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Schools

Huntington School Board Adds to Security

External company is hired to check on safety in schools.

The Huntington Board of Education has been given an outside security company's recommendations for improving school safety.

 Strategic Protection Group Inc., which has been running a security check on the schools, updated the Board of Education Monday night about the company's findings.

Company representative Michael Zotto said recommendations included video cameras for the back of the high school, card access to the school, a drug awareness program, installing a fence near Project Adventure, and access for students to an anonymous tipline.

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 "A lot of the recommendations are being implemented," Zotto said, such as security training for all security personnel.  Additionally, although there are security cameras throughout the high school, Zotto noted that they are not being constantly monitored, and suggested that someone be responsible for watching the cameras.  

"There's cameras in the high school and they're being monitored, but we want to try to get someone in there to watch them all the time, to augment what is already being done." Zotto said.

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Already in place is a rule requiring  students and faculty to wear their identification tags at all times. The interim report focused first on the high school because the school is in use, unlike Jack Abrams, which was closed this summer over fears about crime in the neighborhood.

Huntington resident Julie Labella appreciated the board's decision to talk about safety.   "Kudos to you, because I think it is really important that we are kept in the loop as often and as much as we can on the progress that is going on in the secruity and the safety issues in the area," she said.

These recommendations came at a time when safety is on the minds of most Huntington families and staff, as Jack Abrams Intermediate School, where the meeting was held, was closed due to violence and crime in the surrounding area.  

However, board member Emily Rogan brought up an interesting statistic:

"Inspector Brady talked about the fact that overall violent crime is down 31% in Huntington Station," Rogan said.

But, board member Christine Bene noted, "Property crime was up 11.8%."

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