Safety, Security Assessments and Planning for Approved Private Schools for Students with Disabilities

##Comprehensive Assessments:

We conduct thorough safety and security assessments to evaluate the current state of an educational institution’s safety measures, identifying vulnerabilities and areas for improvement.

Risk Analysis

Our team performs risk assessments to identify potential threats, assess their likelihood, and determine the potential impact on the educational community.

Compliance Evaluation

– We ensure that APSSDs adhere to relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing safety and security in educational settings.

Emergency Preparedness

– Planning for emergencies is a continuous process. Many schools establish Emergency Operations Plans (EOP’s) or implement written response protocols to fulfill regulatory requirements or comply with laws. While this is critically important, far too many schools never revisit these plans to ensure that they are kept current and evolve with the ever-changing threat environment. A one-time plan results in out-of-date procedures and is of little use to those managing today’s crisis. As a result, those responsible for emergency response are figuring things out on the fly, without the benefit of comprehensive plans and relationships established during the planning process. Effective and useful EOP’s take significant time, effort, and collaboration. We help schools achieve their goals and objectives through mutual collaboration and effective plan development.

Emergency Response Plans

– We assist our school clients in the development of effective emergency response plans that include protocols for various crisis situations, such as natural disasters, intruders, and other emergencies.

Crisis Communication Plans

We assist our school clients in developing crisis communication plans to ensure timely and accurate dissemination of important information during emergency situations, thereby enhancing community safety.

Security Infrastructure Planning

Porzio’s Education team works with APSSDs to design and implement security infrastructure improvements, such as surveillance systems, access control, and visitor management.

Staff Training

– We provide training programs to educate staff, and students on safety and security protocols, creating a more vigilant and prepared educational community.

Crisis Management Training

– Our team offers crisis management training, ensuring that APSSDs can effectively respond to emergencies, mitigate risks, and protect their community.

Legal Compliance

– Our team ensures that APSSDs comply with relevant laws and regulations pertaining to safety and security, offering guidance on legal requirements.

Policy Development

– We assist APSSDs in developing and updating policies that align with best practices in safety and security, as well as legal requirements.

Please be advised that Porzio, Bromberg & Newman represent the South Brunswick School District and is an exceptional legal firm that has been instrumental in assisting our school district
with personnel matters, negotiations, and all contract work for the past 6 years.

Our experience with them has been nothing short of outstanding, and we are confident that they can provide the same level of expertise and service to your district. Porzio, Bromberg & Newman has consistently demonstrated their reliability and dedication to our school district. They are a firm that delivers on their promises and have shown a deep commitment to meeting our needs promptly and effectively. Whether it is a pressing matter that requires immediate attention or a long-term project, the team at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman has always been available to provide insightful guidance and support. Their insight and expertise in personnel matters have been invaluable to us.

Their legal team possess a deep understanding of the complexities of personnel issues in the education sector. They have successfully navigated us through challenging situations with their strategic advice and deep knowledge of employment law. Further, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman represented my former district, Millstone Township, in the successful defense of a significant send/receive matter.

I wholeheartedly recommend Porzio, Bromberg & Newman to assist your school district. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or require further information about our experiences with Porzio, Bromberg & Newman. I am more than happy to discuss in more detail.

I write about Porzio, Bromberg & Newman and your consideration of their provision of legal services.

At the outset, in my 50+ years in public education, I have never met a more professional and competent team of attorneys. I became a client for educational legal services during my first year in the Springfield Public Schools in 2004. I began our collaboration with Mr. Vito Gagliardi, a principal of the firm. From the beginning, I was aware of the skill and professionalism of the PB&N Law Firm.

During my 16+ years working with PB&N, I was always confident about legal, regulatory, or contractual situations. Mr. Gagliardi and his team offered clear and direct guidance, differentiated solutions, and support as necessary. Additionally, Mr. Gagliardi’s addition of complementary non-legal services to PB&N’s portfolio was helpful in fulfilling state requirements in a variety of other areas. Our success in dealing with contractual, legal, and regulatory issues was unprecedented. Should you wish more clarification, I am willing to discuss specifics to the extent I can, and I am reachable at mad415@aol.com or my cell phone at 973-224-0708.

In closing, despite the professionalism and expertise, this law firm is one of the most cordial and hospitable. Phone calls are returned, messages are delivered, and urgency is appreciated and responded to accordingly. I offer my unconditional recommendation of PB&N Law firm for your consideration.

I have partnered with many professionals during my career as School Business Administrator/Board Secretary in Springfield, Union County, and in particular the law firm of Porzio Bromberg and Newman (PBN). I am pleased to write this referral on their behalf.

During my tenure, PBN’s successes in the courtroom had directly impacted the district’s ability to offer cutting edge learning centers for our students. For example, the district
had the good fortune to prevail in suits pertaining to parental challenges of special education placement, which in turn frees-up local funds for our learning environments.

In addition to successes in special education, PBN was instrumental for construction issues including bid challenges, change order request, and contract language disputes.

Considering the amount of funds allocated for such projects, PBN had limited the Board’s exposure for such challenges. In one particular case, PBN negotiated with a contractor a fair settlement, which in reality was favorable for the Board and saved thousands of dollars.
PBN, was also instrumental in the district’s success at the bargaining table with the local education association union. As lead counsel for the Board, a settlement with the
education association union yielded below county compensation averages, contributions to healthcare premiums (which was a novelty at the time), additional teacher scheduled work time and givebacks on FMLA. 

It’s my opinion; PBN is the epitome of “Professionalism”. They work hard, with ethical and moral compass in place, to partner with its client allowing the district to keep the focus on student learning and engagement. 

It is also my opinion that the district benefited for many years having a partner of this magnitude by its side providing good quality guidance in the public-school legal arena.

In my tenure, I can’t think of another firm that could produce such gains for its client.