School Emergency Action Plan
A comprehensive school action plan, put in place in the event of a school emergency, is reviewed and updated annually. School personnel receive training from experts from the County Office of Emergency Management on how to respond to emergency situations. Additionally, practice drills are conducted by the staff and students. Should an emergency occur, parents are asked to check the PPO website.

Bergen County Police Partnership
A detective from Bergen County Police Department is assigned to the Academy as a School Resource Officer. The Bergen County Detective occupies an office in the Common Area. He assists faculty in all aspects of school security. In addition to this partnership, faculty administration at the Academy work closely with adjunct officers/services of the Bergen County Police Department.

Security Personnel
Two security personnel, under the auspices of the Bergen County Police Department, are assigned to the Hackensack campus. Coverage is enhanced with a new state of the art security video system.

Classroom Drills/Lab Alarms
Nearly every classroom/technology suite and science lab is alarmed for security purposes. Alarm codes are changed periodically to allow for heightened security.

Emergency Early Dismissal
On some occasions throughout the school year, students are dismissed early, most often because of inclement weather. The dismissal is organized and systematic. Students are dismissed, per bus route, from the auditorium. In the case of an emergency closing, all buses are directed to the lower lot and are called up one-by-one to the auditorium entrance where students board. Note: Often times, students call parents to pick them up. Although this practice is not discouraged on early dismissal days, parents are obligated to sign their child/children out in the main office, Room 100. In the case of a parent picking up someone else's child from school, said child's parental approval is required. No student is allowed to meet their parents in the parking lot. Your cooperation in understanding this procedure and abiding by its dictates is greatly appreciated.

Emergency Early Dismissal Days :

• The Superintendent will determine whether to close school.
• The administration will notify the PPO regarding early dismissal.
• The PPO will post details of the early dismissal on their website www.academyppo.com
• The PPO will send an "email blast" to all parents who have provided an email address to the PPO.
• All bus companies will be notified regarding early dismissal.
• Seniors who drive will be allowed to sign out early to allow them extra driving time.
• All students will report to the auditorium to prepare for dismissal.
• As buses arrive, students will depart the campus.

Medical Services
A full-time nurse is on staff during regular school hours. If a student does not feel well during the school day, he or she must receive a release form from the school nurse to go home. Parents must come into the building to pick their child up and officially sign him/ her out of school. Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds without following the aforementioned procedure.

Dispensing of Medicine
If a student is required to take medication during the school day, parents notify the school nurse. Students do not carry medication on their person. The nurse will assure that medications are administered appropriately. It is the students' responsibility to go to the nurse's office during the timeframe that the medication should be dispensed.

If you need to contact your child during the day:
Please call Mrs. Pat Loughlin at ext. 2243 or Mrs. Maria Stone at ext. 2241, with the message you wish to have relayed to your child. Only in emergency cases is the school's public address system used. Because many students have free periods when they are not assigned to a class, it is often difficult to get a message to them. Every effort is made to accommodate these requests. We ask that the parents understand the difficult task of locating a student if he/she is free or not present in an assigned class, project, or club.

Early Dismissal & Snow Emergency Days

Snow Emergency Days - No School

• The Superintendent will determine whether to cancel school.
• A school closing announcement for the "Bergen County Technical Schools"  will be broadcast on the following stations:
  • 1010 WINS - AM radio
  • 1160 WVNJ - AM radio
  • News 12 New Jersey - Cable Television
  • 201-343-6000 option 6 - Main school phone number for Special Announcements
• A mass email will be sent from administration to all students indicating that school is closed. Students should check their student email account on bergen.org
• The PPO will post an update on the Academy web page http://www.academyppo.com regarding the closing.
• In the event of a delayed opening, school will open 90 minutes after the usual time, unless otherwise specified. If your local district is closed, you must arrange transportation to school.  If your local district is open, buses will run on a 90 minute delay.
• My town is off for a snow day but the Academy is open: Though this scenario does not happen often, it does occur. If the Academy is open, your child is required to attend classes. If he/she fails to do so because of inclement weather, an absence is recorded. If your town does not have a bus pick-up because the district is closed, it is the parents responsibility to arrange transportation to and from campus.

Contact Numbers:

BCA Campus
Main Office, Room 100 1st Floor
201-343-6000 ext. 2241
FAX: 201-996-6951
Laura Hynes Nurse, Room 246
201-343-6000 ext. 2254

Paramus Campus
Main Office, Room 309
201-343-6000 ext. 8501,8503
FAX: 201-599-9438
Barbara Jackson, Nurse,
Room 320, 201-343-6000 ext. 8514

Teterboro Campus
Main Office
201-343-6000 ext. 7601 or 7602
FAX: 201-288-6028
Terri Tarantino, School Nurse
201-343-6000 ext. 7717