendors, carts, shops and other establishments
in the immediate area and boundary of schools must be
removed.
ii) Authorized vendors should possess a license which is endorsed
by the local police station.
iii) Schools may report any such cases to the local police station
to get assistance in this regard.
4. Fire Safety
i) Fire Extinguishers of ISI mark of adequate capacity and numbers
should be provided in eye-catching spots in the school building. Fire
Extinguishers are to be installed in all Government, Private aided and
un-aided schools immediately. In Government Schools, fire
extinguishers will be purchased from funds available in the school
itself i.e. Child Welfare Fund / Health Fund /Building Fund etc. Till
the time such fire extinguishers are purchased and installed,
sufficient number of metal buckets filled with sand and water will be
immediately installed in eye-catching spots of the school building.
ii) First Aid Kits will be kept in schools to meet out any eventuality.
iii) Emergency telephone numbers and list of persons to be contacted in
case of any eventuality shall be displayed on the notice board and
other prominent places in the school premises.
iv) Mock drills will be conducted regularly. Wherever possible fire alarm
may be provided in those schools which have large infrastructure and
science laboratories.
v) All electrical wiring and equipment will be got inspected and if found
defective will be replaced with ISI mark equipments.
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Secondary Education
vi) No High Tension Lines should run inside or over the premises of a
school. Such lines, if exists, should be immediately shifted by
bringing the matter to the notice of the District Education Committee.
5. Awareness and Publicity
It is important to create an awareness among all sections of personnel
associated with a school, namely Children, Staff (teaching/non-teaching)
and Parents about the risks involved with regard to child safety and simple
preventive measures that can be taken to reduce these risks.
5.1. Children
The school must take steps in generating awareness among the students
directly on the following important issues.
i) Creating awareness of bullying, other forms of physical or sexual
abuse: Most children may not be aware of the dangers they are
exposed to, a result of two factors - their innocent minds and their
trusting personalities. While care must be taken not to instill such
terror in them that they are fearful of simple day-to-day living, it is
essential to give them enough of an idea of some evils that do lurk
and what they can do to prevent them. Bullying as a concept is
easily understood and far easier for the school to put inputs in
place, as part of its Anti-bullying policy.
5.2.General Awareness and Counselling
The counselling studies have stressed on the importance of inculcation of
the following concepts in the minds of the innocent children.
5.2.1.Good touch, Bad touch - a child, even as young as 2 or 3 must
be told about the difference between good touch and bad touch
(also explained as safe and unsafe touch), and specific parts of
the body which should not be touched or circumstances which
makes these exceptions okay (specifically only mother giving
bath, doctor examining in presence of parent, etc). The child
must understand that if the touch makes him/ her
uncomfortable, s/he must report it, and must be encouraged to
report feeling uncomfortable from a very early age.
5.2.2.Stranger safety- children from a small age, even as young as
two, must be trained to be careful of strangers and never talk to
strangers, but most importantly, never go anywhere with a
stranger. Children must be given specific examples that they

must never go with a stranger even if they are told that the
mother/ father asked him to pick them up because of xyz reason.
Also that all strangers may not grab them, but some may entice
them with sweets/ice-cream and they should not fall into this
trap.
5.2.3.Yell, Run & Tell - this simple mantra must be taught to every
child. It explains what to do if someone touches you or comes
close to touch you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or
scared. First step - yell loudly (this has the dual purpose of
attracting attention of anyone nearby as well as giving the
perpetrator the clear message that s/he cannot get away with
this and must stop immediately). Second step - run as fast as
you can, to put maximum distance between you and the
perpetrator. Third step - Tell - be sure to talk to your
teacher/friend/parents about this so that action can be taken.
5.2.4.Awful acquaintances: Children should also be made aware that
it is not only strangers who may cross the line with bad touch,
but it is often known persons as well who could do this, after
making them promise to keep the secret. They must be
encouraged to share this immediately with a trusted adult.
5.2.5.Internet hazards and importance of not disclosing personal
details to internet strangers, who could in fact be predators living
in the area and using a false identity; encouraging them to share
with parents any such contacts they are uncomfortable with so
that the parent can guide them make sensible decisions.
Children are require to be sensitized against
internet/ cyberbullying/ abuse on facebook/ twitter/ youtube
etc., by circulation of undesirable/objectionable material by
school children or staff involving school children. Also, against
misuse of electronic/telephonic media at schools leading to
obscene emails/ texts /videos/ etc. during or after school hours
by students or staff involving school children3
5.2.6.Elimination of suppression- Many children believe that it is
better to remain silent rather than report an offence to
themselves or others, for the following reasons:
They believe they may get into trouble or get a scolding if they report,
hence they prefer to remain silent. They may see threat that, if they

tell, they will be killed/harmed or are blackmailed into silence by some
other threat. A lot of children know instinctively that, when someone
tries to abuse them physically, something is wrong. To their innocent
minds however, it is not clear who the wrongdoer is. They are not clear
that the problem is not with them but with the other person, so
mistakenly assume they may be part of the problem and therefore
remain silent.
5.3. Road Safety
A basic sense of road safety must be taught to children as early as possible
in the classroom. Inputs would be age-appropriate, namely: for very small
children, inputs must include
i) never to walk on a road without an adult
ii) when walking with an adult, always to walk on the inner side of
the road, not on the side of the traffic
iii) wherever possible, use the pavement
iv) never run across a road; while crossing, walking is better so
oncoming vehicles find it easier to predict your path
v) how to cross a road - look right, then left, then right again (many
adults themselves do not follow the second two steps, and
therefore the child being aware of this is a good way for a child
to take responsibility and remind the adult)
vi) Always use seat-belts; never stand in front seat of a car.
Apart from the above, and especially for older children, basics
of pedestrian safety must be explained including:
vii) always be alert when walking on a road that you are not in the
path of any oncoming traffic
viii) never use headphones or mobiles while walking/cycling on the
road; focus completely on traffic and your own safety
ix) never walk behind a vehicle or bus that is reversing; preferably
wait till it has stopped moving or cross from the front of the
vehicle rather than behind it
x) If you must move between cars parked on the road, make sure
you walk on the inner side rather than the outer side of the
parked cars, to reduce proximity to moving vehicles.

xi) For children who may cycle or walk to school, basic road
precautions must also be explained, including right of way,
hand signals, etc.
xii) All children must be taught basic traffic rules, so they can
influence the adults who drive them, and also imbibe this
discipline for when they begin driving. They must specifically
learn to never jump red lights and respect signals, use seatbelts/
helmets, never over-speed or drive the wrong way, while
using phones or after drinking alcohol.
xiii) Dangers of underage driving - The school must impress upon
older students the dangers of underage driving and driving
without a license, either by motorbikes, cars etc. They should
be made aware that this is a clear offence and of their
responsibilities to abide by these rules from a safety perspective.
The school should also make them aware of preventive
measures in place to ensure there is no underage driving.
xiv) any student older than 18 must be made to understand the
critical importance of helmets/ seatbelts, strict adherence to
speed limits, traffic signals, etc. to prevent fatalities common
among youngsters.
5.4. Self-Defence
Many children, especially those of smaller build or girls, tend to feel far
more confident if they have exposure to some form of self-defence. It is
therefore recommended that the school organize self-defence classes for
children of all classes as part of its curriculum and ensure every child is
aware of some basic form of self-defence.
5.5. Legal Literacy
Legal literacy clubs are to be formed in every school through which
students must be made aware of their legal rights and duties under the
Constitution of India. Relevant aspects of the school safety policy, the
POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act, and other provisions of law that cover
crimes against women and children, and road safety provisions of the
Motor Vehicles Act must be discussed with students to make them aware
and alert about the subject of safety, their responsibilities to adhere to the
provisions on rights/penalties, if any.

5.6. Teachers
Teachers are the most important human resource whose positive
interventions in generations and maintenance of a safe and conducive
academic environment work wonders. The right attitude and owning up
the responsibility for smooth functioning of the school can play valuable
role.
5.6.1. Understanding Responsibilities
Every teacher must be made aware of responsibilities as protector of
children in his/her custody, and carry out the same with diligence.
Teachers are particularly well-placed to observe and monitor children for
signs of abuse, to recognize and respond to such abuse. They are the main
caregivers to children outside the family and have close contact with
children on a regular basis and accordingly can play a key role to
prevent/detect abuse. Some aspects to ensure this:
5.6.2. Responsibilities
Apart from responsibilities relating to education and imparting knowledge
and skills to children, every teacher has additional responsibilities as
care-giver to the child, specifically:
i) To ensure that the child comes to no harm, especially during the time
the children are assigned to him/her
ii) To assist the child in developing self-esteem, confidence, independence
of thought and the necessary skills to cope with possible threats to
their personal safety, both within and outside the school
iii) To encourage a climate of open communication with children so that
information about abuse/violence with any child does not remain
`secret' till too late, but problems are reported early and can get nipped
in the bud. Students are more likely to turn to trusted adults for help
in resolving problem in a climate of safety, and the teacher must make
children feel safe in their interactions with him/her.
iv) To report any aspects that are at risk with regard to arrangements that
should have been in place to protect the child from any danger or harm,
so that any lapse could be immediately rectified, thereby preventing the
dangers from happening/recurring
v) To report any untoward incident that may come to their attention either
directly or indirectly

5.6.3. Punishing Child
While it is the role of a teacher to make the child understand the need for
discipline and accordingly face consequences for lapses, care must be
taken that such consequences do not cross the line by way of being very
harsh punishments that are damaging to the physical or mental health of
the child. Accordingly, teachers must clearly be made to understand
which disciplinary techniques are permissible and which are not.
5.6.4. Violence
Pulling the child's hair, or physical hitting, punching, throwing a book or
chalk at the child or hurting him/her in any way must strictly be avoided.
5.6.5. Humiliation in other forms is also to be strictly avoided
i) Denying the child food or water or toilet facilities
ii) Forcing the child to stand in the sun
iii) Removal of any item of clothing of the child and forcing them to stand
in front of the class
6. Parents
Parents are the most compassionate stakeholders of the school system.
Their concerns and feedback are valuable for maintaining discipline and
safety on the school campuses.
i) Understanding of important roles: While it is difficult for the school to
be responsible for the way parents behave, it is possible for the school
management to communicate clear expectations to parents on policy
matters relating to child safety, with the objective that parents and the
school can jointly facilitate safety of children by partnering to convey
the same messages to the child so there is no confusion in the child's
mind. This could be communicated through a circular but is far better
addressed through a session conducted specifically for parents by the
School Counsellor for a couple of hours. Communication should
include:
ii) Responsibility of adherence to school systems/policies: Clear
guidelines to parents on rules for entry/exit/identity cards/pickup/
absentee intimation, etc. which parents must comply with.
iii) Parents could use the opportunity of discussing with their children
incidents reported in newspapers from time to time in an open manner,
with a view to making children comfortable to bring up such topic in

discussions (e.g. case of little girl molested by guard incondominium
lift). The focus of these discussions should be what constitutes bad
touch, what could have prevented such a situation, what would you do
in such a situation, etc...
7. School Counsellor
i) In a school with girls, the School Counsellor must necessarily be a
female.
ii) The role of the Counsellor will be to prevent any problems from
happening by advising the school management on specific
interventions required and a close rapport with the children, and
addressing problems if and when they do occur.
iii) The Counsellor will handle any problem cases among children, be it
simple problems of coping which create a sense of being unsafe, cases
of bullying to cases of physical or sexual abuse.
iv) The Counsellor must attempt to have a close rapport with children,
and be seen as approachable, yet discreet; people should feel
comfortable to approach him/ her with problems such as a girl being
stalked, or a boy falling into bad company and wishing to get out but
needing help.
v) The Counsellor should visit each class at least once a term - even if
for just half an hour, to connect with children, where appropriate
discussions can take place, but more importantly, there is interaction
between child and counsellor so that a rapport can be built.
vi) The Counsellor should interact closely with class teachers to be
updated on any particular children who are facing problems, so that
the counsellor can then build a direct rapport with such children.
vii) In case of any suspicion that a child is a possible case of abuse, the
matter must immediately be brought to the attention of the
Counsellor who will handle the child, and involve parents and senior
management in a discreet manner.
viii) In the absence of an appointed school Counsellor, the School
Principal shall directly connect with a qualified counsellor who can
be consulted in case of extreme problems.

8. Helpline
Every school shall have a Helpline number clearly displayed on Noticeboards
and telephone lists, so that any child could approach this helpline
confidentially in case of a problem. The helpline should ideally be a
dedicated easy-to-remember number, but could also be an intercom
number or the number of the Counsellor who will handle calls discreetly.
In addition, children must be made aware to dial the Police Control
Room(PCR) 100 in case of emergency. The Child Helpline 1098 must be
publicized through notices as well.
8.1. Safety of Informers
To maintain confidentiality of the complainant or person giving feedback
in case of abuse or suspected abuse or any other feedback, anonymity
shall be guaranteed. Accordingly, all anonymous complaints/feedback
will also be accepted and acted upon by the School Safety Committee,
whether received through any of the above means or by fax, telephone,
mobile text message, WhatsApp, letter or any other means of
communication.
8.2. Frequency of Meetings
i) The district level committee shall meet once in every three month or
earlier, if need be.
ii) The Sub-Divisional level committee shall meet every month or earlier,
if need be.
iii) The School Safety Committee(SSC) shall review the security apparatus
of the school every week.
.In case of any case of abuse, the SSC will meet immediately upon such a
case coming up, and have relevant follow-up meetings to ensure the case
is treated as closed in all respects. This includes punitive measures as
appropriate to the abuser in question, assistance to the child and family
by way of counselling, updating of personal records to reflect the
misdemeanor of the person.
9. Dealing with feedback/complaint
Any case of physical abuse or bullying: this must be dealt with, or
escalated if there is injury of a severe nature while ensuring the following
critical procedures:

i) Immediate actions: this must be immediately brought to the attention
of the School Counsellor, Principal, parents of the child and
appropriate remedial action taken to ensure the child is protected and
the abuser/ bully is penalized and cautioned with strict warning or
more serious punishment if warranted.
ii) Confidentiality: the name of the victimized child must be kept
confidential, except from those specific teachers/counsellors who may
need to be aware so they can provide the necessary support. Likewise,
the name of any other child/ children who helped in passing the
feedback to the management must also remain confidential; this is to
ensure that they are not victimized by any other affected parties in the
system nor become the focus of unwanted attention.
iii) Medical attention: depending on the extent of injury, the school must
provide immediate first aid, and bring in a qualified medical
practitioner if warranted, and if the extent of injury is serious, then it
is the responsibility of the school management to rush the child to the
nearest medical facility, while informing the parents of the extent of the
crisis.
iv) Transparency: Schools found withholding facts of how the stage of
injury /condition was reached from the parents (e.g. child fainting after
being slapped by teacher or made to stand in the sun without water as
punishment) are liable for penal action, and a criminal arrest can be
issued against the person responsible for the abuse as per the relevant
law in place.
v) Expert assistance: Depending on the severity of the case, an expert
counsellor to assist parents/family may be brought in to guide the
child/family on how to cope with the situation. The School Counsellor
should play a key role. In the absence of the School Counsellor for any
reason, assistance from a trained Counsellor must be taken
immediately.
vi) Mandatory Reporting: Immediate intimation to the local police station
about the incident is also mandatory, especially if it involves serious
injury to the child, or use of weapons such as knives, guns to ensure
that suitable arrests can be made as applicable, and as a deterrent for
future cases.
vii)Time frame for action: the school must initiate investigations within
the first 24 hours, whether or not it is a working day if it is severe case
where there is injury to the child requiring medical attention; if it is a

routine case, then investigations must begin by the first working day.
An enquiry will be conducted by a team constituted by the school, with
minimum 3 members of the SCC. The report must be submitted within
2 days. Punitive action must be taken against any person found guilty
within 7 days of the incident, and personal records updated
accordingly.
10. Special Attention for Children with Special Need
Children with special needs are at far higher risk of abuse, particularly
sexual abuse, because they are seen as soft targets for the following
reasons:
i) They are often not aware that they are victims of abuse because of
limited sense of danger, and a limited understanding of sexuality or
sexual behavior:
ii) lack of mobility
iii) high reliance on adults for many of their needs
iv) having a variety of caregivers and care settings
v) need for intimate care such as washing and toileting
vi) Even if they are aware, they are less likely to report this because of
poor communication skills/ limited verbal ability
vii) Fear of not being believed as they often suffer from poor selfconfidence,
low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, powerlessness and
limited assertiveness.
Accordingly, special steps must be taken in case a school has any special
needs students. The steps outlined below must also be strictly followed
by any school for children with special needs, be it an integrated or
exclusive school, including Child Development Centers, standalone
Children Clinics, Learning Therapy Centers, Play Centers, Crèches, Early
Intervention Centers, Assisted Living Homes, NGOs run exclusively for
children with special needs in all categories of visual impairment,
physical disability, cognitive-learning difficulties, speech impairment,
hearing impairment, emotional and behavioral difficulties. These may be
run by trained or semi-trained professionals or experts conducting
therapy sessions with children for physical/ cognitive/ soft skill
development. Regular schools that may admit students with special
needs would also be bound by guidelines of this section.
11. Training of Staff

i) Periodic sensitization and awareness campaigns/ seminars/talks on
disabilities and special needs of children must be conducted for the
entire school staff including administrative staff, support staff, etc.
ii) It must be clearly communicated in no uncertain terms to support staff
that no form of abuse will be tolerated while they are interacting with
children, nor should they cross the thin line in handling children by
demonstrating any behavior that is inappropriate. They are also
required to report any incidence of abuse they may see while doing
their jobs, including inappropriate touching by older children of
vulnerable special-needs children, which must immediately be
reported and addressed by the SSC.
iii) The State Council of Educational Research 86 Training (SCERT) will redesign
the curriculum of in-service training for teachers so as to
include inputs on Safety Measures for preventing and tackling
outbreak of fire and other similar calamities.
iv) The District Institutes of Education 86 Training (DIETs) will also
likewise take steps to appropriately modify their curriculum for preservice
86 in-service training for teachers.
12. Interface with Police
Reporting cases of abuse or serious injury: In the event of any case of
abuse or physical injury to a child reported on the school premises, it is
mandatory to immediately bring the same to the attention of the local
police station. The police shall give top priority to every call from all
schools.
13. Failure to comply with directions
If the managing committee fails to comply with the directions given under
rule 189 the Director may, after considering the explanation or report, if
any, given or made by the managing committee, take such action as he
may deem fit, including:-
(a) Stoppage of aid (in case of aided schools)
(b) Withdrawal of recognition: or
(c) Taking over the managing committee of the private school.
(d) Initiating criminal action for disobedience of an order lawfully
promulgated by a public servant under the relevant Sections of Indian
-Penal Code.



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