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Overcast Five Towns schools double down on security after Uvalde
It’s nearly 2,000 miles from Uvalde, Texas, to Long Island, but the aftershock of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School has reached the Five Towns.
Local school are tightening security in response to a half-dozen reported threats of violence against schools in Nassau and Suffolk counties last week.
The Hewlett-Woodmere School district released a letter the day after the Uvalde shooting to share its Emergency Planning Guide for Parents. The guide includes an explanation of security procedures and emergency plans at district schools, and detailed information for parents in case of an emergency.
Additionally, a nearly 50-page comprehensive District Wide School Safety Plan, last updated in April, can be found on the district’s website. Not all emergency procedures are detailed in the plan, because making all of that information public could compromise student and faculty safety.
“The District, and each one of our school buildings, maintains rigorous Safety Plans that are updated on an ongoing basis,” Superintendent Ralph Marino Jr. wrote in the letter. “Every school conducts numerous drills throughout the year to reinforce responses to various emergency scenarios. The Nassau County Police Department is on site for many of these drills and is our partner in ensuring emergency preparedness. In addition, we work closely with the Nassau County BOCES Health and Safety Office and other schools in the county and state to share new information and ensure that we are utilizing the best possible safety procedures.”
The school district also encourages parents to speak with their children about sharing anything seemingly threatening — including social media posts and verbal or written threats — with appropriate district personnel.
The district’s Ogden Elementary School, in Valley Stream, released a letter on June 1 following the general district letter, to reassure parents that their children’s safety was a top priority.
The Ogden administration and custodial staff met with county police on May 31 to “review protocols and ascertain guidance for future safety measures,” Principal Dina Anzalone and Assistant Principle Elizabeth Murray wrote in the letter.
“Only the main door will be used for arrival and dismissal of students,” it read. “Doors will never be propped open for any reason; windows will be locked at all times; if a class is outside for any reason, the staff member in charge will have a walkie-talkie with them and they are aware of the safety procedures to be followed.”
Parents will also have to call security on the school’s outdoor call box to drop off any items at the beginning of a school day.
Within the next two weeks, Ogden will hold what school officials called an “authentic lockout drill,” which members of the NCPD will observe and offer feedback on.
The Ogden administration will continue to meet with the NCPD, and precautions will be added or revisited in the future.
“We are very confident that, with the assistance of NCPD, our District Director of Health, Safety and Security, and the cooperation of staff, that we will be able to handle any situation that should arise,” Anzalone and Murray wrote.
In the wake of the Uvalde shooting, several Hewlett-Woodmere several parents shared their concerns on the District 14 Residents Facebook group. They questioned the guest sign-in procedure at Hewlett High School and Woodmere Middle School.
The day after the Uvalde shooting, the Lawrence Public School District also released a letter.
“The Lawrence District’s foremost priority is safety, security and well-being of our students, staff and community.” Superintendent Dr. Anne Pedersen wrote. “Our administration continuously reviews and updates district-wide security procedures and regularly test and practice these protocols, and we remain vigilant to keep our buildings safe and secure.”
Pedersen reminded district residents that school building visits must be arranged in advance, and that district staff and security closely monitor school perimeters.
Before 2020, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway had an “open-door policy,” as stated in its 2020 Back to School Blueprint.
The school “routinely welcomed all visitors to our programs and classrooms with open arms.” The policy was discontinued in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic spread.
Two years later, what do HAFTR’s security precautions look like? “We … have always been advised by our security professionals not to discuss our security procedures with anyone as that would put our school community in jeopardy,” the school’s executive director, Ari Solomon, wrote in an email. “Please be reassured, we continue to do everything we can to make sure our students and staff are safe at all times and constantly consult with our professionals and local law enforcement agencies to update as situations present themselves.”
The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach’s executive director, Adrianne Mittan, similarly declined to comment on security and safety in its schools, though she acknowledged that there are emergency precautions in place.
“Unfortunately I am not comfortable commenting on HALB’s safety and security procedures,” Mittan wrote in an email. “As you can imagine, we have many in place and we are always discussing best practices to ensure they are constantly improving. We are dedicated to protecting our children, faculty, and families and work to ensure that we do our best at all times.”
HALB includes the HALB Elementary School in Woodmere, Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys, also in Woodmere, and Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls and Lev Chana Early Childhood Center, both in Hewlett Bay Park.
To access the Hewlett-Woodmere School District’s School Safety Plan, web search SHOrturl.at/fjBJ8, and to read the Emergency Planning Guide for parents, web search SHOrturl.at/msBER.
