The Windsor Central School District held its 12th annual School Safety Summit, convening an 88-member group of administrators, teachers, staff, students, and first responders to work through various emergency scenarios to improve preparedness and response.
“Providing a safe and secure environment for students and staff is our number one priority. This event is always a great opportunity for Board of Education members, staff, students and community members to collaborate and review our safety protocols and make improvements,” said Dr. Jason A. Andrews, Superintendent of the Windsor Central School District.
Groups for each school building broke out to watch videos presenting a number of crisis situations, ranging from a student with a gun, to a hostile custody situation, to a medical emergency. Participants said having people with different roles in the District was beneficial.
“I think it’s a great idea to get everyone together and get their different points of view. As a bus driver, I might be on the bus with an intruder or have to pick up a kid because of an intruder,” said Rebecca Reed.
“I’m glad the students were invited because it’s an important perspective to have. You can think one thing as an adult but a student can look at it totally differently,” said WCHS senior McKenna Bunnell.
The District announced a number of upcoming safety upgrades, including an improved camera system and entry at Windsor Central High School. Also, the District is working to create virtual maps and floorplans with 360-degree video of all school buildings. This information will be shared with first responders.
“We are literally with the people we would be with in an emergency: principals, teachers, fire, EMS,” said Broome County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Stapleton. “You could have a 911 dispatcher watching exactly what’s going on and get us to the point where we need to be. The technology aspect is very important.”
Stapleton is urging other Districts he works with to hold a similar event.
“Windsor is the only district in the county that does this (kind of meeting) on this scale. That’s huge for safety,” said Stapleton.