Penfield school board holds public hearing on district emergency response plan; no commenters, 30-day comment period open

Penfield Central School District held a public hearing July 15 on its districtwide emergency response plan, a document the district says is required by New York State Commissioner regulation 155.17 and the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) law. The board heard a presentation from the district’s facilities staff and set an email comment deadline of Aug. 14, 2025; no members of the public spoke at the hearing.

The hearing matters because state regulation and the SAVE law require districts to maintain a districtwide safety plan and building-level emergency response plans and to allow public review. “This is very important for our district. Hopefully we don’t have to put it into place, but if we do, we want to be prepared,” said George English, director for buildings and grounds, during the presentation.

English told the board the districtwide plan is a public document posted on the district website and that it is shared with the State Education Department (SED), the New York State Police, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Brighton Police Department. He described building-level emergency response plans as confidential and distributed only to people who “need it” and to district leadership; the district keeps a distribution record when such plans are shared. English summarized typical building-level topics as weather- and facility-related hazards, medical and transportation emergencies, crime-scene protection, relocation and reunification procedures.

Board members asked about how reunification locations are handled. English said relocation sites are not always preannounced because the appropriate location depends on the incident; he gave the example that an elementary school might be moved to the high school for a gas leak, and said the district has discussed Browncroft Church as a possible off-campus location if needed. A board member noted the trade-off between securing a known relocation site and not publicly disclosing a secure location.

English also described recent changes to state emergency-response terminology the district will adopt, including combining “shelter in place” terminology and changing “lockout” to “secure lockout,” while retaining “lockdown” and “evacuation.” He said the district-wide plan focuses on risk reduction, prevention, preparedness, general response procedures and recovery guidelines; building plans address facility-specific actions.

The district noted the plan must be reviewed annually by the district health and safety committee (it was reviewed in May) and that after the 30-day public comment period the board expects to adopt the plan by the Sept. 1 deadline. The hearing opened during the July 15 meeting and was closed at 6:57 p.m.; the district clerk will accept emailed comments about the plan through Aug. 14, 2025.