Huntington board adopts 2025–26 school building safety plans after detailed security presentation

The Huntington Union Free School District Board of Education unanimously approved the district—s 2025——— school building safety plans following a detailed presentation on emergency procedures and security upgrades.

The presentations and discussion, led by Mr. Stein, the district—s school safety official, covered the written building-level emergency response plans, the district—s lockdown and fire-drill schedule required by New York State, the Rave Panic mobile alert system, camera and license-plate-reader coverage, and planned phone and camera installations in elevators. After board member John moved to adopt the plans and Teresa seconded, the board voted in favor; the chair said, "All in favor? That's everyone." The motion carried unanimously.

Why it matters: the plan governs how buildings respond to weather incidents, medical emergencies, locking procedures and active assailant threats, and it establishes the district—s drill cadence and post-drill review process. Mr. Stein told the board the plans incorporate state templates and local hazards such as rail and flood risks unique to Huntington.

Key facts and measures discussed include: New York State requires 12 emergency drills annually with at least four lockdown drills and eight fire drills; the district conducts announced lockdowns in multiple scenarios and practices at varied times (including during passing periods and lunch) to test responses; the district aims to clear hallways in roughly 13 seconds during lockdowns; more than 400 cameras record 24/7; a license-plate reader is installed at the Huntington High School guard booth; the Rave Panic app is installed on the phones of administrators and teachers (52 teachers at the time of the presentation); and phones and cameras will be added to selected elevators to ensure people who rely on them can call for help.

Mr. Stein said the district—s drills and facilities have been externally assessed, noting a former workplace-violence assessor found Huntington—s protocols "light years ahead of the rest of the state." He also emphasized local adaptations: "In Huntington, anybody is empowered to call for a lockdown," and, "We lock every classroom door during the school day." Board members and attendees asked for clarifications on announced drills, how lockdown push-buttons and blue strobe lights operate for people outside the building, and why license-plate readers currently cover only the high school.

What the board decided: the board adopted the school building safety plans for 2025—— 2026 as presented. The vote was recorded as unanimous. The adoption formalizes the district—s procedures and the continued use of the technologies and protocols described during the presentation.

Next steps and implementation details: the district will continue semi-annual reviews of building plans, debriefs after each drill with written checklist report cards, training for staff on the Rave app, and follow-through on the stated hardware upgrades (phones in selected elevators, door-film epoxy, additional rollouts to vestibules and alert systems). The district also said it will continue evaluating whether to add license-plate readers at other sites and will run PD sessions to increase Rave app participation among teachers.