Board approves updated districtwide safety plan; later denies parent appeal of student suspension

The Niskayuna Central School District Board of Education held a public hearing on Jan. 13 to receive comments on an updated districtwide safety plan that incorporates changes required by a law signed last summer to strengthen school readiness for sudden cardiac emergencies.

During public comment, a community member described coordinating a real‑life cardiac response and urged attention to AED placement, staff CPR training and access to equipment. "AEs are easy to use... it's beyond that — it's having somebody to be trained, but it's also knowing where your AED goes," the commenter said, praising the district's proactive work and the local fire department's training support.

Following the hearing, the board voted unanimously (6-0) to approve the safety‑plan updates, incorporating the operational changes staff described.

Later in the meeting the board convened an executive session with counsel to discuss matters that included student discipline, personnel and collective negotiations. After returning to public session, the board adopted a resolution denying a parent's appeal of a student suspension (the student and specific facts were recorded in a confidential Schedule A). The resolution authorizes the district clerk to notify the appealing parent of the board's determination and the parent's right to appeal further. The board recorded the vote on the resolution as unanimous (6-0).

The board did not discuss the confidential facts of the student case in public; the resolution indicates the appeal was considered solely on the record and that applicable confidentiality protections were observed.