Security, strategic planning addressed by EW ed board

Jacob Dilson

The East Williston Board of Education outlined new schools security measures at last Tuesday night’s board meeting and a new strategic planning process that includes that stresses full community participation.

Board President Mark Kamberg said the hours school doors are staffed have been extended, and the doors are permanently locked. There are also buzzer entry systems on all middle and high school entrances.  

“Elementary schools have always had them,” Kamberg said of the buzzer systems, “but we’ve just installed them at Williston and Wheatley.”

Kamberg said the Wheatley School has continually updating their security features, with local law enforcement reviewing them on a regular basis.

Asked about the need to address security in the wake of the Newtown school shootings, East Williston Superintendent of Schools Elaine Kanas stressed the importance of “creating a safe environment for students to learn.”

Kanas announced a new opportunity for high school students voices to be heard with the addition of a high school student representative on the district Strategic Planning Committee.  

The student representative will seek to gather student feedback on school policies and programs through surveys that will be accessed on the school Web site. The committee aims for at least 50 percent of the school’s participation. The addition of the student representative will take effect with the Jan. 29 committee meeting.  

“One of the first charges at these meetings,” explains Kanas, “is to provide suggestions for ways to continue to reach out to people for initial ideas before we prioritize.”  

Whealey’s Web site has a “Superintendent’s Archive” that makes information on the initiative accessible through a periodic newsletter from Kanas. One post includes a power-point outline of the planning process, and what the plan itself should uphold.  There is also an optional submission form for suggestions from committee members who cannot make it to meetings.

“Overall,” says Kanas, “we want to decide which ideas we want to move ahead, which current ones we want to maintain and which ones we may want to de-emphasize.”  

The last meeting was on Dec. 5, focusing on the school’s mission statement, asking members to evaluate how it was being upheld, and provide new ideas for doing so. That meeting started what Kanas said was  “some very good discussion.” 

She said she is currently working on a calendar of monthly meetings, which will be available on the Web site. The long-term goal is a five-year strategic plan.

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