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NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. – Much of the discussion at a meeting of the Northbridge School Committee on Tuesday night centered on security.
The School Department may request, either through raising and appropriating or debt exclusion at the spring annual town meeting, about $246,000 to improve the safety of students and teachers at each of the district’s four schools.
In addition, School Superintendent Nancy Spitulnik said the district is considering changing its policy in response to an “active shooter emergency’’ from passive to active, something that will be discussed further by the school board and may include a public hearing for parent input.
Following the massacre of 26 children in a Newtown, Conn. school a month ago, safety committees were formed in Northbridge Elementary, Balmer, Northbridge Middle and Northbridge High schools, Spitulnik noted.
Committee members did a safety walk through each school with Building Maintenance Director Paul Halacy, Police Chief Walter Warchol and Police Detective Timothy Labrie, she said.
The result was a list of capital safety purchase that include “safe school’’ door hardware which will allow classroom doors be locked from inside the room, estimated cost $110,000; key-card security locks at main and kitchen doors of each school, estimated cost of $25,000; additional security cameras, estimated cost of $102,655; and security film covering on some school windows, estimated cost of $8,700.
The capital safety purchases will be discussed when the School Committee brings its fiscal 2014 budget before the Finance Committee at a meeting on March 6.
“The biggest discussion was on our procedure for lockdown,’’ Spitulnik said of the safety committee meeting held recently with the police chief.
The procedure currently used has been in place for many years, she said, and basically suggests locking doors and hiding. It has been determined that “being passive is not the best way to respond to an active shooter in a school,’’ she said.
“A new model emphasizes a more active approach,’’ she said, such as barricading doors and throwing things at an assailant.
That new approach, called ALICE, was detailed in a seminar held by District Attorney Joseph Early recently and attended by Halacy, Labrie and Patrolman Thomas Dejordy, Spitulnik said.
“A lot of districts have moved to the new model,’’ she said, but changing will require training for administrators, teachers and students.
Before moving to a new model, “we’d want to include all stakeholders in the discussions,’’ Spitulnik said.
A PDF of the ALICE procedures is attached.
Attached: (alice_procedures.pdf)
Comments (15)
The immediate and interim solution recommended by the school committee resources appears to be quite direct and permanent and should not be considered as a " wait and see if the Commonwealth gives us the money". Do it now and when it is done properly Northbridge will have no regrets.
For those elderly, on limited incomes, it is a burden but it would be a relief if their grandchildren are at risk here in Northbridge. This trusts that the elderly's grandchildren are of course going to school in Northbridge because their children have not abandoned the Town. Or have their children moved to an adjacent or nearer "better" community and then plan on coming back to Northbridge for the lower taxes upon their retirement?
Not bad retirement planning!
UPSO;
Counter Points Just My Opinion:
1. Has it been unequivocally defined by the BOS,Town Manager, Public Safety Section, and the School Department that these suggestive improvement's need full immediate action, funding, or can it be done in a phased in yearly approach?
2. What is the status of the Police School resource Officer, has it been maybe almost two years, since a Senior member of of BOS has been suggesting this position for the Town? Maybe no appearant rush or call to action on that suggestion?
3. Their is not one 'discretionary penny' left in the School's FY2013 Budget to initiate some of these suggestions? Nothing in the Revolver Accounts? Seems about 5-6 years ago did not the Schools find maybe $3 Million Dollars in a Revolver Account, that some how it was maybe forgotten about? maybe misplaced?
4. Has the Schools reached out to our State and Federal Representative's, Town Manager, on possible grants, reimbursements, for any of these suggestions? If so what may be the time line if grants were available?
5. Out of the Schools approx $24-$25 Million Dollar Yearly Budget if they cannot find one single spare penny, plus no other possible funding stream. Could some of these suggestions be budgeted at an indexed spread out phased in level's, over the next 2-3 years.
6. Has the School's reached out to the FINCOM for any possible suggestion's, assistance, on funding these security improvements?
7. From the Article it does not mention that these are Federal or State mandates, just suggestion's, correct? How long has the Schools been operating without them? Or how long has the Schools maybe known they may have needed these upgrades?
8. At a recent BOS Meeting the Town Manager touted a new Electric Savings Solar plans for the Towns Schools and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Could the Schools use some of the savings they were going to spend on Electric Costs for some of these security suggestions also?
9. Maybe the Town Accountant may have some possible easy impact funding suggestions also?
Mrbojangles,
"Counter Points Just My Opinion:
1. Has it been unequivocally defined by the BOS,Town Manager, Public Safety Section, and the School Department that these suggestive improvement's need full immediate action, funding, or can it be done in a phased in yearly approach?"
Is this an "opinion" regarding "...full immediate action..." or "...phased in yearly approach...? This appears to be an ambivalent response to the safety of vulnerable, defenseless "targets". A "manana" recommendation.
The SC is approaching this as a "capital $ project".
Your items 2 thru 9 are not the issue.
UPSO:
If the School safety situation is as potentially dire as you may allege, does not our Town Manager, BOS, School Superintendent, Town Power Brokers, may have the necessary Power's and Duties under State and Federal Law's to deal with it immediately? Just in my opinion. Again does the Article say anything about immediate action is proposed? Or Reccommended, by the School Department? As you mention they may be corrolating it to a Capitol Budget approach?
A lot of Taxpayers have told me they may feel a security void, maybe vulnerable, with half the Street lights shut off in their neighborhoods. What about them? What about the businesses in Whitinsville and Rockdale that have the Street Light's shut off in front of their businesses? But 25-30 feet down the road other businesses' may have their Street light on?
Could their also maybe be a security vulnerable void in the area where their is no Street Lights, in front of those unfortunate businesses'? Unless they may pay for the Street Light to be turned on?
Mrbojangles,
Are you dancing to your own tune? This is no waltz as you are "Jitter Bugging" about the initial problem again. You are trying to learn to waltz?
Or was it ballroom dancing? Try "Rap" it may best fit your style. Most of the world dances on its' left feet appears to be the outlook expressed.
Please keep dancing, you may develop an imaginative step in time.
UPSO;
I am in disagreement, but as you are aware the Aussie's are very proud of their 'Waltzing Matilda'. :)
The School's and the Town's Power Broker's will eventually figure this School Matter out.
Mrbojangles,
"..the Aussie's are very proud of their 'Waltzing Matilda'..."
Good reference... "Waltzing Matilda is about a traveling bum who is caught with a poached "Jumbuck" in his cook pot" Are you talking about poaching some Commonwealth funds?
"The School's and the Town's Power Broker's will eventually figure this School Matter out." Who are these so called "Power Brokers" quite often alluded to, especially by the Tuesday morning McD's "puscht"(sp?) club?
Try moving both feet while dancing! You can probably hop on one foot and call it dancing. But isn't that hopscotch? That may be an appropriate analogy left for future comment.
mrbojangles,
Do you think that quoting The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is a magazine published 10 times a year in Washington, DC which promotes a virulently anti-Israel position is a balanced reference related to school capital improvement security expenditures?
Wouldn't it be better to find the "key" to the solution of paying for the improvement without middlemen expenses? Delivering any "grant" to a municipality take administrative costs and Commonwealth tax collecting not to say anything about the Commonwealths' financing costs etc...
"Once the camel gets its' nose into the tent..."
The Town may want to look at paying its' own way instead of "Being on the dole."
UPSO:
Just do a quick GOOGLE Search and you find other non partisan informative reports, information, supporting that article and the amount of 'TOTAL' Federal aid that Israel has received from the good old American Taxpayers. I just used that as a quick example you can also find figures on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China, a lot of sites have the top 25 Foreign Countries that receive foreign aid from the US Taxpayers.
I think charity begins at home, I would prefer using our Federal Tax Dollars on this Nation, and in this case if it can help the over burden Northbridge American Taxpayers., why not?
Our Town/Schools have received and supported all facets of Grants in the past with no issues, so history will only repeat itself, correct? I know the Town of Ware, MA, is very appreciative for the $4 Million Dollar Federal Grant for their new Fire Station. Plus the Town of Westport, MA, had their brand new Fire Station paid for with a Homeland Security Grant from my understanding.
I have a feeling if the Schools put a survey on the Towns Website, would you prefer a Federal or State Grant paying for the $246,000 School Security initiatives'. Or would you prefer paying more on your Property Tax Bill, plus added on top to the other 2.5% you know is going to go up yearly. I think we both know what option the Taxpayers would select, especially in this depressed economy and Seniors on Fixed Incomes.
Plus you have to figure in the ever increasing Service Surcharge's on you Town Water Bills to the mix also..
Mrbojangles,
This "dancing around" is not convincing.
Been very busy learning Ballroom Waltzing. :)
Hopefully before the School Committee ask's the local Tax Payers to shoulder the entire burden of this $240,000 amount, they also look into State and Federal Grants to help soften the blow to the already over burden Taxpayer's and Seniors on 'Fixed Income's'?
Has their been any movement on the Town's Police School resource Officer similar to the old DARE program, that one of our Senior BOS keep's mentioning at the BOS Meetings??
Our schools need to spend the money to add these security features and your suggestion is to apply and wait for a handout from the state or federal government to fund this?
You don't think this is something we as a town should step up and fund?
I think this a noble idea but this could take months/years to hear if we get a grant to cover this. While we are waiting to see if someone else will fund this our schools will go without. I understand that people are on a fixed income but we need to look at INVESTING in our town and not waiting around for a handout from state/federal government to cover our bills.
I am sure when we see how much the tax rate increases to fund these safety upgrades the cost will not be a significant amount (pennies per $1000). Worse case you have to skip a coffee to cover the safety of the kids in this town.
whderv:
I did not see it in the News Article that our Public Safety people were requesting it be done immediately, nor the School Superintendent, just going by the News Article.
So maybe they have the time to apply for State/Federal Grants?
I think they have been working on a Police School resource Officer for almost two years.
It is a travesty that procedures like this have become necessary.