Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Facilities, Security & Transportation Subcommittee Meeting - October 15, 2018
A meeting of the Facilities, Security, & Transportation Subcommittee was held on Monday, October 15, 2018 at 6:25 pm in the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. Anthony Andronico, Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, and Mr. James DeAmicis, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent DeCristofaro, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms. Erin Perkins, Ms. Madeline Roy, Ms. Ann Marie White-Larsen; Citywide Parent Council Co-President Courtney Perdios; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Director of Transportation and Safety & Security Michael Draicchio presented the Safety & Security Program Improvement Plan, thanking the Mayor, City Council, and School Committee for the funding to continue to make improvements to the security of our school buildings and to maintain the existing security systems of door locks and additional access points. On a daily basis, Mr. Draicchio interacts with all school sites, coordinates with Public Buildings and IT on maintenance and technology issues, and has the good fortune to collaborate with many community partners. The community partners include the Quincy Police & Fire Departments, Brewster Ambulance, Norfolk County District Attorney and Sheriff’s Offices, Transit Police, Department of Children & Family Services, and the Department of Youth Services. The School Resource Officers, DARE Officers, and Traffic Supervisors are directly involved with our students and families every day.
Mr. Draicchio shared the Fall 2018 edition of Safety First, the newsletter for Quincy Public Schools staff and administrators, highlighting summer collaboration with the Quincy Police Department. All schools were searched by the Quincy Police Department K9 unit prior to the opening of school and training exercises were held at six school sites. Mr. Draicchio said that in collaboration with the Quincy Police Department, Quincy Public Schools has applied for a grant to install direct line access to the Quincy Police Department in case of an emergency. Dr. DeCristofaro outlined a proposal currently with Mayor Koch for consideration for installation of new cameras and repairs to existing cameras. At the high schools, Security staff are now monitoring the back entrances of the buildings.
Mr. Gutro asked about the location for the new cameras, Mr. Draicchio is collaborating with the principals to target locations. The cameras serve as a deterrent during the school day and can document any intrusion outside of school hours. All school entrances have cameras currently.
For the fire, bus evacuation, and lockdown drills, Quincy Public Schools has moved to a model of unannounced visits. This allows for a more accurate assessment of preparedness and has been well-received both by the first responders and by the professional staff at the school sites and ensures adherence to emergency procedures. The emergency procedures have been updated and expanded for this school year and will be discussed at the Policy Subcommittee following this meeting. Mr. Draicchio coordinates the participation of the Quincy Police & Fire Departments and Brewster Ambulance, almost all fall drills are completed. An additional benefit is for the first responder staff to become familiar with the different school layouts.
For school security procedure reinforcement, Dr. DeCristofaro, Ms. Papile, and Mr. Draicchio created a presentation that principals reviewed at the opening day meetings that grew out of last spring’s presentations to School Committee, City Council, staff, and parents. The Safety & Security team are also collaborating about traffic at school sites, recommending additional signage and traffic monitoring and supervision as needs evolve. The Security department continues to issue staff IDs for new staff members, name changes, and replacing lost cards.
Mr. DeAmicis thanked Mr. Draicchio, Quincy Public Schools is fortunate to have him in this position, the dedication of the partners and the support and resources the schools have in place is great to see.
Mrs. Hubley asked if the newsletter will be posted online, it will be on Wednesday. Mrs. Hubley asked about the grant funding, the Quincy Police Department will submit to the Governor’s Office by October 17. Mrs. Hubley asked about the K9 units and how often they may be in the schools, this is still in the planning stages but additional information will be shared when available. Mrs. Hubley asked about student allergies, there is no student contact with the dogs and Health Services Coordinator Rita Bailey will be consulted.
Mr. Bregoli thanked Mr. Draicchio for his responsiveness and his support of the panic button initiative.
Mr. Gutro asked about the start of school year, are the incidents tracking with previous years. Mr. Draicchio said there are usually a few behavioral incidents with younger students that get addressed through additional supports. Mr. Gutro asked about the high school security staff, Dr. DeCristofaro said they are fully utilized and this could be an area for expansion consideration in the FY2020 budget.
Mrs. Lebo asked about utilizing teacher duty periods for the back door of the school. Dr. DeCristofaro said there are other doors in the high schools being monitored by teachers. Mrs. Lebo said that the front of Bernazzani remains a security concern, the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s solution has already been impacted by parked cars. Mrs. Lebo reminded that the ALICE protocol is in Subcommittee and would like to see a presentation at a future meeting. Mrs. Lebo asked about a traffic supervisor at Furnace Brook Parkway and Newport Avenue, this would be through the DCR.
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to accept the Safety & Security Program Improvement Plan. Mr. Gutro seconded and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to adjourn the Facilities, Security & Transportation Subcommittee Meeting at 7:05 pm. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.