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East Meadow board to seek community input before considering armed security in schools
Summary
A board member announced the district will not place armed security on an agenda for a vote until staff complete a community survey, data collection and multiple public forums. The superintendent was asked to draft a community survey and identify dates for forums; the board emphasized community engagement and time for stakeholder input.
A board member told the East Meadow Union Free School District Board of Education on Oct. 7 that, after public comments about armed security at the Sept. 17 meeting, the board has asked the superintendent to develop a community survey and schedule public forums before any action is taken.
"We are aware that this is a topic that brings up many feelings on both sides. That is why we have asked the superintendent to develop a community survey that will help us gather information about this topic," a board member said. The speaker added the item "will not be added to an agenda to be voted on until we have had the surveys distributed, data collected, and multiple open forums hosted within our community."
The board member said the decision will "not be a decision that can be made overnight or without substantial information and input from all of our stakeholders," and emphasized the board's commitment to the safety and security of staff and students. The board also reported sending a staff SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) questionnaire on school security to more than 1,000 staff members and opening it for responses over a multi'week period.
No formal motion to adopt a policy on armed security was made at the meeting. The board framed the district's next steps as information gathering and community engagement prior to any policy action.
