Parents set to weigh in on school safety in Seaford
Board to create security guard staffing advisory committee
In the weeks following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the Seaford School District has ramped up efforts to give residents the opportunity to voice their concerns about their children’s safety — and to respond to those concerns.
At the Board of Education’s April 17 meeting, President Bruce Khan announced the district’s plans to create a Security Guard Staffing Advisory Committee. The initiative followed talks between residents and the board about issues such as arming security guards.
Citing the effectiveness of a similar committee that focused on anaphylaxis — life-threatening allergic reactions to antigens such as peanuts — Khan said the committee would use evidence-based research to help make security-staffing recommendations to the board.
“This committee will be comprised of various stakeholders in the community,” he explained, “including three to four resident parents. Over the next few weeks, we will be developing the application process for these positions.”
According to Superintendent Dr. Adele Pecora, formation of the committee is one way in which the district and board are responding to community members’ concerns. “Constructing the [committee] is an effective structure for researching and discussing best practices related to school safety,” Pecora said.
The district also held four building safety forums this month, so parents could learn more about the district’s safety policies in their children’s schools. At meetings in each school, administrators made presentations on the buildings’ security, support services and social-emotional programs, and answered parents’ questtions.
The Seaford district denied the Herald’s request to attend its parent security meetings, inferring that the meetings were intended to be safe places where parents could freely share information.
Parents appreciate board’s openness
At the school board’s April 17 meeting, the district invited Don Flynn, president of Covert Investigations & Security, an Oakdale-based firm that specializes in school security, to summarize his company’s audit of the district’s existing security measures.
After the presentation, Flynn and Khan answered parents’ questions.
Afterward, Jessica Schlitter, a Seaford mother of four and a co-president of the Seaford Manor PTA, called the soon-to-be established committee a great first step for keeping parents aware of district security measures. “It’s about time that we get some answers on the security and what’s going on,” Schlitter said. “I think that a lot of parents are long overdue to hear that.”
