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Averill Park board reviews updated district safety plan and code of conduct; Help Me anonymous reporting app highlighted
Summary
The board held required hearings on the district safety plan and the code of conduct, noting minor nonmaterial edits, implementation of an anonymous "Help Me" reporting app and that building-level safety plans remain confidential under state law.
The Averill Park Central School District Board of Education on July 9 reviewed updates to the district safety plan and the code of conduct in required public hearings, with administrators describing the changes as nonmaterial and emphasizing new reporting tools and confidentiality of building-level plans.
District administrators said the update was led by Kate Dorigan and largely reflected routine edits and new items implemented this year. The meeting highlighted the "Help Me" anonymous reporting app, which administrators said has been "very successful" and produced a meaningful volume of contacts during the year.
Administrators told the board that building-level safety plans will be approved by the board at the August meeting but are not posted to the public portal because, they said, state law requires those building-level plans be kept confidential for safety reasons. The district-level plan will be posted after the 30-day public comment period.
Board members raised minor clerical and consistency edits for section 2.a (prevention/intervention strategies) — for example, clarifying list punctuation around cameras monitoring hallways, entrances, parking areas, playgrounds and buses — and asked staff to make the nonmaterial cleanup before final approval.
The code of conduct changes described at the hearing focused on two items administrators said were administrative: a new student personal electronic device restriction (a cell-phone ban) drafted with building principals and an updated athletic code of conduct that clarifies the appeal process (now appearing to route appeals to the superintendent rather than the athletic director).
Administrators said they plan a summative safety recap for public release in the fall newsletter that will describe the major safety upgrades made over the last three to five years.
The district will present building-level plans for board approval in August and make the district-level plan available for public comment for 30 days prior to final adoption.
