LYNNFIELD — At a School Committee meeting Tuesday evening, members turned their focus to safety.
“We know our school buildings are an extension of your homes,” said School Committee Chair Rich Sjoberg. “And as students gain their educational foundation, we are fully committed to their success.”
The committee welcomed the district’s new security team, consisting of: Superintendent of Schools Kristen Vogel, Lynnfield Middle School Principal Stephen Ralston, Nurse Coordinator Toni Rebelo, Fire Chief Glenn Davis, Police Chief Nick Secatore, Police Capt. Chris DeCarlo, Fire Department Lt. Jeff Fiorentino, Lynnfield High School Assistant Principal Brian Bates, School Resource Officer Alex Doto, and Assistant Director of School Operations Tony Fratoni.
“The purpose really of our team is to organize, oversee, and manage school safety and security using a collaborative team approach,” said Vogel.
There will be two emergency drills done at each school every school year. The drills for this upcoming school year have already been scheduled.
Under the supervision of Doto, older students will also undergo Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (ALICE) training, which lays out how to respond in the event of an active shooter.
Board member Jamie Hayman asked Sjoberg, “Are you comfortable where we are as a district when it comes to security and safety for our students?”
“So beyond what I do for a living all you have to know is that other districts look to us for how to respond and plan their own districts, right?” Sjoberg replied. “We certainly know things beyond public information that the schools have done or have in place to prevent tragedy, if you will, and we’re all well aware of the preparation that is done. To raise it — to raise it to the next level of an actual security team, which includes all the important stakeholders of our police chief, fire chief, the school resource officer, the police captain, and Mr. Ralston has been a lead in this Dynamic Stars program in the county. So yes, the short answer is yes.”
Alarms will also be placed on the side and back doors at all of the town’s schools to further enhance security measures.
Dorothy Irrera can be reached at [email protected].
