Dear Families,
The safety of our students and staff is always our number-one priority here in Chatham. Our leadership team is constantly reviewing our school safety and emergency procedures and protocols. As your superintendent, I promise to be transparent and keep you informed. Below you will find a sample of what we are working on with the goal of keeping our community safe:
Each school has regular building-level school safety team meetings with the goal of reviewing school safety plans and procedures.
The District will have three district-level safety team meetings throughout the year to review district-wide guidelines and procedures.
The principals will utilize faculty meeting time to discuss and review our procedures.
Our buildings will hold regular emergency drills to practice safety procedures. As per NY State regulation, these drills will be announced ahead of time to families and staff.
The Chatham Central School District partners with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to have an SRD on our campus throughout each school day. I am excited to welcome Deputy Roberts to Chatham.
The District consults regularly with school safety specialists from Questar BOCES Health & Safety Service and Needham Risk Management.
Chatham will continue to collaborate with all local law enforcement and emergency response teams throughout our region as we work together for our school community. These groups include the Chatham Police Department, CC Sheriff’s Office, NY State Police, our local fire departments, and the Chatham Rescue Squad.
We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously. We will continue to evaluate and enhance our safety protocols throughout the school year. As always don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education.
Fondly,
Andrew Kourt
Chatham Superintendent