We know this is a lengthy update but please take the time to read this important message as it pertains to the Cell Phone Ban and SRO implementation.
We are receiving conflicting messages re: SRO implementation. The statement sent out by the district this week conflicts with the discussion that took place at the October 8th school board meeting (which is attached below for viewing). At the meeting, the Niskayuna BOE moved forward with several resolutions.
The first resolution unanimously adopted by the board, was to direct Superintendent Mummenthey to develop a potential plan, timeline, and associated cost regarding implementation of 69 out of 70 recommendations from Altaris (the consulting company hired by the district to review our school safety policies and protocols). This resolution specifically excluded any plan to add School Resource Officers.
Regarding implementation of School Resource Officers as recommended by Altaris, the BOE adopted a separate resolution to direct Superintendent Mummenthey to make a recommendation to the board. This would include the cost of reinstating School Resource Officers as well as looking into alternatives to implementing the SRO program. A lengthy discussion from the board ensued where some board members stated that they were uncomfortable with an SRO program. Two board members voted against the resolution for Superintendent Mummenthey to even provide recommendations for a security program. Some reasons provided included the added expense and board member personal comfort level with having armed police officers in the schools. There was no discussion about the fact that almost 1,500 community members have already signed a petition in favor of SROs. Or that every single surrounding school district has successfully funded and maintained SRO programs. It was made very clear by the BOE president, Libbie Cococcia, that a vote yes for this specific resolution was NOT a vote yes to reinstate SRO programming (see minutes from the BOE meeting below).
The BOE also unanimously voted to implement a policy to ban all smart phones from students during the school day. One student representative on the board stated that students may be anxious about not being able to communicate with their parents in case of emergency, especially in light of the fact that we do not have School Resource Officers. To that point, we should note that all surrounding districts that have banned smart phones have dedicated School Resource Officers in their buildings and at afterschool events.
Please take the time to watch the below youtube video of the 10/8 board meeting so that you can hear firsthand the discussion regarding school resource officers as well as the new policy to ban cell phones. Those discussions begin at the 38:00 mark.
The time to act is NOW. We urge you to voice your concerns at the next board meeting on October 15th at 6 PM at VA Middle School in the BOE Room. We also urge you to directly reach out to Superintendent Mummenthey and BOE members as soon as possible to strongly advocate to reinstate our School Resource Officer program as was recommended by the experts that were hired by the district. We do not want “an alternative” to SRO programming as suggested by some BOE members at the last meeting.
cmummenthey@niskyschools.org
Schoolboard@niskyschools.org
As a much longer term strategy, we need to ensure that elected school board members reflect the will of the constituents they serve versus their own personal beliefs and biases. To that end please consider running for the school board next May.
October 8, 2024 BOE meeting below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv-cnEHL1nU