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CVESPRESS REPUBLICAN
June 8, 2010 By JOE LoTEMPLIO Staff Writer
Regional coalition building plan to prevent school tragedies
Capt. Michael Branch of the Plattsburgh Police Department speaks at a Coalition of Safe Schools gathering Monday in Plattsburgh. The group brings professionals together to discuss ways to prevent school violence.
PLATTSBURGH
Since the tragic shooting deaths at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, school administrators have put a heavy focus on how they would react to such a crisis.
A new group has been formed to go a step further and develop a plan that, hopefully, will prevent a tragedy from happening here.
"We focus very much on keeping kids safe," Saranac Elementary School Principal Marguerite Tamer said. "It is a key component of our everyday activities, but we felt isolated and weren't sure we were doing the right things. So we are thrilled to be part of this coalition with others."
TEAM WORK
The Coalition of Safe Schools is part of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students project known as Communities of One.
It is a team of educators, law-enforcement and mental-health experts who are developing a plan for all 17 school districts in Clinton and Essex counties to reduce the risk of violence, the use of alcohol and tobacco and other drugs and promoting strong emotional health among students, their families and communities.
HIGH-RISK KIDS
At a news conference Monday, team members talked about the increased number of assaults in schools, cyber bullying and the disconnect many kids feel these days.
Wanda McQueen, the program administrator, said there are kids out there that educators know are at high risk for being involved in an incident.
"We need to make sure we get the right resources to these kids," McQueen said.
"It's about working together, and when you have this many professionals working together, you get good results."
APPRECIATED
Kevin Hulbert, principal of Keeseville Elementary School, said kids mostly want to do the right thing, but they need acknowledgement.
"They need to know that there are a lot of adults out there that appreciate the good things they do."
Clinton County Sheriff David Favro said the negative events of the world cause worry for many kids, just as they do for adults.
"It is incumbent upon us to let them know that things are being worked on and there are some positives in the world."
KEEPING UP
While professionals are always in tune with preventing a major tragedy such as Columbine, where 11 students were gunned down, they also spend a lot of time dealing with cyber bullying and other forms of Internet harassment.
Such harassment is often a precursor to more serious problems, so keeping tabs on such behavior is imperative, said Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague.
"It is hard to keep up on technology, though," she said.
"These kids are usually five steps ahead of us, but we have to try to keep up."
DEVELOPING PLAN
The coalition members will continue to meet monthly to develop their plan of action, which should be distributed to area districts by the beginning of the next school year.
"We will be able to provide these resources to all of the schools, and it will be a more consistent way of doing business when talking about school safety," McQueen said.
Jeff Sisson of Champlain Valley Health Educational Services said educators can never be too prepared.
"It's easy to be good, but to be great, you have to anticipate, and that's what this coalition is all about."
For more information, please contact:
Wanda McQueen -
Project Administrator
(518) 561-0100 x 357