Please click on the link to watch a video from Superintendent of Schools Randy Squier regarding recent events at C-A.
A recent social media post uploaded by a Coxsackie-Athens School employee was taken down within 15 minutes after comments were made that the post is viewed as racist.
After the post was deleted I began an investigation. The school district attorneys assisted. We will not comment further on specific matters related to personnel of the district.
I consulted with our school district attorney in regards to the district’s public response to online comments.
After working with the administrative team I am (the superintendent is) recommending the following actions:
Accelerating the timeline of training for all employees focused on making sure everyone feels and believes they belong in our schools.
Implementing procedures that include two-step approval for Facebook and other social media platform posts and limiting comments on posts.
Increasing the utilization of our website news and live feed to communicate to our school community about events, celebrations and happenings taking place in our schools. The C-A app is accessible to all community members and can provide instant notification when a new post is uploaded.
I am sorry for the heartache this post has caused our students, staff, parents and community. We ask for our school community to provide us grace as we continue our work in meeting the needs of and fostering growth for all learners. Our work will be continuous in order that all children, families, and staff are embraced and valued so everyone feels they belong in our schools.
I want to provide an update from the events that occurred on Friday January 27th when a bullet was found in a middle school classroom. The middle school crisis response team met the following Monday morning to discuss those events. Students were reminded that they could access support if they were feeling anxious about Friday’s events. A staff meeting was held as well to update all staff and remind them to keep an eye and ear open for students who may need support. Dr. Mercer met with all 5th and 6th graders in their classes and the kids who had good questions.The district safety team that includes law enforcement will be discussing the protocols for this type of event at its upcoming meeting and recommend any changes.
I want to thank our staff and First Student drivers for their flexibility that day. We also want to thank the Greene County Sheriffs Department and Albany County K-9 detail for their assistance.
Coxsackie-Athens Schools have no higher priority than maintaining safe and secure school environments for teaching and learning. We take any incident as real and begin investigating it immediately by interviewing witnesses or anyone we ascertain may have information. We involve local law enforcement. If necessary, we activate our emergency procedures.
Second, we will use this event to learn by reviewing our actions and taking advantage of opportunities to improve our procedures. That means we continually work to make sure our procedures are known by staff and students and practiced on a regular basis. This includes calling attention again to our online reporting system and reminding everyone in our school community, if you see or hear something, say something.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me at 518-731-1710.