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District presents 2026–27 safety plan with new radios, door alerts and full‑scale evacuation drill
Summary
Franklin Trent presented the Southampton Union Free School District’s 2026–27 districtwide safety plan, highlighting communications upgrades (new radios, phone/location alerts), de‑escalation and threat‑assessment training, camera and lighting improvements, and a planned districtwide evacuation drill.
Franklin Trent presented the districtwide safety plan for 2026–27 and described a suite of safety upgrades intended to improve emergency response and daily monitoring across school buildings. "That is a safety plan that is updated every year with any current regulations that are sent down from the state department of education," Trent said, explaining the annual update process and a 30‑day public comment period. He detailed communication upgrades including replacing district radios so transportation and building security can use common channels and an upgraded phone/notification system that sends texts and emails and can help locate callers during emergencies.
Trent also outlined training and operational changes: district staff (including Trent and Peter Brown) have started CPI de‑escalation training to serve as trainers for the district, the student threat assessment team will continue collaboration with local SROs and BOCES, and the district will pilot a reversed staging‑then‑evacuation drill sequence to improve early readiness. On campus infrastructure, Trent described door‑open alerts that notify security when a door remains open for more than 10 seconds, ongoing camera replacement and lighting work to address blind spots, and plans for a visible safety SUV to be used for rounds and incident response. "Anytime there's an emergency call made from the school district, there's some kind of notification that's given back to the building administrators and the security team," Trent said, noting the system's role in identifying locations and directing responders.
Board and public questioners pressed on operational impacts: administrators said classroom passes and selective exceptions will be considered to reduce disruption while maintaining the prohibition on physical door obstructions, and Peter Brown summarized a BOCES training that identified a rise in concerning student social‑media behavior. Administration said participation in voluntary tools (the Brave app) is optional and does not add additional phone tracking beyond normal phone behavior. The board did not take a formal vote on the plan during this meeting; Trent invited written comments via the posted public survey.
