Agawam Public Schools establishes district safety coordinator team, expands ALICE and medical-response preparations

The Agawam School Committee on March 3 received a comprehensive safety update from district staff outlining new personnel and procedural changes aimed at strengthening school security.

The presentation said the district created four safety coordinator positions—Sable Johnson, Jamie Podorski, Eric Bosloff and Matt LaCroix—working under Safety Supervisor John Netis, and that the district has trained staff in a mix of nationally recognized response systems, medical response and campus audits.

The update noted the district has adopted a common districtwide response protocol from the I Love You Guys Foundation, rolled out across all schools in September, and continues ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training for violent critical incidents. "As of today, there have been at least 48 mass public shootings," John Netis, safety supervisor for Agawam Public Schools, told the committee as he introduced the team and the district’s approach. "We as a team ... are made up of predominantly teachers who are considered the first responders in our schools and have been collaborating to add more and more layers to our existing safety plans."

Jamie Podorski, one of the high-school safety coordinators, described ALICE as an expanding, tiered training program for students and staff. "It's never meant to be done in any particular order. It's meant to be proactive so that students and staff can make choices that are best for them to keep them safe," Podorski said.

Presenters described several concrete steps the district has taken or is planning: districtwide standard-response posters in every classroom so substitutes and visitors can follow protocol; layered age-appropriate drills from elementary through high school; "go buckets" stocked with first-aid supplies and tourniquets; stop-the-bleed kits; periodic physical security audits of doors and perimeters; and a focus on improving radio inventory and battery/charging issues.

On medical response, staff said tourniquets and stop-the-bleed supplies are being stored in classroom "go buckets" to allow a semi-autonomous room response until first responders can reach a location. "The tourniquets go in the go buckets," the safety team said; the district also has AEDs but noted that access to an AED depends on whether staff can reach an AED cabinet during an incident.

Staff credited the Agawam Police Department for training assistance and said they have run tabletop exercises with administrators. They also described ongoing work on a reunification plan, acknowledging that drills may never be perfect but are in progress.

Committee members asked about frequency and reach of training, involvement of EMS and fire personnel, and how the district will keep substitutes and new hires current. Netis said some trainings are offered as sign-ups during professional-development days and that the district aims to build "train the trainer" capacity. "FBI has a pretty accurate account. Homeland Security usually has a very accurate account. So if you're interested in that, I can get back to you with that," Netis told the committee when asked for state-level incident counts.

The presenters requested continued committee support for equipment and time to deliver training. The committee thanked the team and asked for copies of presentations and materials for committee members and administrators.

The presentation did not include any formal committee action; presenters said several elements remain works in progress and that the district will provide written materials to the committee and staff as they are finalized.