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Bronxville Schools Superintendent Roy Montesano announced that district officials had met with the firm to determine “where (they) may be most vulnerable,” and several changes have been made to local schools.
As a result of the audit, and a consultation with the Bronxville Police Department, all visitors will now be asked to enter one of the three main entrances at the school, checking in with a security guard, who will be on duty. The guards will be provided with a list of scheduled appointments daily, confirming the appointment.
Security guards will then call to the room or office to announce the visitor. All visitors will be asked to leave an ID at the security desk. Following the appointment, visitors will then have to go back to the security desk to retrieve their ID.
There will also be an increased police presence at the school, with students “experiencing a greater presence of police officers in and around the building.” Montesano said that officers have been doing “park and walkthroughs” in the building for more than a year. A small office space has also been made available to police to use throughout the day in an effort to increase cohesion between the school district and police department.
Montesano said that the district is also planning to purchase and install a one-button lockdown system, which will include wall-mounted blue emergency buttons installed throughout the building.
“Similar to that of fire alarms, the system is designed so that when the button is pushed, police will be immediately contacted with critical information, strobe lights will flash indicating a lockdown situation and an automatic message will be delivered over the PA system,” he said.
“Indeed, enough is enough. While we are very fortunate to live and/or work in our beautiful village, we are also reminded that these incidents can occur anywhere,” Montesano added. “It is important that our community understands that any time we are given information related to a safety issue, the information is shared with the police department and investigated thoroughly.”
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