South Euclid-Lyndhurst highlights preschool growth and rolls out district crisis plan with Raptor alerts

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst City Board of Education on an evening meeting presented data showing the district preschool has doubled in size in recent years and described a new districtwide crisis communications plan that will use the Raptor Emergency Notification System to alert staff and, optionally, local responders.

The preschool presentation included enrollment, staffing and program details and emphasized integration of students with and without disabilities. "We currently have a hundred preschool students attending our classrooms," said Mrs. Weinberg, preschool coordinator and school psychologist, who said 66% of those students receive special-education services and 34% are typically developing peer models. Weinberg said the program operates eight half-day integrated classrooms Monday through Thursday (about 2½ hours per session), plus one extended-day classroom for students with more intensive needs, and that 31 additional students receive itinerant services in community or home settings.

The presentation listed support services and staff: seven intervention specialists, 10 intervention-specialist assistants, two speech-language therapists, one occupational therapist and a physical therapist shared across the district. Weinberg said the program has sustained Ohio's highest early-childhood quality rating: "We are proud to say we are still a gold rated preschool program," referencing the state Step Up to Quality framework.

Board members and district staff encouraged outreach to recruit more typically developing peer models, saying a roughly 50/50 ratio of peers to students with disabilities is preferred for the model classrooms.

Separately, Assistant Superintendent Miss Thompson and Mr. Wiley, the district's safety and compliance specialist, presented a district crisis plan and a communications plan tied to the Raptor Emergency Notification System. "They'll basically get the equivalent of an Amber Alert," Mr. Wiley said of the Raptor notifications. He described role-based alerts, a "team assist" function for facility or custodial needs, and icons that map to emergency levels such as shelter-in-place, lockdown or secure-perimeter. The system supports notifications from a desktop or an app and records uses for drill reporting.

Superintendent Capel and Thompson said the plan was written to avoid over-prescribing roles at the moment of an incident: it lists actions to be completed while allowing building leaders discretion on assignments. Capel noted the district consulted a state representative during plan development to align with state emergency operations requirements and said the district is coordinating with local law enforcement so responders can receive real-time notifications. "Seconds matter," Capel said, explaining that sharing alerts with responders could shorten response time.

District staff said rollout will use a "crawl, walk, run" approach: administrators will be trained at upcoming staff meetings, initial tests already have been done with fire-drill procedures, and staff will be shown how to take head counts and use accountability features in the app.

Votes at a glance - Minutes of special meeting 03/11/2025 (Item 3.1): Approved by roll call (unanimous). Motion and second recorded on the agenda. - Financial reports, bank reconciliations and related items (Items 4.1–4.5): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - Tax complaint items (Item 4.7): Approved by roll call (unanimous); board discussed this as the annual process for commercial property value disputes. - Certified personnel appointments, resignations and leaves (Item 5.1): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - Retirement ratification (Item 6.1): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - Classified appointments/resignations and an MOU (Items under 7): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - Supplemental activity approvals and one unpaid volunteer (Item 8.1): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - Roofing for Brush High School D wing and payment in lieu for transportation (Items 9.1 and 9.2): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - MOUs for CCP and an out-of-state field trip (Items 10.1 and 10.2): Approved by roll call (unanimous). - Policy items presented for first reading and preliminary review (13.3 and 13.4): Approved for the record and scheduled for formal adoption at the next meeting (unanimous).

Public comment and advocacy CLPTA President Becky Richardson reported on national and state PTA advocacy work she attended and urged continued outreach to legislators on school funding, special education and gun-safety measures discussed at the National PTA conference. Kathy Covarrubias, speaking for the Lyndhurst Democratic Club, summarized a presentation by an education advocacy group and urged boards to seek civil-rights legal review when considering policy changes, especially where federal guidance is at issue.

Why it matters The preschool enrollment and staffing numbers reflect a district-level commitment to early childhood services and specialized supports; maintaining a "gold" Step Up to Quality rating is important for state recognition and family outreach. The crisis plan and Raptor rollout aim to standardize notifications across the district, increase situational awareness among staff and speed law-enforcement response when warranted.

What's next District staff said training and phased implementation of the Raptor system will continue in the coming weeks through building-level staff meetings and routine drills. The board is scheduled to consider the first-reading policy revisions for adoption at its April meeting and will receive continued updates on preschool enrollment and program development.