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New superintendent opens public hearing on districtwide safety plan and reports rise in DASA findings
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Erin Fairbend opened a 30‑day public comment period on the districtwide safety plan, announced the plan is posted online (comments due 2024‑08‑09), reported 68 founded DASA incidents for 2023‑24 and proposed a one‑year shared BOCES communications specialist to replace an $87,000 cut at a cost of $32,750.
Superintendent Dr. Erin Fairbend used her first superintendent’s report at the July 9 reorganization meeting to open a public hearing on the districtwide safety and emergency management plan and to release preliminary safety data.
Pursuant to New York State Education Law, the board opened a 30‑day comment period for the proposed districtwide safety plan; the superintendent said the plan is posted on the district website and that written comments may be submitted to Assistant Superintendent John Fink by email through August 9, 2024. The board anticipates adopting the final plan at its August 13 meeting.
Dr. Fairbend summarized the district’s SSEC/DASA results for the 2023–24 school year: 68 DASA incidents were reported as founded, a total greater than the combined total for the previous four years. She said the increase reflects more active investigation and reporting and promised a deeper DASA presentation later in the year. "We will dig into the data and present disaggregated results and the steps we will take to support students and staff," Fairbend said.
To preserve a communications function that had been proposed for elimination, the superintendent proposed a one‑year shared communications specialist through Putnam‑Westchester BOCES at a district net cost of $32,750 (versus an $87,000 line‑item cut). She said the position would support district communications, crisis messaging and web updates; funding would come from position breakage and the superintendent’s decision not to take district health insurance (approximately $26,000), making the shared service a one‑year commitment.
The superintendent also announced the George Fisher Middle School has been identified for Targeted Support and Improvement for English‑language learners and that the district received an initial Title I grant of $40,000 to develop a multidisciplinary plan; state approval could yield an additional $125,000 for implementation.
During the public hearing, several speakers asked that the safety plan be posted in Spanish and other languages to ensure broad accessibility; administration said website files will be posted in translatable formats during the public‑comment period.
