Jamestown School Board Ex-Officio Student Members Aubrey Reynolds and Emylia Hallberg (March 28, 2023)

Jamestown High School students on the Jamestown School Board expressed concern over safety in schools in the wake of recent stabbings in the city.

Ex-Officio student member Emylia Hallberg said while there is more police support in the school, the students want to see a Safety Committee created to get public input.

The other Ex-Officio student member, Aubrey Reynolds, agreed, “I think a lot of the faculty is concerned for the safety of the students and safety of themselves in general. I mean, they were promised a safety committee earlier this year. Not much action has taken place, so they’d like to see that go forward and so would we. We really care about our school. The recent issues with the fights, all the stabbings, is kind of causing an uneasy feeling in the school.”

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said there had seemed to be interest from the community to join a Safety Committee, “But we didn’t get a lot of interest. I reached out to a few people and made some phone calls to say, ‘I heard that you might be interested. Would you like to join?’ People said, ‘Well, sure yeah, ok. Just let me know if that’s a thing.’ But we had very, very few people from outside the district say they would be interested so that was a little disappointing.”

Whitaker said the committee would look at items like ballistics coating on windows, weapons and metal detection; tactical issues, and infrastructure issues. He said while he wanted the community to have a voice, if that doesn’t work out there will be a district-building safety committee at the least.

Following the 13th school shooting in the nation this year, Board President Paul Abbott said more communication is needed of everyone’s concerns. He said he feels the District has safety as a top priority, “I think it’s important that people know and understand what we’re doing. I absolutely agree that it’s really important that everyone has a voice and an opportunity to express their concerns. I guess as far as the Safety Committee geos, that is certainly a great avenue for that.”

Abbott added that if volunteers weren’t interested, he’d still want to see a committee that included people from every school building, bargaining unit, and student representatives.

Board Member Pat Slagle said he thinks it’ll take the community, including a Safety Committee, coming together to figure out the puzzle pieces to eliminate safety issues in the district. He said a lot of investment has been made to secure the schools including the recent over $400,000 investment in a secure vestibule entrance at Persell Middle School, “We have the Red Shirt program. We have the Red Shirts here tonight. SRO’s (School Resource Officers), that’s about $100,000 per SRO. We’ve increased social workers in school. We’ve increased mental health access. We’ve partnerships with the County to provide that. We have new programs to hopefully help reduce incidences of bullies in schools. We continue to reach out to community partners on how we can continue to affect these students who are no longer students, but causing issues in and around the schools.”

Slagle added that the board and district will continue to take all steps needed to keep students and staff safe.

Members of the community who are interested in joining the School District’s Safety Committee may contact that Administrative Offices at 716-483-4350.

Members of the public address Jamestown School Board (October 25, 2022)

Over 30 people attended the Jamestown School Board meeting with 13 speaking to the board with concerns about school safety and bullying.

The concerns were raised following a parent speaking at the October 11 School Board meeting about a bullying incident that was captured on video and shared on social media.

Parent Jennifer Buck, who has children at Persell and the High School, said every student should have to read and sign the district’s Code of Conduct. She also said the bullying of student is “out of control,” “My children have come home and spoke about how kids have made fun of their weight, their eyebrows, their skin condition. My daughter has been told to kill herself multiple times at Persell Middle School already this year. Have I reported these? No. Should I have? Yes, but my kids have begged me not to do so because it would make more harm than good. It makes it worse. I’m sure there is more they aren’t telling me because they know now is enough and I’m not being quiet. I just want my children, all children, to go to school, be safe, get the education they need to guide them through the rest of their lives.”

Anti-bullying signs outside the Jamestown Public Schools Administrative Building (October 25, 2022)

Parent Carla Gonzalez said the schools and students are facing challenges that require more than reactive efforts. She said parents at the meeting want protection for their children, “Specifically, with the installation of metal detectors and door sensors at all entrances of JHS. As the Board of Education, you could not expect a music class to be successful without instruments. You would not expect a math class to be as effective without calculators. You would not expect a basketball team to win without balls. Please do not expect our schools to remain secure without the proper equipment that can enhance the safety of our children.”

Tamu Graham-Reinhardt, who works for the Jamestown School District as its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, spoke up as a resident, saying that support is needed from the community, “And your frustrations are valid and I want to acknowledge them. I would also ask that if you are interested in being part of the solution, then we all should get together. I know that there was a survey that was put out and we should talk and look at problem solving. We are reviewing the Code of Conduct, so thank you for bringing that up. We are reviewing the Code of Conduct. I’m part of the committee. And anyone else, I would ask to come do that because it needs to be examined.”

Most of the speakers Tuesday night requested metal detectors be considered for school buildings.

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said student safety and security has been taken very seriously over the two years he’s served as Superintendent of the district. He said that includes reinstating School Resource Officers, initiating a Threat Assessment Protocol, and hiring a Safety and Security Supervisor, “..Have been running emergency drills and crisis teams, attending workshops on the various emerging technology for detection and monitoring; developing a capital project that creates secure vestibules in all buildings – adding those to Persell and to the High School. Installing alarms for doors at the High School, making improvements and upgrades to cameras and entry credentialing, installing ten-foot fencing at the High School and bollards behind the High School to restrict vehicle traffic.”

Whitaker said the internal Safety and Security Committee will be expanded to include staff, teachers, students, parents, and community members, “We will review all of the available options for us. And we will make a recommendation. This is how the work of a community is done – effort, research, collaboration, communication, hearing different opinions and positions, and coming to a resolution that includes input from all constituent groups. That is what we want our kids to see as a model. This is how we can conquer any seemingly insurmountable issue.”

Whitaker said that the Safety and Security Committee will discuss if metal detectors are part of the solution and if the community is willing to deal with the ancillary consequences of that whether it’s the cost of the equipment, extra staff, or time involved with students going through the detection system.

He added that feedback can also be submitted anonymously to jpsny.org/feedback. He said that page also will give people the option to sign up for the Safety and Security Committee. QR codes are available at the High School for reports to be submitted anonymously as well.

In other business, the Jamestown School Board accepted bids totaling $500,155 to contract with Kinley Corporation, Mazza Mechanical Services, Inc., and Ahlstrom-Schaeffer to construct the Secure Entry Vestibule at Persell Middle School. This capital project had been approved by voters in 2021. Whitaker said that project is expected to be completed by Spring.

Vice-President Pat Slagle and School Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker at School Board meeting (August 30, 2022)

The Jamestown School Board passed a new district-wide safety plan at its meeting Tuesday.

New York State requires all school districts adopt a safety plan.

School Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said School Safety Advisor Brad Meyers did something different with the safety plan this year, “So safety plans are in two parts – one is buildings which is intentionally confidential and the other one is the district which is a little more general. Brad (Meyers) took the concept from the building plans and incorporated them into the district plans. So the district plans supports all of the building plans.”

At a public hearing on the plan, the question was asked which buildings would have school resource officers and if the SROs are part of the safety plan. Meyers said one resource officer will be located at Jamestown High School with the new SRO moving between schools. He said the district uses multiple “red shirt” safety officials at the high school with one “red shirt” at each of the middle schools.

Meyers said, coming out of the Pandemic restrictions, some things will be easier in regards to public safety, “Going back to single point of entry on the schools. Things of that nature, getting back to using the cafeteria collectively, at the same time. Those things actually help us with the security issues and we’ll be continuing to practice with the building level emergency response teams again this year as we did last year.”

Meyers added that the new Resource Officer will be engaged with students at the Middle Schools, including instructional time.

Jamestown School Board President Paul Abbott and JPS Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker (June 7, 2022)

Jamestown School Board President Paul Abbott called for more action from elected officials on gun control in the wake of recent school shooting in Texas.

Following a moment of silence for the 21 victims of the school shooting in Texas, Abbott, speaking at the school board meeting Tuesday, encouraged political leaders at the state and federal levels to do something, “It’s just absurd that these things continue to happen in this country. It’s absurd that people have access to military-grade body armor. I was a police officer and I didn’t have military-grade body armor. The assault weapons that we allow people to possess and allow people to sell.”

Abbott criticized the officials who aren’t willing to support change, “And for politicians who can’t make changes in that and in our mental health system, I would ask them to stand in a classroom with second and third graders and their parents and explain to them why it’s more important for people to have access to these sorts of things than it is to protect them.”

Abbott added that despite the budget already being passed, he’d like the board to discuss before next school year the possibility of adding more “red shirt” safety officials in the building or School Resource Officers.

In regards to the recent incident where a fourth grader made a threat against another student at Ring School in addition to recent times where schools had “lockout” situations, Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said the district is in a “state of heightened concern.”

He said the increased attention from the media and social media can sometimes cause others to act out, “And this is the case, and I stay in touch with lots of superintendents across the state, this is the case across the state. There have been numerous events of this kind all the way across the state from Long Island to Jamestown. And it’s an unfortunate fact of our society that there are some individuals who would engage in behavior that would cause a school to go into lockout or have to have conversations with parents about this sort of thing.”

Whitaker said, however, he always errs on the side of caution, “So if we had to do something that turned out to not to be necessary, I would do that a thousand times rather than miss the one time we should have done something and we didn’t.”

Whitaker, in response to questions raised by a parent during privilege of the floor about why no information was provided about the status of a student who made a threat against Ring Elementary School earlier this week, said the district under Federal privacy law cannot legally disclose information when it comes to student records and information, “So for example, in a disciplinary matter relating to a school incident, the school is not allowed to disclose what happens with that student. And that has led to understandable frustration if you’re unaware of this. We would love to calm fears by releasing information, but that is illegal. It’s not something we’re allowed to do.”

Whitaker said the district is still in the process of debriefing with District School Safety Advisor Brad Meyers leading the process to determine what further strategies and systems to implement. He added the second School Resource Officer who will be working in elementary school buildings in the Fall was already at Ring school Monday working with students.

Jamestown School Board meets at Ring Elementary School

Jamestown Public Schools will be looking at adding another School Resource Officer who would provide support district wide.

School Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said the current School Resource Officer assigned to the High School acts in a police officer and safety role. He said the additional SRO would be more instructional and be available for students K through 12, “The officer would teach students in similar to a DARE program about drugs, similar to maybe with the little kids ‘stranger danger’ and things like that; road safety, those sorts of instructional things. We’d also teach adults about things things like potentially like gang related items, or what drugs look like, or what people under the influence of drugs look like.”

Whitaker said the SRO position would be included in the proposed 2022-23 budget for the school board to consider and then would be voted on by the public. If approved, notice would then be given to the Jamestown Police Department to go ahead and hire the new officer.

Jamestown City Council gave approval for the city to hire the school resource officer at its Monday voting session. If the school budget passes, the officer would begin work in August 2022. Jamestown Public Schools would reimburse the City of Jamestown for ten months of the cost for a police officer at $109,684. The City of Jamestown would be responsible for the officer’s salary for the two summer months that school is not in session for a cost of $21,936.

Jamestown City Council

One resolution call for replacing a salt spreader truck, a plow/dump truck, a street sweeper, utility tractor/sidewalk plow for a total of $890,000 for the Department of Public Works.

The resolution for Parks includes replacing a dump truck, bucket truck, tractor with loader bucket, and an excavator/trencher for $370,000. Both departments say the equipment needs to be replaced due to safety, high maintenance and repair costs; and obsolescence.

Council will review a request to suspend the hiring freeze and hire an additional School Resource Officer. The Jamestown Public Schools district has requested JPD provide an additional SRO who would be placed at the middle schools.

JPS would reimburse the city $109,684 for the ten months the Resource Officer works for the district, with the city being responsible for $21,936 to cover the two summer months when school isn’t in session.

Council also will review a resolution from the Jamestown Fire Department to purchase 40 radio receivers from Eagle Radio Technologies for $13,968. The staff report said the department uses radio receivers, or pagers, for rapid recall of off-duty firefighters in cases of extreme emergency. This purchase will replace the obsolete pagers with a new receiver. The funds will come from the leftover Fiscal Year 2021 Fire Department Contractual and Equipment Funds.

The Housing Committee will receive a presentation of the 2021 year-end report as well as an update on demolitions.

The Housing Committee meets at 6:45 p.m. with other committee meetings at 7 p.m. The full work session begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Third Floor Conference Room of City Hall. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed as well.

Council also will vote to accept funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination, or GIVE program. This state program includes funding of $72,221. That goes toward a Crime Analyst position and also funds overtime for officers working in conjunction with other GIVE partners, including the District Attorney’s office, Parole, Probation, and New York State Police.

Under old business, Council will vote on a local law amending the City Charter to change the rebate rates for sidewalk repairs from $1 a square foot to $3 a square foot.

Under new business, Council will review and act on a $10,000 grant agreement with the Preservation League of New York State to complete a Cultural Resources Survey of the Park West Neighborhood. The work will be completed by Clinton Brown Company Architecture, PC.

Council also will act on suspending the hiring freeze to hire a School Resource Officer in the Jamestown Police Department. The pre-file for the meeting noted that while the Jamestown Public School District had previously discontinued funding for the School Resource Officer positions, partial funding for one officer at Jamestown High School has now become available through the district. JPS will reimburse the City for $109,479, covering ten months of the cost for a police officer. The City will be responsible for $22,059 in costs during the two summer months when the SRO will work at the Jamestown Police Department.

The voting session takes place at 7:30pm tonight in City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall.

The Ray Fashano Tech Academy on Fourth St.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Public Schools will be adding a second full time school resource (SRO) when school resumes in September.

On Monday night, the Jamestown City Council discussed the hiring of a new police officer after it was learned that Jamestown school officials are requesting a second resource officer to work for the district.

According to Jamestown Police Captain Todd Isaacson, the new SRO will work at Jamestown’s Ray Fashano Tech Academy on Fourth St. He said the addition of the SRO is in response to an increase of incidents happening there during the 2014-15 school year, including the assault of a teacher by two students in April.

“There’s been instances throughout the school year when we’ve had officers up there, sometimes two times during the same school day,” Isaacson said. “I think if anything this will be a good factor in mitigating any instabilities that may arise. It serves multiple purposes including being a mentor, keeping the peace, and just being that underlying force [on site] in case things do become unstable.”

The new position is in addition to an SRO who is already stationed at the high school.

Because an officer will be devoted to working at the Tech Academy full time during the school year, the JPD will be hiring a new officer to work regular patrols.

“A senior officer will be assigned to the SRO position, one with experience, and then we’ll hire a new officer to take over the duties of the officer who’s been assigned to the Tech Academy,” Isaacson said.

During its July voting session, the Jamestown city council will be acting on lifting the city’s hiring freeze to bring on the new officer. Funding for the SRO position will be provided for by the Jamestown School District.