The National School Walkout Day was an opportunity for our middle and high school students to express their commitments towards keeping our schools safe. As the superintendent, I was impressed by the respectful manner in which our students honored those who lost their lives in the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It is vital for our students to recognize that I share their concerns and will seek ways to encourage their continued participation in making our schools safe places to work and learn.
As a result of this student demonstration, we will include more student involvement in our district-wide school safety planning processes. The district-wide school safety team consists of representatives of the school board, teachers, administrators, parents, and school safety personnel. While no portion of a confidential building-level emergency response plan can be shared with students, it is vital that students are empowered (on an appropriate scale) to voice their concerns while having a have a sense of agency in the process. Student agency refers to the level of control, autonomy, and power that a student experiences in a school setting and is a critical component towards their overall development into adulthood.
Two days before the March 14 student walkouts, I had the opportunity to meet with Tappan Zee High School students to discuss strategies towards improving communications between students and staff. At our meeting, the students and I were joined by teachers, administrators, and local law enforcement to discuss their concerns about school safety in light of the recent Florida tragedy. We shared many valuable ideas and committed to meeting regularly with student representatives who will serve on the district-wide safety team. At our next district-wide school safety team meeting in May, we will address the following issues expressed by our students, staff, and families:
- ensure a synchronized response (nonconfidential) between students, faculty, law enforcement and other first responders;
- review our recently implemented “Anonymous Alerts” web-based reporting system and its alignment with existing reporting methods for identifying risks and preventing school violence;
- use of nonviolent conflict resolution training programs;
- assess our current peer mediation programs, Orangetown Youth Court, and mentor programs;
- discuss the viability of closed-campus safety measures to include revision of master schedules, capital improvements, and crisis response protocols (nonconfidential);
- develop and review our existing Code of Conduct and requirements of Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).
At our June 14 Board of Education meeting, we will have a public hearing to present the findings of our district-wide safety meeting. We look forward to hearing more from our students on this matter. Our students’ participation in the National School Walkout was a valuable reminder from them that school safety remains our top priority.