October 20, 2023
To the Duanesburg Community,
We, the members of your Board of Education, would like to offer our thoughts following the emergency response at both of our school buildings this week. While we all wish that threats like those distributed across NYS on Wednesday wouldn’t happen, there are some important things that we learned through the experience.
- Our School Resource Officers are vital assets to our school community and the safety of our students and personnel. Their direct connection to the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office allowed our administration to determine the appropriate course of action immediately.
- Our emergency protocols are efficient and effective. Our administration enacted emergency response plans that have been developed for the sole purpose of keeping our students safe. We now know how well they truly work.
- Our local law enforcement and emergency responders are at the ready to support us in times of need. The Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office, as well as law enforcement from other towns and counties, responded swiftly to calls from our SROs.
- Our students and staff are remarkable. Despite uncertainty, our students and staff followed directions, enacted procedures, and maintained a productive learning environment throughout the event.
As individuals who care deeply about our students, we were unsettled by the events on Wednesday and anxiously awaited communication. It is never easy to be on the outside of an emergency situation. It can leave us feeling helpless and uninformed, and those feelings are heightened when the emergency affects our children.
Our top priority will always be the safety of our students. Once a scene is being managed by law enforcement, our administrators must follow their directives, including when it is appropriate to lift safety orders and notify the community. While we recognize that every second feels like one second too long to wait, we trust that our law enforcement officers are doing their best work and, in turn, we will provide you with information as soon as that communication is deemed safe. Thank you for your ongoing support of our students.
With Eagle Pride,
Members of the Duanesburg Board of Education
Melissa Them Peterson, President
Francis Spor, Vice President
Teresa Wood-Irvin
Sarah Gwiazdowski
Avis Sanchez
Toni Amorosi
Alyssa Craig