DeWitt Public Schools leaders told the board that the district is replacing its single, district-level emergency operations plan with individual plans for every building, expanding each document to more than 150 pages and embedding a newly required cardiac emergency response plan.

The change follows release of a new template from the Michigan State Police, district staff said, and will require schools across the district to use the state-mandated Standard Response Protocol and a new Building Emergency Response Team, or BERT, terminology. District staff described the update at the board meeting while summarizing training, equipment purchases and facility security work completed this year.

A district staff member told the board the move shifts the district from “one district plan” to a separate plan for each school building, increasing the size of each plan from roughly 40–60 pages to over 150 pages per building. The staff member said Secure Environment Consultants (SCC), DeWitt Township Police and the district safety committee assisted in adapting the state template.

The presentation said the district also incorporated a separate state-required cardiac emergency response plan into each building’s EOP. Mike Fry, who was identified in the meeting as helping with athletics, was described as coordinating the athletic side of the cardiac plan and working with coaches so they become CPR certified as required under the plan.

District staff described several practical changes and upgrades the board was told are already in place or underway: each classroom now has a “go bag” stocked with emergency supplies; a grant championed by Chief Maroney funded tourniquet and trauma kits that were distributed to every go bag; the district completed a rekeying project this summer; camera upgrades were installed; and staff-level and teacher trainings have been held at both the building and district levels.

Staff also said principals led a training for teachers during a recent professional-development day. The district safety committee—established under the previous superintendent and retained by Superintendent Kevin Robotic—meets quarterly with representatives from every building to review recommendations from SCC, police chiefs and building teams and to push information back to building-level teams.

The presenter said the district has run multiple trainings, including sessions led by local EMT volunteers who demonstrated how to use tourniquets and other life-saving equipment. The presenter described teacher messaging and frequent reminders to staff, and said a quarterly newsletter to staff keeps safety topics updated.

Board members and staff discussed next steps but recorded no formal approval of the plans at the meeting. The board voted to enter closed session under the Michigan statute cited on the agenda to discuss security matters; after returning to open session, a board member asked whether there was a desire to approve the plans and none was expressed.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: Superintendent Kevin Robotic recommended approval of the consent agenda items including adoption of the minutes from the Sept. 8, 2025 regular meeting and the treasurer’s report and bills for payment for the month of September 2025. The board approved the consent agenda as presented (motion details and individual vote tallies not specified in the public transcript).

- DeWitt High School pool renovation: As part of the consent agenda, the board approved an award to Clark Construction for a guaranteed maximum price (bid package 15.1, amendment P) for DeWitt High School pool renovations in the amount of $851,613, as presented. (Contract number not specified; motion and individual vote tallies not specified.)

What happened next

The board went into closed session under the statute referenced on the agenda (MCL section 15.268(8)(k)) to discuss school security plans. Angelina Barnes was recorded on the roll call as voting “yes” to enter closed session; the transcript does not list the complete roll-call results. After returning to open session, no motion to approve the emergency plans was made.

Why this matters

The change to building-level EOPs and adoption of a statewide uniform protocol changes how teachers, administrators and first responders will communicate during emergencies and increases the amount of site-specific planning required of each school. Embedding cardiac response procedures and distributing trauma kits responds to new state requirements and to athletic and general-student safety needs described by district staff.