The Wappingers Central School District Board of Education unanimously adopted a districtwide school safety plan and building-level plans and approved 2025–26 police service agreements with the Village of Fishkill and the Town of Poughkeepsie at its Aug. 25 meeting.

The board’s resolution, made on the recommendation of the district safety committee, amended the plans to include procedures for response to sudden cardiac arrest “in accordance with section 155.17 of the regulations of the commissioner of education.” The board also authorized the superintendent to sign the attached police service agreements.

Why it matters: The adopted plans formalize emergency-response procedures across all district buildings and expand uniformed law-enforcement presence at schools for the upcoming school year.

Superintendent Dr. Bonk told the board district safety remains a top priority and thanked staff and municipal partners for supporting the effort. He said the district has expanded uniformed presence across grade levels and credited local law-enforcement leaders and municipal supervisors: “District safety is our top priority in this school district,” he said. “Our community has shown that they expect a safe school environment where all students can learn, grow, and be successful.”

In his remarks, Dr. Bonk described current staffing and placement: school resource officers (SROs) are assigned at the district’s high schools and junior high schools, and the district will add two SROs at its two largest elementary schools — one assigned from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office at Myers Corners Elementary School and one from the Town of East Fishkill at Gay Head Elementary School. He also said the district added two school safety officers at the elementary level last year and continues an enhanced uniform police presence in other elementary schools where SROs are not assigned.

Trustee Morgan noted ongoing conversations with state and federal officials about funding for officers; Dr. Bonk said the district is pursuing grants and recently signed off with assistant superintendents on a federal school violence grant application. “I will tell you that we continue to look for grants,” he said. “Assistant superintendent Okema and I and assistant superintendent Dankie just signed off on a school violence grant that is a federal grant that I’m hopeful we would receive some resources from.”

Dr. Bonk thanked Sheriff Kirk Embarotti, Town of Wappinger Supervisor Joey Cabassini and Town of East Fishkill Supervisor Nicholas D’Alessandro for providing personnel to support the initiatives.

The board voted unanimously to adopt the plans and approve the police service agreements.

Less critical details: The resolution cites the regulations of the commissioner of education for the sudden cardiac arrest procedures. The police service agreements are for the 2025–26 school year; specific staffing levels and funding sources for each agreement were not specified in the board motion.