[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6488268,"mediaKeyId","5611520-faab3255a47f7b4ec0d3d75d6d2e2743","parentId",5611520,"title","Kingston City School District board adopts districtwide safety plan after presentation and public comment","audioSeconds",3258,"startMs",15000,"endMs",3273000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5611520-faab3255a47f7b4ec0d3d75d6d2e2743&start=15&end=3273","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5611520-faab3255a47f7b4ec0d3d75d6d2e2743/thumbnail_15000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6488268/New-York/Kingston-City-School-District-board-adopts-districtwide-safety-plan-after-presentation-and-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488268-4bf7dc50fb566019975c798b0f89f1cd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770974823&Signature=MAFtrlc7CWUrv~dyqcBbwE85yrblK8kEgE7zcAIKdH2dHJYck6qQGpnyNpP1wfwcqjmWMxneU1rsquGK~4DZbu4HddC2TT9F2Y4b4kzvtUuji~vkgPBAgCBf4IMhu17DFNK46w9WAEX8Ac6hGtSX~EQNJNNnjTYFjRigS1RFnfiDzvdyTBtNRti5kugXawEn90VvlnXzt-0vTmj2SADVMWHq8deMvbnLAFBU3LH1BAOmsfhxMspN5PCyqxZSYHlG7q3jc~OvNclPr2l1-8zp7WfHhzNjFUpMXO-Jzjb8A5QamwTqAUfIAy-g459s0vqxlEIJyzimK9o0C6oZgN~Unw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kingston CSD","date","2025-08-21T01:10:32.267Z","article","Kingston City School District trustees voted at their meeting to adopt a districtwide safety plan after a presentation by district staff and an extended public-comment period.

District staff member Mr. Parker presented the plan and said it establishes the district-level policies that form the foundation for confidential, building-level emergency response plans. “The district plan focuses on policy requirements and regulations and is the foundation of the building level plans,” Parker said. He described the building-level plans as operational documents that outline how individuals will respond in a crisis and noted that the building documents are confidential.

The plan standardizes emergency terminology and drills, including terms such as shelter/shelter-in-place, hold/holding, evacuate, secure/lockout and lockdown, and addresses procedures for after-school events and visitor management. Parker told the board the drilling language had been “simplified for clarity” and explained that drills during large assemblies may be waived when instructions on procedures are provided in advance. The presentation noted nine public comments were received on the draft.

Why it matters: the district plan sets policy requirements that schools must use to develop building-level emergency procedures, and it includes new, standardized language and training requirements the district will use across schools. The plan also frames how the district will collect and use information that could affect student disciplinary outcomes and law enforcement interactions.

Public commenters urged stronger data and transparency requirements. One resident who addressed the board said the plan lacked a requirement to collect and use disaggregated, de-identified data on contacts between students and school resource officers (SROs), arrests, suspensions and referrals, and asked that the plan require baseline data and biannual reporting. The commenter said detailed, disaggregated data are necessary to identify whether particular student groups — including students of color, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities — are disproportionately affected.

“Without the disaggregation of data, we have to assume that we’re causing unintentional harm until we know better,” the resident said during public comment (resident identified in the transcript as a member of the public).

District staff and board members responded that data collection efforts are underway. Dr. Collins told the board the district had begun collecting those data and that presentations on progress had been made earlier in the year. “There have been real movements toward collecting those, which turns out to be a little more challenging than anybody,” Dr. Collins said, adding that staff would look for ways to show how the plan is informed by the data already being gathered.

Board members described the safety plan as a “living document” that could be amended after adoption. One board member said approving the plan now would not prevent future edits, and trustees discussed working with staff to incorporate additional data-reporting language or related policy changes in subsequent meetings.

The board moved to a vote following the discussion and approved adoption of the districtwide safety plan. The transcript records individual “yes” votes but does not supply a complete roll-call tally; the board and staff said the plan may be revised later to add or clarify data-reporting and related language.

Next steps: board members and staff said the safety team and other committees will continue to meet, and staff will work with the board to consider where, if any, additional requirements for data collection and transparency should be placed — either inside the safety plan or in a related policy. The district noted the building-level emergency plans remain confidential and that the district-level plan provides the policy framework.

Public-comment and document availability: the presentation referenced nine public comments on the draft. The district did not provide a full roll-call vote count in the meeting transcript; board members said the adopted plan can be amended and that staff will return with updates if the board requests further changes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","KCSD Board of Education Meeting 8/20/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kingston City School District trustees voted at their meeting to adopt a districtwide safety plan after a presentation by district staff and an extended public-comment period.","taxTitle","KINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, New York","taxId",66405,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6488263,"Board delays final approval of personal electronic devices policy, seeks \"bell-to-bell\" language and limits on out-of-school suspension",496,1297000,1793000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5611520-faab3255a47f7b4ec0d3d75d6d2e2743&start=1297&end=1793","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5611520-faab3255a47f7b4ec0d3d75d6d2e2743/thumbnail_1297000.jpg","/articles/6488263/New-York/Board-delays-final-approval-of-personal-electronic-devices-policy-seeks-bell-to-bell-language-and-limits-on-out-of-school-suspension","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488263-c4463fef5cd60836a1bd250d89462760/orig.mp4?Expires=1770974823&Signature=af7SUVxu~f3bClrcWh3HgcSP1r8z82OenJKoUjnjbBgp3JrAjYrBE8sPnIeUgeViRjrhMGOKW8ZqqW1I8exJRJ1qrebMEcyZio6wdVSIuVixibFfNUX5OyNrDakA7aUKMmCME6Y4N67d-6vmkI2Z-auZkGd25Paz6qOTo4oZ9BijJR5GLG-lzETbSkLXn0kc8geVJXb4bRSZIwFXUWWtUZsVi8udit9~7BZfHPOz1sc3sqsPEahqYARPfE5lBGtszxBfp~SzsuIQnEs~Wz5hEaGlRAol00EpPtQYbbyGx2UR9Y0xENacGc0Zk0hMjnUwXW4QjNPnQHmDYNny-hqRbg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kingston City School District board held discussion on Policy 5695, the student personal electronic devices policy, and declined to adopt final language at the meeting pending clarifications requested by trustees.

Policy staff presented Policy 5695 as a second reading with some minor wording changes. A trustee said the board must explicitly reflect New York State’s requirement for a bell-to-bell ban on use of devices in the policy; the trustee said that requirement was not present in the current draft.

“I acknowledge that I’m on the policy here in Maine, but I was not able to attend. The first is my understanding with the New York State mandated that we’re required to list out that there is a bell to bell ban,” a trustee said during discussion (board member identified in transcript by role). Policy staff (Margaux) agreed to review the statutory language and update the draft to ensure compliance with state law.

Trustees also pressed for clarification of the chain of command for approving exemptions from the device policy. One trustee asked who would sign off on exemption requests; policy staff said exemptions would be handled at the building level.

A separate concern centered on use of suspension as a disciplinary response. A trustee noted that current language in the draft references suspension and asked that the policy explicitly say that out-of-school suspension cannot be used solely for device violations, consistent with state discipline law. The transcript records the trustee pointing to “line number 51 50 2” as the location in the draft referencing suspension and proposing language changes such as specifying in-school suspension where appropriate.

Board members agreed to table the item for tonight and to return with edits. One trustee said the policy would be amended and re-presented for a motion at a subsequent meeting; another noted the policy review process would continue at the next policy committee meeting. The transcript does not record a final roll-call on Policy 5695 at this meeting.

Why it matters: the policy governs daily device use and discipline across district schools; trustees emphasized the need to align district policy with state law and to guard against using out-of-school suspension as the sole penalty for device violations.

Next steps: policy staff will update the draft to include explicit state-language references where required, clarify the exemption approval chain, and revise or replace suspension language to reflect the board’s concerns. The item will return to the board for further consideration and a vote at a later date.","Trustees postponed final action on Policy 5695 (personal electronic devices) after members requested language explicitly matching New York State’s bell-to-bell requirement and clarification that out-of-school suspension cannot be used solely for device violations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Kingston City School District board adopts districtwide safety plan after presentation and public comment

Board delays final approval of personal electronic devices policy, seeks "bell-to-bell" language and limits on out-of-school suspension