The Dutchess County School Safety Advisory Committee held its Safety Seminar on Oct. 20 at the Dutchess BOCES Conference Center. Nearly 150 participants attended, representing regional school districts alongside key partner agencies, including the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Mental Health, County Executive’s Office, and the FBI.
“This seminar was a wonderful opportunity to learn from one another, strengthen partnerships, and collaborate on ways to enhance school safety and emergency preparedness,” explained Jacqueline Fama, Dutchess BOCES Director of School Safety and Security.
Topics ranged from New York State updates and requirements to reunification lessons, sextortion, and nihilistic violent extremism, concluding with an interactive tabletop exercise.
"Reunification Lessons Learned and Best Practices" was presented by Millbrook Central School District Superintendent Caroline Hernandez Pidala. Before becoming Millbrook’s superintendent, Pidala helped shepherd the district through an actual emergency in 2018 — an experience that highlighted the critical need for pre-event planning.
“A crisis forced us to realize how essential proactive emergency protocols are,” Pidala shared. “That event became the foundation for our current resilience strategies.”
Millbrook has held seven drills to date. The district refines and its plan after each exercise. Emphasizing that drills are key to identifying vulnerabilities before an emergency occurs, Pidala outlined the essential elements of a successful reunification. The process should include:
- Accounting for every student
- Communicating accurate information
- Managing traffic and crowds
- Addressing special circumstances and accessibility needs
- Verifying authorized adults
- Coordinating with multiple agencies and partners
- Protecting privacy and sensitive information, and
- Maintaining accountability from evacuation through release
A reunification operation requires extensive planning, including designating locations, managing transportation and traffic, and matching students with authorized adults. To minimize confusion, everyone involved must understand his or her role. Key responsibilities include incident command, parent/guardian check-in, traffic control, security, communications, medical support, and documentation.
Pidala emphasized that communication can make or break a district’s reunification plan. Internally, school staff must coordinate closely with emergency management, law enforcement, fire, EMS, and transportation providers. Externally, parents, guardians, students, media, and community partners need timely updates to prevent speculation and the spread of misinformation.
Thorough documentation is another critical component during both drills and actual emergencies, as it ensures complete accountability. Pidala recommended assigning a dedicated individual to log every action, from request times to student movements. She also stressed the importance of formalizing agreements with community partners well in advance.
In the afternoon, attendees participated in a large-scale school emergency tabletop exercise facilitated by Fama, Frank Guglieri (Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES), and Nadine Macura (NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services).
The scenario for the exercise was a June morning during an elementary school field day. The PTA had ordered food trucks, which were parked next to the main building. At 12:15 p.m., a propane tank on one of the trucks exploded, triggering a fire, causing structural damage to the building, and activating the fire alarms.
In the first module, small groups addressed immediate response strategies. Participants evaluated staff readiness to recognize emergencies, discussed how they would respond based on the School Emergency Response Plan, and outlined protocols for accounting for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, including tracking individuals transported to the hospital.
The second module focused on recovery, reunification plans, policies, and procedures. Groups examined public information strategies, identifying key contacts, communication channels, and essential immediate messaging. Additional discussions covered structural repair challenges, mental health support needs, and the Continuity of Operations Plan; specifically addressing next steps if the school building remains inaccessible.
“Through the presentations and tabletop exercise,” shared Fama. “We were able to explore real-world challenges, share valuable perspectives, and continue building on the important work being done to ensure our schools are prepared for emergencies, both today and in the future.”
The committee meets throughout the year and hosts this seminar annually. Fama is one of four committee chairs, serving with Robert F. Bloom, retired from Hyde Park Central School District; Sgt. Alonzo Montayna, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office; and Caroline Hernandez Pidala, Superintendent of Millbrook Central School District.