Staff Learn To Use Safety Kits At Central Regional

BERKELEY, NJ — Central Regional School District staff and teachers recently were trained on using safety kits so they can help students and others in case of an emergency.

Survival+ For Schools staff trained about 150 faculty and staff on the use of the wound kits at the district earlier this month.

The staff had already completed the first portion of the training online before taking the class on Oct. 18 in the school district. Training participants will receive their Certificates of Completion from the program developed by the American College of Surgeons in the next few weeks.

The special 45-minute training course was scheduled for small groups both at the high school and at the middle school. The wound kits and training are part of the district’s partnership with Survival+ For Schools, a not-for-profit.

Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder, who has made student and staff safety a top priority since starting in the district in January, said she wanted to train staff on how to use the 40 kits that have been purchased so far and placed throughout the district’s two schools. Her goal is to raise enough money to purchase a kit for every classroom and high traffic areas including gymnasiums and auditoriums, she said.

“My goal is to make sure that all of our faculty are properly trained on the use of the supplies in the kit in the event of an emergency,” she said. “I want to get as many of our staff trained as soon as possible.”

To raise the remaining $38,000 to purchase more kits, the district is asking parents and supporters to donate on a secure website page: https://www.centralreg.k12.nj.us/article/1559322

Survival+ For Schools Founder Stewart Krentzman said that first responder and a member of the Survival+ team, Robert Baran, Director of Emergency Services in Manchester, and his team donated their time to train the staff at Central Regional. All funds raised by Survival+ as part of the fundraiser will go directly to Central Regional for the safety kits.

“I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder for her unwavering determination to advance the program,” Krentzman said. “I also want to thank Bobby Baran and his team for generously volunteering their time on a Friday to conduct the training. We all hope they never have to use their new skills and kits, but they now have them just in case the unthinkable happens!”

So far, Make Our Schools Safe, founded by the family of Alyssa Alhadeff following her death in the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, donated $10,000 to purchase safety kits and Baran has offered to donate his time for the training.

The safety kits can be thrown across a hallway if needed.

For more information, visit the Survival+ for Schools website: https://survivalplusforschools.org/.