Administrators are supporting the students. “We want to help the kids coordinate something so it’s done in a safe fashion and it’s not just mayhem, and that they also get to make their points,” said superintendent Seth Turner.
The BOE president praised the student organization of the March 14 walkout. “I’m not trying to be political about this, but I will say that they’ve done an incredible job at recognizing their own differences of opinions,” said Kevin Salem.
“The significance of that is that they are realizing they can step up and make a difference and aren’t leaving it to other people,” said the superintendent.
Less than a week after a Saugerties student and his father were arrested, 70 residents attended a school safety forum seeking answers from administrators and trustees.
The walkout will take place March 14 as part of a nationwide protest.
Much of the discussion at last week’s school board meeting centered around the committee’s makeup and how members would be selected.
Should school staff be trained in how to disarm a shooter? Could schools be made more secure? “We have to look at reality; we live in a terrifying world,” said one resident.
Moved by the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida where 17 people died at the hands of teenager, the Onteora Central School District will hold a Community Forum on safety at district schools at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in the Middle/High School auditorium at the Boiceville campus.
When the Saugerties police chief suggested teachers carry guns, attendees applauded. But the high school principal doesn’t support the idea.
A generation that has grown up with mass shootings as a regular occurrence says enough is enough.