Campus Safety

Our campus safety office provides 24/7 coverage for all NMH buildings and grounds, with experienced uniformed campus safety officers on duty at all times. 

Safety officers, as well as health center staff, are equipped and trained in first aid, CPR, and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Safety officers respond to any other type of emergency and coordinate with local fire and police departments as necessary. 

NMH utilizes a campus alert system (Connect-Ed), a warning siren system, and video cameras at the entrance to campus. The school conducts shelter-in-place drills every year, as well as classroom and dorm fire drills each term. All student rooms are inspected each term by local fire officials and associate deans to ensure they adhere to state fire codes. 
 

Dorm safety

Each dorm is accessible only to faculty and staff and to the boarding students who live in and the day students who are affiliated with that dorm. 

Each dorm is supervised by a dorm head who is a faculty member who lives in the dorm. Typically, several faculty members live in each dorm. Faculty members, as well as student Resident Leaders, are on duty each night in every dorm and are available to students throughout the day. Many faculty and staff are trained in first aid and CPR. 

 

Campus visitors

All guests are required to check in with their NMH host or host office when they arrive on campus. Guests who are not family members are not permitted to interact with students unless they are accompanied by an NMH employee.

 

Faculty and staff

Every employee undergoes a Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and a federal fingerprint screening. Employees participate in annual boundary training that addresses the importance of a balance between being closely involved in the lives of students and maintaining appropriate levels of privacy and separation. Employees also participate every year in anti-discrimination, anti-sexual harassment, and gender inclusion and gender equity awareness training. New faculty members undergo training on student safety, security, and emotional well-being; concussion treatment; emergency response procedures; and basic CPR.

 

Mandated Reporting

The school is required by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 119, Section 51A, to report to the Massachusetts Department of Social Services any case in which there is reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18 is suffering from neglect or physical or emotional injury resulting from abuse inflicted upon them that causes harm or substantial risk of harm. All NMH adults, faculty and staff, are considered mandated reporters under Massachusetts law.