On Monday, January 8 the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District board of education approved changes to the 2023-24 District Safety Plan, which includes the addition of a School Resource Officer (SRO) at each school building. The vote followed a public comment period and public hearing.
“The district and board of education appreciate the input we’ve received from students, staff, and community members as we’ve navigated making changes to the safety plan. Thank you for being involved as we strive to create a physically safe, socially and emotionally supportive, and educationally challenging learning environment in our schools. We believe this is another step towards achieving that goal,” said Superintendent Peter Smith.
The changes are based on district safety audit recommendations made by Armoured One in 2023. They involve four main focus areas:
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- Access to facilities
- Surveillance
- Communication equipment
- Emergency protocols/procedures
Some of these areas will be addressed through the district’s I.P. Paging and Access Controls Project which is federally funded. It will include the hardening of building exteriors, upgrading the emergency notification system, the addition of lockdown buttons, and interior door access controls.
The district will utilize its partnership with the Town of DeWitt Police Department to place a full-time SRO in each school building whose primary responsibility is on security. The SRO will help train and educate staff and students on best safety practices during emergencies such as evacuation drills and lockdowns. SROs will also assist with the development of building safety plans, serve as a liaison between schools and outside agencies, assist families who have general questions about public safety, and complete regular building safety checks internally and externally.
If you have any questions about the upcoming changes, please contact Superintendent Peter Smith at psmith@jd.cnyric.org.