Board opens hearing on district safety plan after state adds cardiac‑response requirement
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Ackerman opened a required public hearing on Dec. 10 after a state law required a cardiac component in school safety plans; the plan specifies staff training, voluntary CPR certification, AED accessibility within three minutes and annual drills before a January adoption vote.
The Chappaqua Central School District opened a required public hearing on its district‑wide safety plan at the Dec. 10 board meeting after a new state law added a cardiac‑response requirement.
Superintendent Dr. Ackerman said the update obliges districts to add coordinated responses to sudden cardiac arrest and other life‑threatening emergencies. The draft plan calls for staff training in cardiac awareness, voluntary collection of staff CPR certification, age‑appropriate student training (anchored in physical education) and ensuring automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are clearly marked, accessible and reachable within three minutes from anywhere on campus.
Dr. Ackerman said districts must publish the plan in a public notice, hold a hearing and collect public comment before bringing the updated plan to the board for adoption in January. She said building‑level plans already reflect the cardiac requirement and that the district has run drills and is working to coordinate AED locations and maps with first responders.
The board closed public comment on the safety plan after no substantive community input during the hearing. Trustees asked clarifying questions about training timelines and implementation steps; Dr. Ackerman said training would be scheduled by building each September and that student training would be age‑appropriate and included in PE programming.
The administration will accept public feedback through posted channels and return to the board in January for formal adoption of the revised safety plan.
