Parent tells school board alert system failed to notify police during recent alarm

John Grama, a parent of children in the district, told the Londonderry School Board on Sept. 2 that an alert triggered earlier this week did not notify emergency dispatch and left students sheltering in place without responders arriving. "We had a very traumatic event where a system went off accidentally and law enforcement and fire weren't notified," Grama said.

Grama said he reviewed dispatch logs and spoke with neighboring agencies and Concord; he said neither Concord nor the police across the street received a call when the alert activated. "That system either goes to the PSAP in Concord ... or it goes directly across the street and people are dispatched. So that day ... nobody was coming," he said. He urged immediate technical changes so the district's alert system sends notifications directly to the PSAP or the nearby police station, adding: "If you logged into your computer right now at 07:07, you could have this done by 07:10."

Superintendent Dan acknowledged there are matters the district cannot discuss in public and said the district staff would meet the next day to "digest everything" and try to get an answer about whether the alert is integrated with local dispatch. The chair also said some work would be performed "behind the scenes" and that the team would report back when appropriate.

Why it matters: School notification systems are intended to route alarms and automated alerts to public safety answering points (PSAPs) or directly to local police and fire so responders can dispatch immediately. The speaker cited the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (NFPA 72) as a common best practice for alarm/notification integration; the board's initial response indicated staff will investigate technical integration and interagency notification protocols.

What the board said it will do: The superintendent and operations staff told the board they will meet to determine whether the district's alert system is routing notifications correctly and to pursue technical fixes or changes in integration with local PSAPs and the Londonderry Police Department. The superintendent asked staff to examine whether the district can toggle the current integration to point alerts to the police station across the street or to Concord's PSAP.

Context and next steps: The parent requested the district fix the integration immediately and hold public follow‑up. Board members said there will be internal briefings the next day and that some details may not be shared publicly for operational or privacy reasons; they also invited continued public input. The board did not take formal action or vote on this item during the meeting.