Students, staff consider joining national walkout
Onteora school district officials say students and staff are considering participation in the March 14 nationwide walkout in solidarity with the people of Parkland, Fla., where a school shooting last week claimed the lives of 17 students and staff members.
Board of Education member Laurie Osmond saying the walkout, planned for 10 a.m., is being organized by the group Women’s March Youth EMPOWER.
“In response to the Parkland mass murder ... there is a 17-minute national school walkout,” she said. “That’s one minute for each of the students and teachers who died.”
Osmond said the walkout could include “not just students, but all the staff and anyone else who puts their lives on the line protecting our kids everyday in our schools.”
Osmond also noted that, on March 24, there will be a march on Washington, D.C., and other cities, inspired by the organizing efforts of surviving Parkland students.
The events “are being driven by these students,” she said. “... It’s just an exemplary show of bravery and civic engagement, and kudos to them and kudos to their teachers.”
Onteora officials said the shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has resulted in calls asking how well prepared the district is to handle a similar situation. Superintendent Victoria McLaren said a letter will be sent to parents to express how much thought goes into keeping Onteora buildings safe.
“The fact this is happening is ... horrifying, but we are not ignoring the situation,” she said.
“Every adult connected to this school is focused on improving safety,” McLaren said. “Our building safety teams are really active and very vigilant. Our administration is constantly aware of what steps can be taken to further enhance our safety.”
McLaren said a community forum is expected to be scheduled for students and families who are anxious about the Florida shooting.
Representatives of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office told the school board that their office and other police agencies work together on schools safety measures. But Sheriff’s Lt. Wallace Fulford said after the meeting that students have been put at greater risk due to funding being reduced for school resource officers.
“Where we are when something kicks off, there could be six cops within a mile radius or one cop within a 10-mile radius, all depending on the day and what’s going on elsewhere,” Fulford said.
“You talk about response times,” he said. “I would strongly suggest that we, the public, administrators ... start trying to get some school resource officer funding back at the state and federal level. They stopped in 2010, I believe it was, and it became incumbent upon the school boards and the school districts to [pay] the bill for a school resource officer.”
Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Sharon, who serves as Onteora’s school resource officer, said there have been more questions than usual from students during the past week, but “this isn’t anything new. It’s just drawing more attention because it’s continuously happening.”