As a follow-up to previous communication, the Waterville Central School District is providing an update on the scheduling of meetings to discuss the district-wide safety plan. The law requires schools to update and adopt a comprehensive district-wide school safety plan each school year.
There will be two meetings scheduled on April 25. The 2022-23 board-appointed Safety Committee will meet at 7:15 a.m. April 25 at the Bud Dorr Board of Education Room, 381 Madison Street, Waterville, NY 13480. There will also be a second meeting at 5 p.m. April 25 in the Waterville Jr./Sr. High School cafeteria to go over the minutes from the morning meeting and provide the public with an additional opportunity for feedback. A representative from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office as well as officials from the OHM BOCES Safety Office will be in attendance at both meetings. Everyone is welcome to attend.
To virtually attend the morning meeting, people were requested to fill out a Google form by noon April 24 for access to a Zoom meeting link to be sent to their email address. The link will be sent prior to the start of the meeting. Both meetings can be attended in person.
Members of the committee include board of education members, law enforcement, BOCES safety office officials, administrators and directors, teachers, building secretaries, parents, and a student representative. Based on feedback received from the community, the district will expand the titles of the committee members for the next school year.
This process provides an opportunity to strengthen the plan by reviewing and updating district safety practices and procedures. The review will include lessons learned from the April 4 incident.
The district-wide safety plan is critical in preventing or minimizing serious violent incidents and emergencies. It is also used to facilitate the coordination of the district with local and county resources in the event of an emergency.
The plan addresses the needs of all schools within the district and is consistent with the confidential building level emergency response plans for each school.
A draft of the 2023-24 plan will be posted to the district website on June 30 for a 30-day public comment period.
At the Waterville Board of Education meeting on July 11, there will be a public hearing on the plan. The Waterville Board of Education anticipates approving the plan in August.