The Peekskill City School District has been working around the clock, including nights and last weekend, to address a lockdown triggered in error last week, said a spokesperson for the district.
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, around 12:41 p.m., the City of Peekskill Police Department was notified of a lockdown initiated at Peekskill Middle School. Officers immediately responded and deemed the school safe from any danger.
The district alerted parents of the false alarm first by a message published on the district’s website, then emails, texts, social media, and a call system that can take up to 45 minutes to notify all parents in the district.
In a weekly newsletter last Friday, Dr. David Mauricio addressed the incident.
“The situation occurred as a result of a technological error during maintenance of the security system,” Mauricio said. “On behalf of the Board, my administrative team, and myself, I would like to acknowledge that we all understand that a false lockdown alarm can cause unnecessary stress to students, staff and families and for this I apologize that this event occurred.”
Immediately following the event, Mauricio met with members of the District Emergency Response Team, including Peekskill Police, staff and administrators to review the situation.
Communications Director Laura Belfiore told the Herald in a statement on Tuesday that district administrators also met with the security company to review and adjust their system’s settings.
“Immediate changes were made to improve district practices, enhance our security and address our technology issues,” Belfiore said. “The district is unable to go into more detail about what settings were adjusted as it could compromise our security, and the safety of our school community is always our top priority.”
One parent told the Herald last week it took about 48 minutes to be notified of the false alarm by the call system. When asked about the call system, Belfiore said to ensure safety in the schools and accuracy of the message, they require time to follow safety protocols and assess the situation before releasing information publicly.
“We often remind our families that the system can possibly take up to 45 minutes to dial when calling the whole district, which includes over 5,000 numbers and that this time includes the time it takes to redial numbers that were not reached during the first round,” Belfiore stated.
She added that in an emergency, the district will always provide information to families as soon as possible. She also encouraged families to sign up to receive texts and emails which are delivered immediately. Families looking to adjust their notification settings can do so by contacting their school’s main office.
