Schools

Blind Brook Reviews Safety Improvements Bids

A safety update from Superintendent William J. Stark updatess.

Dear Members of the Blind Brook Community:

Last week Mr. Harry Burg, Director of Pupil Services, attended the Westchester County Community Violence Prevention Forum: A Public Health Approach, on behalf our District. Rye Brook Police Chief Greg Austin was also in attendance. The forum was organized by the County of Westchester to bring together community leaders to discuss the issue of violence prevention. The keynote speech was presented by Dr. Howard Spivak, Director of the Division of Violence Prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A portion of the program was devoted to building safer learning environments in schools. Some of the recommended initiatives included Community Coalitions and the implementation of research-based school-wide programming such as the OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Program, both of which are well established in our schools.

Security Emergency Response Teams or SERTS under the direction of the Altaris Consulting Group have held training sessions for all schools in the District. Plans are underway for additional drills. On the infrastructure front three architectural firms have responded to our Request for Proposals. The Board must first enter into a contract with an architect and then the architect prepares preliminary plans and specifications that address our concerns and needs followed by cost estimates and a budget. Thereafter presentations will be made by the architect to the Board and community at one or more public meetings.

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Once the Board decides on the final design and scope, a bond vote can be scheduled as may be necessary or the funds needed can be included in the 2014-2015 budget as a transfer to capital. Which way the funding works will be determined by the size and scope of the project. Note that there is currently a capital fund surplus or fund balance of $273,127 that traces back to a May 2007 RSS capital improvement proposition that was approved by the voters. So this money is available for whatever capital improvements are undertaken and completed at RSS in the future and will be an offset to the full cost of whatever project is eventually agreed upon. In the interim certain physical upgrades are being addressed in house.

The Board and administration continue to consider safety and security, physically and emotionally a prime concern.

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Sincerely, William J. Stark


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