SAUGUS — When School Committee members questioned whether students in the district’s schools knew what to do in a crisis, they got a mixed response.
“We do not have a safety policy at that high school or it’s antiquated,”said School Committee member Elizabeth Marchese. “The kids don’t know it.”
Marchese said she was not playing the blame game, but she feels strongly more needs to be done to make students feel safe at school.
Her remarks come in the wake of Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi’s report on school safety procedures outlined to committee members last week. He said police are training on new school safety measures and they will introduce them into the schools.
Two weeks ago, a situation at Saugus High School pushed safety plans to the forefront. A threat written on a whiteboard brought DeRuosi, the town manager, police and detectives to the school during after-school hours.
The writing was discovered by a custodian in a wing at the rear of the building Wednesday night. While it did not directly threaten an individual or group, DeRuosi said it included concerning language.
“It turned out to be more or less a student issue that had nothing to do with the school,” said DeRuosi. “It was disturbing graffiti but there was no viable threat.”
An ongoing basketball game concluded before town officials got to work to develop a plan of action to avoid creating a sense of urgency, he said.
DeRuosi issued a recorded call to parents to make them aware of the situation, in line with the district’s protocol for school emergencies.
Police assisted in a controlled school entrance the next morning that restricted entry to the building to one door. Teachers monitored various doors around the building to ensure they were not being used, he said.
School Committee members want to know if children have an understanding of what is expected of them in an emergency.
“What about now? Because eventually is unacceptable.” said Marchese. “If we’re waiting for the police, then why hasn’t this been enacted a year ago? There are other things we should be doing.”
“What are we doing to prevent and educate our children in the school environment? and what are we doing to prepare them?” said Marchese, adding, “Who has what role? Who is responsible for locking the door? Where are the announcements coming from? There is a whole list that has been in place since 2013 by the Massachusetts Department of Education. What are we doing to respond and how do we help our students recover even if it’s a false alarm? What kind of counseling are we giving our children when they’re coming back to school and they’re afraid? What are we doing to help our kids feel safe and our parents feel safe?”
Other committee members echoed her concerns.
“I have twins at the high school,” said committee member Lisa Morgante. “My son said he has heard something about what they need to do. My daughter doesn’t know what to do. We all need to get on the same page.”
While the adults seem to be on the same page, Morgante said she worries the children are not.
“Nobody knows what to do,” she said.
School Committee member Marc Magliozzi said he worries his children don’t know what to do in a lockdown.
“We need to teach them at a young age,” he said. “I think we should be running through drills with the children from kindergarten all the way through grade 12. What do we do in a lock in? What do we do in a lockdown? Do we have to get under the desks? Should we congregate?”
Principals from each of the district’s schools attended to take part in the discussion. They reported that the administration at each school has taken it upon themselves to create a crisis team to talk about safety.
Principal Tracey Ragucci of Veterans Elementary School reported that plans and procedures are in place and they are consistent among the schools.
“We practice at the Vets as much as we do a fire drill, on the same schedule as a fire drill,” said Ragucci. “At the beginning of the year when we teach the kids what they need to do to exit in a fire, we teach them what they need to do to secure in place. Yes, we need to update, it has been a while. But safety and security are always first and foremost our priority.”
Kelly Moss, principal of Waybright Elementary School, said the school has two drills a year.
Saugus High School said staff members in different parts of the building have been instructed to take the lead in an emergency because the layout of the building is difficult to manage, said Principal Michael Hashem.
The high school practices lock ins, lockdowns, and secure in place drills, he said.
Magliozzi questioned whether all the doors in the school lock, and whether someone could enter the high school from any of the 48 existing exterior doors if one was left propped open. Marchese asked how often the doors were checked to ensure they are all locked.
DeRuosi said he would research the cost of door alarms that would chirp when opened, and assured members that new procedures would be implemented once police finished training.