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School safety topic of April Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club program

Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville President Janese Berkhouse, left, welcomed fellow club member and past president Ben Spitzer, right, Chautauqua Lake CSD Superintendent, as the program presenter during the April 24 Rotary meeting at The Parkview in Westfield. Spitzer outlined various drills that schools plan for and practice in response to potential emergencies.

MAYVILLE — “School Preparedness” was the title of the slide presentation given by Ben Spitzer, Chautauqua Lake Central School District Superintendent, during the Apr. 24 meeting of the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville. Spitzer, who is a member and past president of this Rotary Club, joined 19 fellow Rotarians at The Parkview in Westfield to discuss school safety.

Spitzer stated, “There is no way to anticipate all of the variables and incidents that might occur. We have to have plans in place to manage different situations, and hope that we never have to put the plans into action.” For what types of emergencies does a school district need to be prepared? Spitzer noted that a school must plan and drill for the following situations: fire, weather related events, man made events (i.e. chemical spill), bomb threat, external threat (i.e. prison escapee) and internal threat (i.e. active shooter).

In addition, schools must address other situations, such as harassment and bullying, work related issues, medical emergencies, transportation events, and construction project related matters. Spitzer said that each school must have a district safety plan, which contains general information and is available to the public, and also building safety plans, which have more specific information and which is shared with the NYS State Police, local authorities and local first responders. He noted that both the state authorities and local responders want uniformity among these plans. The state police have given templates to local authorities to use when designing the plans.

The governance of the plans is through federal and state laws, and regulations of the NYS Education Department, NYS Board of Education, and district administration. Schools hold mandated training sessions. Required drills include fire (8 per year); shelter in place drills for weather, bomb threat or medical emergencies; evacuation and relocation to a predetermined location (at least 1 per year); lockout drill, when there is an imminent concern outside of the building; and lockdown drill, when the concern is inside of the building.

Spitzer said that according to FBI crime data, “Schools remain among the safest environments in any community, having among the lowest level of per capita crime reported by the FBI.” Other topics Spitzer addressed included common myths about school violence; the importance of effective communication among law enforcement, parents and caregivers, the media, and school students and staff members; and the physical challenges of the school buildings.

He stated, “School buildings were not designed with security as their top priority.” School districts have had to budget for the installation of various systems for access control, identification of visitors and alarms, as well as video surveillance, locking classrooms, and public address and communication systems. Some of the systems require the need for additional staff members, such as someone to monitor the video cameras and visitor identification system. Spitzer noted that using simple methods are effective, such as encouraging all staff members to “use vetting with people, when they are not wearing identification badges, in our buildings.”

The Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville recognizes the importance of safety in the school setting and acknowledges the efforts of school officials and staff members, local and state authorities, and first responders who regularly review and update the various emergency plans, conduct drills and train for the different situations.

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