Sachem Superintendent James Nolan said that members of the Suffolk County Police Department will be using Sachem grounds to run practice drills in the event of an incident such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre last month.
In an exclusive interview with Patch, Nolan said the police will be using various facilities "in the very near future," adding that his meeting with police is part of an ongoing line of communication between the school and law enforcement on how to increase security in light of the Newtown tragedy.
"We took many of the suggestions we got from members of the school and members of the community and shared them with the police," Nolan said. "They made a lot of suggestions in addition to what we have already in place, such as security at every building, buzzers on the doors." Nolan stopped short of specifics, stating that it would be counterproductive to the purpose of shoring up school security from outside threats.
Nolan said the drills will focus on responding to an attack similar to last month's mass shooting by Adam Lanza at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children before turning the gun on himself.
According to Nolan he believes the first drill will take place on Sachem grounds on a weekend, and drills will not be taking place during normal school hours. A recorded phone message will be going out to residents of the district before the first training exercise.
Nolan also confirmed that he and members of the Board of Education will be discussing school security at next Wednesday's general board meeting. Public comment is available at all general meetings. The January 16 meeting will be held at the board room attached to Samoset Middle School at 7:30 p.m., its usual time.
