Archive: Around Town

Our Schools are Safe, but are they Safe Enough?

The tragic events the past two weeks in schools across the country have once again given each of us pause to consider whether or not our schools are as safe and secure as we want and need them to be. In recent days, I have heard community members on more than one occasion mention that “This is Lansing; it couldn’t happen here.” While we all pray that that forever be the case, it is crucial that the school and community, together, take all necessary steps to ensure the utmost safety and security of our children while they are in school.

Last spring, the District Shared Decision-Making committee resolved to make school safety its primary area of focus for the foreseeable future. At our September 2006 meeting, it was agreed that an expert in the field of school security should be consulted. As a result, the district has succeeded in securing the services of Mr. Brian Hill, school security expert, to first engage the district committee and, thereafter, each of the building committees in a review of each component of their emergency plans. Mr. Hill has, for the past three years, assisted school districts in Putnam County and northern Westchester County in reviewing, amending, and improving their emergency response plans. A former FBI agent and school administrator, Mr. Hill possesses significant insight and experience in emergency response planning.

The initiative will be multifaceted in that it will include a checklist review of procedures to be employed in the event of an emergency, an examination of each building’s physical environment to locate and remedy any problem areas in terms of security, and tabletop emergency exercises to ensure that each individual understands his or her role in addressing whatever circumstance constitutes an emergency, including, but not limited to school intruders, evacuation procedures, school bus emergencies, and weather-related problems.

Only through such a thorough analysis can we be confident that we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of students and staff members. Committee members will endeavor to keep parents and community members apprised of the process and the manner in which it will contribute to an even safer school environment than is even now the case.

The academic program is of utmost importance in the minds of each member of the Lansing school family. Of even greater importance, however, is the safety of our children. To this end, we pledge to the Lansing community an ever increasing focus on school security as we progress through the current school year and beyond.

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