In response to the safety situations on Thursday and today, the district is instituting bag checks for all students entering the High School and Middle School in the morning, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, September 15, 2022. Students will be asked to place their backpacks/bags on a table at their entrance door, where a school staff member will search the contents of the bag before allowing the students to proceed into the building. If students have anything in their bags that shouldn’t be there (such as a weapon or drugs, as defined in the GFHS Code of Conduct, and GFMS Code of Conduct) the item will be confiscated, and the student will immediately face disciplinary procedures as outlined in the codes of conduct. School community members will likely see an increased law enforcement presence on the HS/MS campus tomorrow as these new procedures get going.
Parents, guardians, students, staff, and families are encouraged to attend a school community meeting taking place this Friday (9/16/22) at 6 p.m. in the High School auditorium.
These incidents require all of us to take immediate and longer-term steps to reinforce the culture of safety at all of Glens Falls’ schools. Some of these steps were outlined at the Board of Education meeting on Monday night (presentation slides here), and include:
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The “See Something, Say Something” anonymous tip line has been created for school community members to report any concerning information to district administrators.
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518-832-4511 (voice call)
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SAFE@gfsd.org (email)
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Google Form for Students (available from Chromebooks)
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HS and MS students will need to use lockers to store backpacks during the day. This procedure will be phased in over the next few days.
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Backpacks can be used to bring school materials, lunches, sports/activity items, etc. to and from school.
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Students will not be allowed to carry their backpacks from class to class.
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Students will have to place their backpacks in their assigned lockers as they enter the building.
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As a reminder, the Middle and High Schools conduct regular safety drills which may include K-9 sweeps of hallways and lockers.
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Building Leadership Teams are meeting to discuss other logistics, and will share the entire scope of the plans when finalized (no later than Friday, 9/16).
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A Safety Monitor position is already in the process of being added at the High School, with duties closer to security.
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Student ID badges will be issued for all Middle and High School students, including a barcode to allow scanning upon building entry/exit, in the lunch line, on the GGFTA public bus line for free rides to/from school, etc.
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Additional security technology currently being implemented will allow all school staff members to use a mobile safety app to initiate response protocols with training.
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The Raptor Visitor Management system is being installed at all school buildings to scan the drivers’ license of every building visitor, run an immediate sex offender search, and print photo visitor badges.
Glens Falls City School District is committed to keeping our school community informed and updated as we all work together to grow our culture of safety in all our schools.