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Board hears district safety plan update; adoption scheduled for August
Summary
The board received a detailed update on the district safety plan—covering threat assessment teams, new NYSED terminology (hold‑in‑place, secure lockout), Sandy Hook Promise reporting rollout and drill schedules—and was told a formal adoption will be requested at the August 12 meeting after public posting.
At its June 10 meeting the Hamburg Central School District board received a detailed presentation on the district safety plan and related emergency procedures, and was told the board will be asked to adopt the plan at its August 12 meeting once required public posting occurs.
Presenter Fitzgerald reviewed the plan’s primary elements: a building and district threat assessment team, relocation and reunification procedures, and updated incident terminology the New York State Education Department now expects districts to use. He said “this is our COVID plan” when pointing to the public health and continuity appendices that were added last year, and described how the emergency remote learning appendix would allow instruction to continue if a building becomes unusable.
Fitzgerald explained changes in terminology and practice that staff are implementing to match state guidance: “shelter in place” language is replaced in many contexts by “hold in place,” which should be used when remaining inside the building is safer; “secure lockout” (newer guidance) describes closure of building access in response to outside threats; and lockdown procedures remain unchanged and can be initiated by any staff member who observes a threat.
He also identified training and operational items: rollouts for Sandy Hook Promise anonymous reporting (available around the clock through Erie BOCES), training for dispatch centers who will receive anonymous tips, additional training and materials for staff and after‑hours users of district buildings, and a timetable for drills (eight required fire drills and hold‑in‑place exercises with required deadlines for completion). Fitzgerald noted the district will exceed many minimum drill requirements and will use partners, including Fisher Bus, for bus drills.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how reports will be routed and how after‑hours users will be educated; Fitzgerald said the district will provide videos, printed materials and a record of training to reduce liability and ensure consistent practice.
Next steps: the district safety plan will be posted on the district website and staff will ask the board to approve the plan at the August 12 meeting.
