School Emergency Response Plan Being Reviewed After Newtown Shooting

For more than a decade the Stoneham Public Schools have had a district-wide emergency response plan in place, said Superintendent Les Olson in response to the recent Newtown, Conn. shooting.

"Security and emergency procedures are reviewed annually with school administrators and local Fire and Police Departments, and they are again being reviewed in light of the recent tragedy in Connecticut," Olson said in an email to Stoneham Patch. "The plan covers both district-wide procedures and specific building-level responses. In the event of an emergency, the district or school cooperates with the appropriate public safety responders, whether they be our local fire and police departments or regional/state authorities.

"In such an event, the appropriate on-site public safety incident commander assumes control of the response and we follow (their) direction for the duration of the event."

Olson also noted that "the district maintains emergency procedures to contact parents both by phone and email as appropriate." A Reverse 911 system is currently in place to notify residents about emergencies within the district.

The superintendent discusses how some plans for individual schools within the district have recently needed to be adjusted. 

"The Central Elementary School and the Stoneham Middle School remain separate facilities with separate plans, which have been modified due to the current construction," he said, referring to the estimated $40 million Middle School project. "A plan for the new facility will be written before the Stoneham Central-Middle School opens in 2014."