Baldwin board adopts districtwide safety plan; transportation annex to be added

The Baldwin Union Free School District Board of Education on Aug. 13 adopted a districtwide safety plan that the district presented as a high-level framework for emergency response and said will be updated later to add a state-required transportation annex and cardiac emergency procedures.

Mr. Randazzo, the district safety coordinator, told the board that the district posted the plan on the district website in June and brought it to the board for formal adoption after the safety team — which the presentation said is made up of administrators, teachers, parents, law enforcement, emergency responders and community representatives — reviewed it. "The school safety plan is the job of the entire school community," Randazzo said during the presentation.

The presentation distinguished between the districtwide plan and building-level plans. Randazzo said building-level safety plans contain more detailed, tactical information — room layouts, assignments and student needs — and are kept confidential for security reasons. He said the district will insert a transportation annex, per a summer state requirement, and work on cardiac emergency response language; those additions will require the district to reopen the document and post an updated version and to run the review process again in January.

Board members asked for clarification about elements of the plan. When asked what the transportation annex would cover, Randazzo described it as a protocol for handling bus accidents and other bus-related emergencies; he said the transportation department maintains its own detailed procedures that will be folded into the district plan. When asked whether building-level plans are published, Randazzo confirmed they are confidential.

Randazzo described the district's approach to training and drills: staff, students and community partners participate in drills and annual trainings; local police, fire and EMS are invited to exercises so responders know their roles. He also said the district follows the state's guidance limiting certain kinds of simulated drills. On parental notification, Randazzo said schools give parents advance notice within a window rather than posting exact drill dates.

The board approved the plan as presented. The motion to adopt the districtwide safety plan was moved by Mrs. O'Hagan and seconded by Mrs. Tabaska; the transcript records the motion carrying with an "Aye" vote.

The district presentation and board discussion stressed that the document is a living plan: the district will keep it current and practical and expects to return to the board when the transportation annex and cardiac-response language are finalized.

For the community: building-level emergency procedures will remain confidential and the district said it will continue to invite local emergency agencies to drills and exercises.

Votes at a glance Adopt districtwide safety plan — Moved: Mrs. O'Hagan; Second: Mrs. Tabaska; Outcome: approved (recorded as "Aye").