PATCHOGUE — Potential gun violence has become a sad reality for CSEA members working in schools.
To protect themselves from a possible attack, CSEA’s Patchogue- Medford [Pat-Med] School District Unit members are practicing precautions to keep themselves safe.
The realization that more immediate security was needed happened when a child in a nearby school district was caught with a gun earlier this year.
Recognizing the gun threats were close to home, Pat-Med School District officials began implementing policies and procedures that would keep district children and workers safer, including the placement of metal detectors, installing a lockdown system and safety drills.
District staff no longer admit anyone into the school unless that person is wearing a badge or other identification that shows a person is allowed in the school.
“Even if we have an internal staff meeting, you still need district identification to get in the building,” said Luke Meyer, a Patchogue- Medford Full-Time Operational Unit member and maintenance mechanic. “Your picture has to be on the badge.”
The security changes have also allowed for a safer working environment in other ways.
“If I’m doing maintenance work in a specific area, I don’t have to be worried about someone walking in a door from another area of the room and walking into something dangerous,” said Meyer. “Doors are locked now, so it’s not an issue.”
Conversations about security updates have opened the door for Pat-Med School District Unit officers to both have conversations about why security changes have been implemented, as well as engage with members about other union news.
The leaders of CSEA’s three Pat-Med units want to keep refining their relationship with school district administration to keep school district workers safe.
— Wendi Bowie