December 2015 PA Meeting Minutes

Beacon Parents Association General Meeting 12/8/15

Harry Streep, AP, called the meeting to order at 6:10

Subject of meeting was Safety in and around the building

Beacon Safety Committee – carries out DOE policies in the building

 Monthly meetings
 Set safety policy and protocols under guidance of the DOE
 New Beacon building is 3x larger than older
 School’s goal is to maintain the same relaxed culture while keeping students safe
 No thefts to date of bags or personal belongings – school is located in a low crime area

NYC Police Detectives addressed the parents – they can be reached at 212-767-8447 and they encouraged parents to call with any concerns:

Detective Giaco
Detective Dugan
Precinct: 018 MTN PCT

 300+ police officers in this area
 Safety issues regarding the construction in this area pose a greatre risk than crime
 Biggest problem for our students – getting to and from school
 1000 new officers have been hired by the city to deal with terror threats – Strategic Response Group (SRG)
 Times Square – 60 new officers hired just for this area to deal with crowds and threat of terrorism
 No specific threats to NYC at this time – city is still on high alert
 NYC is on the cutting edge of fighting terrorism
 Truancy officers all wear uniforms – no plain clothes officers deal with truants
 Children leaving school at off hours for doctor appointments, etc. should get a letter on the school letterhead from the main office when traveling – need their photo ID and their schedule to prove that they do not have a class and can be
out of the building
 Only enter and exit school on 44th Street side

Guidelines for visitors to school – must sign in and show ID

School Security officers disperse the children from the school area at the end of the day – students are not allowed to loiter or linger outside the school

Security cameras are all over the neighborhood

Communication to parents – email or website for emergency information

Active Shooter drills are not currently being conducted by schools

Traffic on 10th Avenue can be an issue – Safety officers stand at 44th and 10th when there are large numbers of kids crossing

Safety Plan in place for Beacon – not all details can be shared with parents for security reasons

 Safety Drills currently being conducted – Fire, Shelter In, Soft Lock Down
 Drills need to be taken seriously by students
 Holding Room for students with disabilities on each floor
 Soft Lock Down – occurs when there is a non-threatening intruder in the building – no weapons
 Evacuation plans – secondary and tertiary plans in place
 Students must turn off cell phones during an evacuation – school will communicate with parents when it is safe

Students are permitted to use cell phones in the cafeteria at all times

Safety compliance in science labs and chemical use is almost complete

Students can use their lockers throughout the day

Students should not walk on streets by themselves while talking on their cell phones or wearing headphones – they become easy targets – They should be aware of your surroundings at all times

Tell your students to check the Lost and Found for missing phones, wallets, books, coats, shoes, etc

School needs new DOE approved walkie talkies – $470 each – school needs 10-12 of these devices

Meeting was adjourned at 7:25
Submitted by Susanne Fischer, Recording Secretary

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