Board adopts districtwide safety plan for 2026–27 after presentation by assistant superintendent

The Huntington Union Free School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Aug. 3 to adopt the district-wide safety plan for the 2026–27 school year and authorized its public posting.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ruby Harris presented the plan and described the district safety team — trustees, administrators, teachers, parent organizations, security personnel and local law enforcement — and the annual review process. "So our district wide school safety plan provides a broad concept of policies and procedures, it outlines the overarching strategies rather than the specific details," Dr. Harris said during the presentation. She said building-level emergency response plans use a New York State template and are submitted annually to the 2nd precinct and the New York State Police.

Dr. Harris highlighted training and preparedness efforts, including a workplace-violence assessment completed in winter 2024, a two-part workplace-violence training for staff and administrative training each August, tabletop exercises and simulations, and a cardiac emergency response plan that was added in January. She also said the RABE training has been offered and may expand; "This is also posted in classroom spaces," she said, describing standard language (shelter in place, hold in place, evacuation) intended to make drills consistent across buildings.

Board members moved the motion to adopt (John) and seconded (Bill); Chair called the vote and reported that everyone voted in favor. The board also authorized posting the finalized plan on the district website.

The plan, as presented, emphasizes districtwide roles and building-level confidentiality for site-specific emergency responses; administrators said the board's approval covers the district-level policy and that building response plans will remain detailed and operationally confidential.