Weston safety committee updates campus restrictions, e‑bike guidance and security upgrades

The Weston School District Safety & Security Committee met Sept. 16 to review campus access rules, e‑bike guidance ahead of a new state classification that takes effect Oct. 1, recent security upgrades and planning for longer‑term projects including radio system upgrades and the bus-depot site study.

The committee, chaired by Mike Del Mastro, approved minutes from its June 10 meeting and heard a presentation from Jim Welty, the district’s director of safety and security, on summer work and priorities for the school year. New Superintendent Erica Forte was introduced at the meeting.

Committee members said the topics matter because they affect daily student safety, district emergency response and longer-term capital needs. Members noted heightened public attention to e‑bike rules, the state deadline for electrifying school bus fleets and the practical need to make radio and phone systems more reliable.

Welty described the district’s closed-campus policy and visitor procedures, which the committee emphasized should be widely communicated to parents and community partners. “If you are coming to one of our institutions, please schedule an appointment,” Welty said, describing the district’s use of the Raptor system: visitors show an ID, the system prints a visitor sticker that must be worn during the visit and visitors check back in with the security desk when they leave. Welty said the closed‑campus hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and that visitors should stay on public sidewalks (School Road) and avoid playgrounds and athletic facilities during those hours.

The committee discussed a recent community notice Welty sent on Sept. 3 and an uptake in town messaging; Welty said he has seen a decrease in unauthorized use of school facilities since the district and town began coordinated communications.

E‑bike safety was a central topic. Welty said the district has seen an increase in e‑bikes and scooters and warned against charging privately owned e‑bikes on school property because of battery risks. “There are so many different models coming out of these, everywhere. China, Japan, some of them are dangerous with the lithium batteries,” Welty said. He said the district will not provide charging stations and that bike racks were relocated away from a main entrance to reduce a safety hazard.

Committee members and Welty noted a state-level change taking effect Oct. 1 that classifies e‑bikes as class 1, 2 or 3 and links certain higher-power machines to motor-vehicle requirements. Welty described a wattage threshold (about 750 watts) that will trigger registration or endorsement requirements under the new statute, and said Weston Police Department materials — including an illustrated flowchart produced by the department — will be shared with families. Welty also said law enforcement has enforcement authority under the new state rules.

On technology and threat reporting, Welty reviewed a layered approach the district has implemented: expanded access control points and door fobs to discourage propping doors open; additional camera coverage and beacons in loud spaces such as the high school cafeteria and music rooms; repositioned lockdown buttons to locations Welty identified as more operationally effective; and enhanced training for security staff. “We added an additional [beacon] so now, pretty much no matter where you sit in the cafeteria, you’ll be able to see if the alert…triggers a lockdown,” Welty said.

Welty described professional development the district hosted over the summer, including a three-day class from the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), and said the district contracted with Gaggle for proactive monitoring of district accounts and devices. Dan DeVito, technology staff, said administrators and staff have been trained and that the Sandy Hook Promise anonymous reporting system will be rolled out to students after curriculum sessions for grades 6–12: “Once we get all of that curriculum rolled out, then we’re going to be going live with Sandy Hook Promise,” DeVito said.

The committee also reviewed continuity and infrastructure issues. Welty reported that the district’s two-way radios received firmware updates and that the district is engaging vendors on a multi-year plan to modernize portable radio coverage. He said engineers are building a coverage plan and channel list; one vendor estimated an 18‑month project if the district follows the same vendor used by town public-safety agencies.

Phone reliability was discussed after the district experienced simultaneous failures of two PRI phone circuits this fall. DeVito said the circuits — carried on overhead lines — were damaged by wildlife and old wiring and required utility crews to locate and repair the faults. He said the district will evaluate alternatives such as SIP/cloud‑based voice services to reduce future outages.

On regional and planning items, committee member Steve Ezzies flagged the bus-depot property near School Road and Northfield Road as a key site to watch as the town’s “village district” study and development proposals proceed. Ezzies and other members reminded the committee that the state requires school buses to be electrified by 2035 and that the current depot would need upgrades to support charging and maintenance for electric buses. The group discussed prior community opposition to mixed-use conversions at district-adjacent properties and emphasized the need for early coordination with town planning and the board of education if land-use proposals proceed.

Welty also reviewed swatting-prevention work with the Connecticut Intelligence Center (CTIC) and distribution of laminated quick-reference charts for school phones to help administrative staff identify and respond to hoax or threat calls. He said his contacts with regional law enforcement show the district has not experienced a swatting incident this school year.

Administrative items: David Felton moved to approve the minutes of the June 10 meeting; Steve Ezzies seconded, and the motion carried by voice vote. The committee set its next meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 8:30 a.m. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded; the meeting ended shortly after.

The committee framed its next priorities as continued public communication about e‑bike rules and charging; advancing radio and access-control projects within available budgets; completing Sandy Hook Promise curriculum rollout and Gaggle implementation; and engaging early on any town planning that could affect the bus depot site.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes of June 10 — Moved by David Felton; seconded by Steve Ezzies; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Motion to adjourn — motion and second recorded; outcome: approved (meeting adjourned).