Penfield board readopts health, safety and wellness charter as parent urges more transparency, skilled safety staff

The Penfield Central School District Board of Education readopted the district’s Health, Safety and Wellness Committee charter at its Nov. 4 meeting and approved the document as submitted.

During the meeting’s public comment period, parent Becca Johnson, who serves on the parent advisory board for special education PTA, said she appreciated the board placing the charter on the agenda but urged “more transparency about if it’s active or accessible for parents to be a part of.” She said the committee’s status was “unclear” to a group of parents she represented and urged the district to provide clearer opportunities for parent participation.

Johnson also recommended that future community coffee conversations include representatives from security and communications so parents could “ask the right questions to the right people,” and she urged the district to hire “more qualified relationship‑based safety professionals, people with background in crisis management, child‑centered environments.”

Board members moved and seconded the charter’s readoption after the committee reported it reviewed and readapted the charter at its Oct. 2 meeting. The motion passed by voice vote with no board members opposed.

The board president reviewed public comment rules before the speaker’s remarks and referenced the district’s public‑comment policy (stated in the meeting as “policy 15 15”), including time limits and restrictions on remarks naming individual students or staff. The board does not respond to items presented during public comment except where the superintendent or president determines a written response is warranted.

The charter readoption comes amid other board actions taken Nov. 4, including approvals of updated building emergency response plans and a separate resolution related to a small NYSDOT land easement.