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Superintendent: First fire drill went smoothly; district to join full-scale October exercise with EMA
Summary
Waterloo Local leaders praised a fast, orderly evacuation during the school year’s first fire drill and announced a large, staff-day emergency exercise with Orange County EMA in October; elementary principals also shared upcoming dates for picture day, Camp Fitch and bus-evacuation drills.
Superintendent (speaker 1) told the board the district ran its first fire drill of the year and that students and staff evacuated quickly and were accounted for. “About 20 seconds there, and then everyone's out,” the superintendent said, adding that school-resource officers and first responders gave positive feedback.
The superintendent said the district will participate in a large, staff-day emergency exercise in October with Orange County EMA and other local support agencies to simulate a more serious incident and to allow coordinated mutual-aid between nearby schools. “It's supposed to simulate more of a serious, type event,” the superintendent said, noting the exercise is scheduled for a day when students are not in the building.
Elementary principal (speaker 4) echoed the safety emphasis and outlined several calendar items for families: elementary picture day is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24; a parent meeting about Camp Fitch will be held before the PTO meeting on September 29; Camp Fitch is scheduled for October 27–29; and the district’s bus-evacuation drills are set for September 17–19. “We love having kids and teachers back in the building,” the principal said, and praised staff for improving arrival and dismissal procedures that now move more than 125 students and about 100 cars in roughly 20 minutes.
The superintendent also highlighted new and returning student programs tied to career and credit recovery: a two-year agriculture career pathway with six juniors currently enrolled and an early-stage CVI work-based learning program with two students. Officials said the district’s in-house Jefferson County BLA placement and credit-recovery options have reduced prior costs.
The board heard the updates as operational items; no formal action on safety procedures or calendar dates was recorded in the provided transcript segment. The district asked parents to watch for more specific information on trips and program enrollment from building-level staff.
