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Inspector warns recurring hazard: classroom doors propped open; board asks for corrective plan
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Summary
A retired Nassau County fire marshal and long‑time inspector told the Sewanhaka board that classroom doors propped open are safety violations he records and forwards to the state; a board member asked the superintendent and principals for a corrective action plan.
Tim Green, a retired Nassau County Fire Marshal who inspects Sewanhaka district buildings, told the Board of Education on Dec. 16 that a recurring problem across the district is classroom doors being propped or chocked open and that he documents those occurrences as violations and forwards them to facilities and the state.
"If it's there, it's a violation. I gotta write it," Green said, explaining that while some door propping began during COVID for ventilation, the practice now creates safety risks. He described magnetic hold‑open devices as a mitigation option that allow doors to remain open until a fire alarm or lockdown causes them to close, and said sprinklers would be ideal though unlikely to be installed districtwide in his lifetime.
Green also said he sends major violations back to facilities and the state and that the state Education Department does not impose fines directly; however, repeated unresolved violations can affect building certifications. In response to Green's presentation, a board member urged the superintendent and staff to work with building principals to develop a corrective action plan to reduce the frequency of these violations beyond inspection days.
Green offered to run student assemblies or safety seminars to help change behavior and emphasized the historical context of school fire safety when describing hazards.
The board requested follow‑up work by district administration; no formal motion on a corrective plan was recorded at the meeting, but the item was marked for staff action and future consideration.
