Parent urges clearer districtwide notifications after school threat incidents

At the South Orangetown Central School District board meeting, parent Sarah Helmke urged the board to establish clear, districtwide communication protocols so families do not learn about safety threats secondhand.

"Families should not be learning about serious safety concerns secondhand from their children or through informal parent communication," Helmke told the board, saying she learned of two separate incidents involving threats of gun violence at William O. Schaefer shortly before February break and that families did not receive broad notifications.

Superintendent Dr. Koolot responded that the district takes safety very seriously and that Board of Education Policy 8130 (School Safety Plans and Teams) is the vehicle the district will use to address the kinds of communication Helmke requested. He said the policy committee will review the policy and that the district has collected communication templates from neighboring districts to inform revisions. Policy 8130 will be discussed at the policy committee meeting on April 22.

Helmke requested that the board place the topic on a future agenda and asked for potential timing for changes; the superintendent and other board members said they would bring the item to policy committee and consult the safety committee as appropriate.

The board did not adopt a new protocol at the meeting; the record shows the board directed further policy work and committee review.