BUFFALO, N.Y. — Wednesday night, Buffalo Public Schools' Interim Superintendent Tonja Williams shared her plans to make the district a safer place for all faculty and students.
This is Buffalo Public Schools response to all the violence that has occurred since last month at schools across the district. That especially includes over at McKinley High School, where a student was stabbed multiple times and a security guard was shot.
There was also a stabbing over at Harvey Austin School and an attempted stabbing at Emerson School of Hospitality.
Associate Superintendent of School Leadership Casandra Wright announced Williams' plans at the board meeting.
Right now, the district only has 10 school resource officers. The district's new safety plan includes hiring 40 school security officers, and interviews have begun.
The plans also include giving each building in the district its own emergency response plan and the district will work with a security company to stay updated on its security needs.
Buffalo Public Schools will also look into emergency door locks and non-invasive weapons detectors.
"You ever go through a neighborhood and you see people with bars all on their windows? You ever go to another neighborhood and you may see an ADT sticker on their window. There's a visceral response when you go through hardened areas versus areas that are every bit as secure but are not by hardened in appearance," Wright said.
Wright says the goal is to make students feel more safe and welcomed in their school.
The Buffalo Peacemakers have also started to work with students at the Buffalo Public School District to mentor them before they have the chance to turn to violence. Buffalo Public Schools are also looking into opening an alternative school for kids who need more help.
There was one other important piece at the meeting. The school board voted to lift all COVID restrictions for the entire district beginning on Monday.