Putnam Convenes A School Safety Team
Immediate Release
Putnam County Executive
MaryEllen Odell
845-808-1001
June 8, 2022
Putnam Convenes a School Safety Team In the aftermath of the awful massacre in Texas and a seemingly endless cycle of school shootings, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell has announced that the county will earmark $2 million for the Sheriffâs Department to work with the Department of Social Services and Putnamâs six school districts to protect schools in Putnam County. The funding will come from the $19.1 million the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. âWe need to acknowledge that school shootings can happen anywhere, even in Putnam, the safest county in the state, and we need to prepare in order to prevent a tragic event from occurring here,â County Executive Odell said. âOur schools are the biggest employers in Putnam County and our children, of course, are our most precious resource. There is no better use for ARPA money than to protect our schools and find ways to identify and help students who might be experiencing a mental health crisis before itâs too late.â The effort, called âTeam Up for School Safety,â will start with Sheriff Kevin J. McConville and Department of Social Services and Mental Health Director Michael J. Piazza Jr. working with school superintendents countywide to identify what is already in place and which gaps districts might need to fill. âThe safety and security of our students, faculty, and administrators is of fundamental importance to the Putnam County Sheriffâs Office and its members,â Sheriff McConville said. âThere is an undeniable and increasing prevalence of emergency situations in schools, and there is an increasing severity of school violence. Since Columbine, which occurred in 1999, there have been over 287 school shootings. The ability to utilize funds to provide a critical review and assessment of our schools, safety programs, and intervention procedures will assist with mitigation. A fresh appraisal of emergency management plans, preparedness and response actions will assist law enforcement, while working with Mental Health professionals to provide services for those affected, will work towards that goal.â Among the first items the team expects to review is technology, to ensure that the technology in every school syncs with the countyâs Bureau of Emergency Services, the Sheriffâs Department and all local law enforcement agencies. After the shootings in Uvalde, Texas, the Putnam County Sheriffâs Department, State Police and local law enforcement established a greater and highly visible presence in schools throughout the county to act as a deterrent to any copycats.
In late May, the Sheriffâs Departmentâs social media monitoring team, acting on information provided by a teenager, found a studentâs social media posts threatening violence against Putnam Valley schools and intervened before any tragedy occurred. âThe utilization of technology and personal relationships will further serve to protect our school children,â McConville said. âCounty Executive Odell has created a framework for law enforcement, mental health professionals and parents to ensure that happens.â âAs an educational agency serving students from kindergarten through age 21, Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES shares the countyâs concerns about school safety and welcomes any and all efforts by the County Sheriffâs Department and Department of Health to safeguard the students in our region,â said Louis Riolo, assistant superintendent for PNW BOCES. The county has already pledged to share some of the ARPA funds it has received with the local municipalities to get more projects done.
Legislator Ginny Nacerino, chair of the Protective Services Committee, said the Team Up for School Safety effort would provide the planning and organizational structure necessary to prevent school violence before it happens.
âIt is hard to overstate the value of planning ahead,â Legislator Nacerino said. âHaving a structure in place, just like County Executive Odellâs ICS Team in the Emergency Operations Center, is essential to protecting our residents from whatever may come our way.â