Ossining Board adopts revised safety plan after public hearing on AED and cardiac response requirements

The Ossining Board of Education on Oct. 20 held a required public hearing on a revision to the district‑wide safety and emergency management plan and later adopted the revised plan as a consent‑agenda resolution.

Shannon Rodriguez of Alteris Security Consulting summarized the changes requested by state law, commonly referred to in the presentations as "Dacia's Law," and said the district plan now explicitly requires building‑level cardiac emergency response procedures and annual staff training. "All staff will receive annual training on how to recognize cardiac arrest, respond appropriately, and most importantly, the location of AEDs in all school buildings," Rodriguez said during the presentation.

Rodriguez told the board the district‑wide document supplies general requirements while the detailed cardiac response steps are held in confidential building emergency plans. Jim Minahan, the district's safety and transportation coordinator, and district leaders were present to answer board questions. Superintendent Mary Fox Felter noted board members had previously reviewed the confidential building plans in executive session.

After giving the public an opportunity to comment, the board declared the hearing closed. Separately later in the meeting the board approved, as part of its consent agenda, "resolution to adopt the revised district [wide] safety and emergency plan" (agenda item 5.1). The motion passed by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was read into the public minutes.

The revised plan, as described during the hearing, requires districts to: maintain building emergency response teams (BERTs), include cardiac arrest response and AED location information in building plans, and provide annual training and notifications to staff that align with national best practices and the American Heart Association's guidance. The district said the building‑level documents, which contain operational specifics, remain restricted for safety reasons but are available to board members for review.

Board materials distributed with the meeting agenda list the district‑wide plan and indicate the update was made to meet the new statutory requirements. The presentation and the subsequent consent‑agenda approval close the legal requirement that the board hold a public hearing prior to formal adoption.