EW ed board pledges security review

Michael Scro

School security took center stage at the East Williston Board of Education meeting on Monday evening as school district officials reassured concerned parents that new security strategies are being considered in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. school shootings.  

“Our children are the target of demented people, and it is clear that a better security system needs to be implemented in our schools, and implemented rather expeditiously,”  said Sarah Testani, North Side School PTO co-president. “This is not something that parents want to see put on the back burner, action has to be taken right away.” 

East Williston Board of Education President Mark Kamberg told Testani he couldn’t comment on school security changes being contemplated, but assured her that changes would be implemented.

“When you return from winter break, there will be some changes that are immediately noticeable,”  Kamberg said, inviting input from residents on security.

East Williston Superintendent of Schools Elaine Kanas said each building principal in the district was in contact with a member of the Old Westbury Police Department on Monday before school began.

“This was to ensure that there was nothing different, and nothing that we shouldn’t not be doing,” Kanas said. “Because of what happened last Friday, it makes things so real,”

She briefly addressed current school security practices, but said many details on the district’s security developments can’t be disclosed. 

Kanas reviewed a letter she sent to district parents and discussed Project Save Legislation, which requires all schools districts to have an emergency plan in pace.

East Williston has a district safety committee and building safety committee and each building also has a specific safety plan.  

“The plans are developed in conjunction with law enforcement professionals and security experts. The guidelines used to develop Emergency Response Procedures follow those jointly developed by the New York State Education Department, the New York State Police, the New York State Office of Homeland Security and the New York State Emergency Management Office,” Kanas said, reading from a statement she released on Monday.

Kanas drew a distinction between a ‘lock down’ and a ‘lock out.’  A lock out is enforced upon the district by the Nassau County Police notification system that criminal activity has occurred or is taking place near the school

“This means there is a dangerous person in the neighborhood, and no one is allowed in or out of the building,” Kanas explained.

A lock down is enforced when there is a dangerous intruder is in the building.  Students and staff members are then locked in their rooms, which will prevent the intruder from gaining access to hurt anyone.

Kanas said The Wheatley School practiced a lock down drill last week with local police.

“Both the 3rd Precinct and the Old Westbury Police force are involved in our emergency drill procedures and practices,” Kanas said. “The district met with an officer from the Old Westbury Police Department to review the success of the lock down test run.”

Kanas addressed concerns that the front doors unlocked at the Wheatley School and Willets Road Schools in contrast to the North Side School.  

“This is something that we are looking into,” Kanas said. “Though the safety plans have been approved, a buzzer can be an extra level of deterrence, which we will be working on developing.”  

Kanas said that the district expects additional recommendations from local police departments, as well as New York State.

Kanas said Peter De Luca, director of the health and safety training and information service for the Nassau County BOCES attends the district’s safety committee meetings on a regular basis.  

“Other school districts in my experience have not had someone directly from BOCES sit on committee meetings…this is a very positive factor because it provides us with someone who has an overview of the entire state,” Kanas said.

Kanas said the district’s emergency plans are evaluated and updated on an annual basis, in order to ensure that new administrative members are well acquainted with each plan. As each plan is evaluated, members of the Old Westbury Police Department and the Nassau County Police Department 3rd Precinct sit in on their development, as well as some portions of drills the districts hold for students.  

“After the drills, the building emergency committee will get together and consider what went well, what didn’t…this includes fire drills as well,” Kanas said.

In other developments:

• North Side School second graders recently completed a project to help victims of Hurricane Sandy along the South Shore of Long Island. The class raised over $9,000 to with a read-a-thon give Long Beach schools for replacement books that were lost in the storm.

“The children were inspired to help their fellow students, and we are extremely proud of them,” Kanas said.

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