A new security protocol agreed upon - for now

CORNWALL — A decision has been reached on the controversial issue of security at Cornwall Consolidated School. In a special meeting March 1, Board of Education members voted 5 to 1 to accept a revised recommendation from Principal Robert Vaughan.

Beginning at a date sometime after bids can be sought and equipment installed, all doors will be locked and a camera mounted at the main entrance. Visitors coming to the school between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. will ring a buzzer. The buzzer will sound at the secretary’s desk in the main office, in the nurse’s office and the board clerk’s office. Each will have a monitor and the responsibility for determining whether the visitor should be buzzed in or not.

Glitches will occur

Making that determination was a concern for board members. Phil Hart asked if there will be a policy that spells out the procedure. The answer is, for liability purposes, the board will need a policy. Noting the times the system will be used makes it clear when the school is responsible for people on the premises.

But Vaughan was candid about an actual procedure needing to be worked out in practice.

“I anticipate 99 percent of visitors will be people who will be quickly buzzed in because they are known and there are no issues,� Vaughan said. “For those that are not, there could be some awkward moments, and that could get tricky.�

The plan includes a support system. Anyone who is not sure about whether or not to buzz someone in would not be left to make a decision on his or her own. Rather than let someone questionable into the building, the person in charge could send the principal or someone in authority to the door to speak with the visitor.

Monday’s meeting attracted only a few parents — presumably the time of the meeting was an issue — in contrast to regular board meetings that have brought as many as a dozen to air their concerns both for and against locking the school. But a petition signed by 57 parents, former students and community members was presented.

The petitioners asked that a decision include more research and statistics, and a look at alternatives that would be “consistent with Cornwall values.�

A handful of e-mails was also sent to the board, encompassing both sides of the issue and raising other safety concerns.

That petition and differing opinions among the board members make it appear likely that the debate is far from over. One thing all board members agreed upon was that significant investigation had been done. They have been supplied with literature presenting the issues and options, and have discussed the matter at every board meeting since October.

Questions remain

Just as the public has, board members have reached varying views of the situation.

“To assume Cornwall is immune to issues is naive,� Irene Hurlburt said. “We have severe drug problems, regular break-ins and domestic violence.�

She likened the buzz-in approach to airport and amusement park security, which people willingly accept.

Board Chairman Becky Hurlburt was asked by a parent for her opinion. She, too, said she took issue with parents who say the board has not looked thoroughly at both sides of the issue, and said she knows she is not the only board member who has wrestled with it.

“The bottom line is we have to take the precaution of protecting the public school. [Region One Superintendent] Patricia Chamberlain told me to vote my conscience, and my conscience says we need to take the path of safety. I don’t want it to be the path of fear, as some have suggested. I think parents are going to rally behind the decision and make it a positive.�

Rachael Matsudaira spoke to issues raised previously by parents, of safety concerns on the school grounds. She voiced her opinion that the school should not be considered an open, community setting during the school day.

“I don’t want my kids to feel like parents can walk in any time. The school day should be structured and a closed environment for studying and learning.�

Not necessarily strangers

Phil Hart cast the dissenting vote. He is not against bumping up security, but feels that the potential problem has not been accurately identified.

“This is a good solution to a problem that has been defined by some, but I don’t feel that problem exists,� he said. “The reason I oppose this is because there is a good chance that anyone who would cause trouble would be someone who is known, as opposed to a man with a gun.�

Vaughan noted that the school is advised of any protective orders or other restriction issues involving the court system. Anyone responsible for determining who will be buzzed in will be advised of restrictions.

Going in, the only thing certain about the effectiveness of the new security is that it cannot be ignored as current security measures sometimes are.

For years now, any adult not employed by the school and who visits during the school day is required to sign in and out in a log in the main office. A new sign was recently applied to a front door as a reminder.

Monday’s board meeting offered a good snapshot of how ineffectual that is for keeping track of who is in the school. Of six board members, the Region One superintendent, two reporters and several parents who arrived for the 8:30 a.m. meeting, only one person signed the log. Other people entering the school were observed heading straight to classroom hallways.

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