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Richmond PD officer outlines Hamburg district safety plan and upcoming SED rule changes
Summary
Pat Fitzgerald, Richmond Police chief and district safety officer, presented the 2024-25 district safety plan, highlighting drills, trauma-informed language required by the State Education Department and plans to post the plan for 30 days before bringing it back to the board for adoption.
Pat Fitzgerald, the district safety officer and Richmond Police chief, presented the Hamburg Central School District's 2024'25 safety plan at a public hearing, describing required updates and operational practices the district will adopt.
Fitzgerald said the plan has six sections and two appendices, including continuity-of-operations and a remote-learning appendix. He highlighted training programs and precautions the district already uses, noting the district provides mental health first-aid and stop-the-bleed training and that equipment is placed in classrooms. Fitzgerald said the district would continue to "front-load" drills early in the school year to gain greater instructional benefit.
The presenter described several State Education Department (SED) changes the district expects to adopt: adding trauma-informed terminology and definitions to the plan, specifying notification procedures for parents and students regarding drills, requiring that large-scale exercises include parental waivers and stating that some high-detail building plans should not be published publicly. Fitzgerald said those items are largely consistent with current district practice and that the district will post the plan for a 30-day public comment period and return for adoption at the August 20 meeting.
Board members asked clarifying questions about unannounced lockdown drills, age-appropriate implementation and the district's capacity to meet new reporting requirements; Fitzgerald said lockdown drills will still be run as drills but must be announced at the time they occur as a drill per the proposed SED language, and that staff training and prior student preparation are part of the district's current process.
Provenance: Safety plan presentation and Q&A (topicintro: SEG 1852; topfinish: SEG 2310).
Speakers quoted: Pat Fitzgerald (district safety officer); board members asking clarifying questions.
