Carmel Central board reviews workplace violence prevention policy, plans quick implementation

Members of the Carmel Central School District policy committee read aloud and discussed a model workplace violence prevention policy and agreed to expedite its implementation to meet a near-term compliance deadline.

Unidentified Speaker 1 (meeting moderator) read the draft’s statement of policy: “Carmel Central School District is committed to the safety and security of our employees and to that goal of promoting the safety and well-being of all people in the workplace.” The draft includes definitions, a workplace risk evaluation, an annual review checklist, reporting and investigation procedures, documentation and training requirements, and an implementation responsibility for the superintendent or designee.

Board members debated who should serve as the workplace violence prevention program coordinator. Unidentified Speaker 4 suggested the superintendent should designate the coordinator and that the human-resources director or the district safety/security lead could be the designee for day-to-day work. The board also discussed listing the coordinator’s name and contact information alongside the posted policy so staff know who to contact.

On reporting, members agreed the coordinator should provide the board with monthly reporting that lists currently open incidents and incidents resolved during the prior month. Unidentified Speaker 5 proposed a running spreadsheet of open incidents to match the private-school safety reporting style; the board accepted the recommendation.

The draft requires annual workplace violence prevention training, retention of incident reports for five years, and the development of a written workplace violence prevention program that incorporates a risk evaluation and a reporting system. The draft explicitly cites New York State Labor Law 27-b as the controlling legal authority.

There was consensus to present the draft for formal adoption at the board’s next meeting after minor edits and the assembly of the program materials and administrative regulation. No formal vote was recorded at this session.

The board directed staff to finalize the implementation plan, identify the coordinator and designee, and prepare the monthly reporting format for board review.