September 16, 2022
Hello North Rockland Families,
As we conclude the second week of the 2022-23 school year, I want to share with our school community how North Rockland has taken the topic of school safety to the forefront of everything we do.
The District has conducted an extensive safety and security review of our plans, in a multitude of layers. Each and every layer has been vigorously tested, reviewed and revised in order to add enhanced insulation from harm -- no matter the type. There is a vast array of new enhancements from technology to social emotional learning, installation of intruder locks, single points of entry, bolstered police campus presence, prox card readers, drills, surveillance cameras, line of site reviews, teacher protocols to our added safety and security team members, in place to assist in both situational prevention and response to protect our schools. You will find a video on all of this at the end of today's message which I highly encourage you to watch.
In response to the horrific tragedy in Uvalde Texas – Campus Safety Officers (Allied Security) and all terrain vehicles have been added, in addition to the internal security team, to our daily routine to safeguard our schools. The North Rockland Central School District is also working in conjunction with the Haverstraw Police Department, Stony Point Police Department and Rockland County Sheriff's Office to maximize building safety.
Our leadership team has been hard at work in collaboration with local officers to make our families, students, community and staff feel safe. Special thanks goes out again for the support provided by our local law force officers. Under the direction of Haverstraw Chief Peter Murphy and Stony Point Chief Ed Finn officers have been assigned to monitor our schools everyday until permanent School Resource Officers are assigned. We are thankful to have such talented and caring officers in our school buildings.
The District, state police and local law enforcement have participated in various activities and taken additional measures including: live safety training, table top and preparedness simulations as well as both prevention and response tactics. This type of training and connection to law enforcement is invaluable to our collective effort to keep our schools safe.
The addition of top of the line security, protocols and procedures have been matched by our most important preventative layer -- our culture and climate. Across our buildings significant emphasis is placed on comprehensive mental health services, social emotional learning, emotional supports and self-regulation. I believe in our Red Raider culture, which reflects and promotes the importance of empathy, compassion, understanding and belonging. We are operating daily from a strength based approach relative to keeping everyone safe.
Our students are supported by security officers as well as teachers, administrators and staff who are here for them as trusted adults. They are encouraged that if they “See Something, Say Something.” Please help us in our mission by reminding your children of the importance of identifying, targeting and monitoring health or safety issues in order to provide the safest and healthiest school environment. Parent-student-school communication is a key layer to preventing school violence.
Parents or guardians are essential in identifying troubling behaviors in their children. If you have concerns please call your child's school administrator or counselor so they can work with you to get the help needed to prevent potential escalation. For young adults experiencing a behavioral health crisis North Rockland has partnered with outside agencies for 24/7 assistance that are outlined under Suicide Prevention Month Resources further below in today’s update. For highly concerning behavior or threats of harm the authorities ask you call 911. Dealing with these situations can be difficult for grown-ups, let alone for our children. We are here to help every step of the way.
As we work to continuously improve school security, our NR Strong partnerships with parents, students and emergency authorities will help ensure NRCSD remains a safe place for our students to learn, grow and succeed.
In closing I would like to retract a statement I made in last week’s message where I spoke about issues with the distribution center in Monsey resulting in a number of bus passes not making it to our residents homes. After further investigation we found the error was NOT with the distribution center in Monsey rather a different arm of the US Postal Service, I sincerely apologize to Monsey Distribution.
Our team here at NR has been meeting with Haverstraw Transit leadership to work out the final kinks in our bussing schedule with an end goal of: being as efficient and consistent as possible. Both the District and our partners at Haverstraw Transit would like to thank those families who have experienced bumps in the road for their patience as we work to ensure we are better year after year.
