Forum on school safety set
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. » With the Parkland, Fla., high school shootings still fresh in many people’s minds, and in keeping with a policy to better communicate with the public, the Shenendehowa Central School District Board of Education will hold a public forum on school safety and security next month.
The forum is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. April 19 in the Gowana Middle School library on the Shen campus off Route 146. The room is where the Board of Education holds its meetings.
The Thursday evening date was specifically chosen so as not to conflict with a school board meeting. The time is to be firmed up shortly.
“This is really an important subject,” said board president Bill Casey. “I think people want to be heard on this and I think they want to hear from us. There is a lot of thought out there and I’m not sure there’s a full realization of what’s being done.”
The district has a 25-member safety committee (SAVE Committee) which includes members of the public. Casey is hoping to have one of its members take part in a panel discussion at the forum along with a representative from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department.
The forum’s goals, Casey said, will be to let the public hear from the sheriff’s department directly, allow the SAVE Committee a chance to present what it has been reviewing, and give the public a chance to ask questions, present their ideas, and have a give and take with the panel as well as the board of education.
“At the board meetings we don’t generally respond to the public’s statements because we want to avoid getting into a back and forth,” Casey said, “but this is the place for that.”
When Casey ran for reelection last May one of his campaign platforms was for the board to have better communication with the public. Holding public forums on a variety of topics was thought to be the best way to accomplish that goal. A public forum on mental health issues in schools was held last fall prior to a board meeting.
One member of the public has already urged the board to not delay and start taking action on making the district’s schools safer. Christine Buttigieg used a portion of the March 6 Board of Education meeting reserved for public comment to make her feelings known.
Buttigieg told the board she is the mother of a Shen elementary student and the mother of a future Shen student. Both she and her husband are Shen graduates. Citing data that she said showed 160 school shooting across 38 states and an average of two kindergarten through 12th grade shootings, every month, Buttigieg said school shootings can happen here and many parents fear they will.
“Our children’s basic safety needs are not being met,” she said. “Kids safety is at the core of who we are as a community.”
Buttigieg made note of options available to the district such as school-guard glass in classroom windows, a Barracuda school intruder defense system, door sleeves that go over the door arm, a system where classroom doors can be locked from a single point remotely, and the use of simple techniques, like students’ art work, to cover the glass on classroom doors.
As for funding, she cited the district’s ability in the past to find ways to fund its other projects through refinancing
debt, state aid, or capital reserves.
“I implore you,” Buttigieg told the board, “when the board spends the $170 million budget, reconsider how that money is being allocated. Too many parents are kissing sons and daughters goodbye in the morning and are worried they’ll never return home. It’s not overblown. It’s, as Dr. Robinson said, reality. Just ask parents of Jonesboro, Columbine, Parkland or Sandy Hook if securing their schools should have been the priority for their funding.”
When she finished her statement, Casey noted that the board and Buttigieg were not on different pages.
“We’re getting a lot of input,” he said.
“I think we can take some additional steps,” Buttigieg responded.
Later in the meeting, Superintendent L. Oliver Robinson made note of the good relationship the district has with the New York State Police and with the Saratoga County Sheriff’s department.
“I’d like to thank (Saratoga County) Sherif f Zurlo,” Robinson said singling the sheriff out. “He has been with us from day one. His department has a presence here. There are certain things we do that only certain people know. School safety is a priority and so is preserving the quality of education and the educational experience. We don’t react to things just because they’re popular. We react to things that effect quality education for our kids.”