Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District safety update: helpline use, SRO roles, CPR training and revised emergency plan discussed
Summary
The board heard a safety and security briefing: the district’s Safe School Helpline has fielded hundreds of calls since mid‑January, two SROs support threat assessments and student programs, over 800 employees have CPR training, and the district outlined an early‑dismissal plan for emergencies at the nearby Gana facility.
Mr. Flood, the district safety and security presenter, told the Board of Education that the district’s Safe School Helpline has been heavily used, reporting “since January 15th, we’ve actually had 445 phone calls” about incidents, including calls expressing concern about peers’ self‑harm.
He described the district’s two school resource officers: Officer Tessa Freight, a 2014 Webster graduate in her first year as an SRO, and Officer Mike Payne, a 12‑year law‑enforcement veteran with prior Rochester Police Department and military service. Flood said both officers support classroom programming, mock safety exercises and the district’s formal threat assessment process.
Flood also outlined the district’s CPR readiness. He said the district has trained a little over 800 employees in CPR (including coaches, bus drivers, nurses and lifeguards), with about 230 trained internally this year. He told the board that training and equipment (AEDs) have been credited with saving lives in past incidents.
On hazardous‑facility planning, Flood said the district has modified its response strategy for the nearby Gana facility: instead of a single plan that would send everyone to a county college site, the district would use staged early dismissals—sending secondary students first so older students can assist with sibling reunification, then elementary students—and maintain the MCC reunification option in its contingency plans. He said district staff recently completed and will again participate in FEMA‑evaluated exercises that include bus decontamination and reunification drills.
Neil provided a brief overview of the annual district safety plan during the hearing on the plan, noting that the public, district leaders and building teams maintain two layers of planning: a public district‑level plan and confidential building‑level plans that contain blueprints and contact details. He reminded the community the public comment period remains open for 30 days and the board will vote to adopt the plan at the July 6 reorganization meeting.
The board did not take formal action on the safety plan at the June 2 meeting (the hearing was opened and closed); the public comment window and a July vote were both emphasized as next steps.
