Katonah-Lewisboro School Board focuses on conduct code and safety

By JEFF MORRIS 

Among the agenda items at its May 21 meeting, the Katonah-Lewisboro Board of Education briefly acknowledged the results of the May 19 board and budget election, and conducted public hearings on revisions to the district Code of Conduct and District Safety Plan.

Election reaction

The meeting began with board president, Lorraine Gallagher, who had just won reelection, expressing her appreciation for the level of voter turnout two days earlier.

“I want to thank you for showing up,” she said, noting that over 2,800 voters had cast ballots. “It was a great turnout.”

Turnout was, indeed, higher than it had been during the prior two years, and at about 19% of registered district voters, unusually high compared to most years.

Gallagher also thanked voters for approving Proposition 1, the budget, and Proposition 2 for use of capital reserves. She credited a previous board for having the “amazing foresight” to set up the reserve fund for future athletic infrastructure improvements. “We ask that you now stay tuned for some amazing additional activities that will be going around our campuses again,” she said, acknowledging that some capital projects had just finished, “but we’re going to start again.”

After thanking voters for returning both her and Bill Swertfager to three-year board terms, she welcomed Stacey Isaacson, who is joining the board to fill the remaining two years of Jon Poffenberger’s term, and thanked Nancy Bachana and Melissa Dilmaghani for running.

“I appreciate your willingness to serve our community and hope to see you at our meetings in the future,” she said.

Then Gallagher got to Proposition 3, the Lewisboro Elementary Universal pre-K and community center proposal, which lost by 22 votes. 

“I am sorry that this did not pass,” she said. “We have dedicated a lot of time, in the last three years directly and beyond that, several years as a school board, looking at this issue.” 

Gallagher said they will be looking at UPK and LES again in the future. “All I can ask is that our community tune into our meetings and engage — it is what we are here for,” she said. “So stay tuned. We will come back with more information soon.” 

Student trustee Hudson Lutz also addressed Proposition 3, saying he did not think its defeat was “something that anyone in the district should be celebrating.” He continued, “We are setting ourselves back as a district and as a community, and it really is deeply upsetting that we’re restricting the education of 80 preschoolers this year, and we’re continuing to charge families $12,000 to $16,000.” Lutz said he did not think it was “who we are as a school district or as a community. We are going to move forward from it, but right now it is really upsetting.”

In his closing remarks, Superintendent Raymond Blanch said that whatever comes next will be a shared decision. “What’s the next right answer?” he asked. “I think that’s where we hopefully are — always looking at what’s the next right answer.”

Blanch said the latest information is that the state budget will be passed, and “it is going to be clear. It is now state law — we have to have a UPK.” He said he would bring the board “what might help with our next great answer.”

Code of Conduct

The board began its annual review of the Code of Conduct. Assistant Superintendent for Business Lisa Herlihy noted the changes being proposed this year are relatively minor, as they are planning a more comprehensive overhaul of the code next year. She said because both the Code of Conduct and the Districtwide Safety Plan are considered policies of the Board of Education, they are required to be presented in a public hearing, with a 30-day public comment period. The code needs to be in place by July 1.

Melissa Brady of the code revision committee said among the revisions in the updated code is the inclusion of “clinicians” among “essential partners,” which will include school psychologists and social workers.

Another change is the addition of “ammunition” to the definition of prohibited weapons, in order to make the list as comprehensive as possible.

Specific language was added to a section on bathroom behavior and expectations, including failing to respect others’ privacy, creating unsanitary conditions, loitering without a legitimate purpose, engaging in disruptive contact, misusing restroom facilities or entering restrooms contrary to posted guidelines. 

There is also a change in language regarding the responsibility of students to report conduct of bullying, harassment, or discrimination against others. Rather than say this should be reported to a district administrator, it will say employee, so that students feel that they can go to whatever employee is around at the time, or feel comfortable with. 

Additionally, language pertaining to students’ right to privacy under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, was moved to the Rights and Responsibilities section; the committee revising the code felt that it is important not only for students to understand that they have a right to privacy, but they also have a responsibility to respect the privacy of others. Brady said adding this responsibility also empowers students with a sense of control over their own privacy and the privacy of others within the KLSD community. 

Another revision, in the disability section, changes the age listed as 21 years old to 22 years old. Brady said that was because, by law, students with disabilities must be provided with a free appropriate public education until the day before their 22nd birthday.

Districtwide safety plan

Richard Finn, the district’s safety and security coordinator, presented the districtwide safety plan for 2026-27. He noted safety plans stemmed from the tragic events in Columbine in 1999, which resulted in the SAVE Act, requiring schools to develop, review, and update safety plans at both a district and building level. Finn said he collaborated with Altaris, the district’s safety and security consultant, in updating the plan.

Finn said there are very few updates this year, and most are language-based in compliance with AED and school cardiac emergency response requirements implemented last year.

There are also protocols for responding to bomb threats, hostage taking, intruders, abduction and other emergency situations, and additions to school personnel who must be involved and participate in training and drills. 

Another aspect of the plan pertains to the maximum temperature in schools, which Finn noted they had just dealt with earlier that week; he said it was updated to more accurately align with a Feb. 25 law change, which shifted the requirement from a mandate to a board-approved policy on maximum temperatures. That, he said, is something the district already has.

Added to the end of the special provision section, said Finn, is a paragraph to address the access and functional needs of students, staff, and visitors; and at the end of the additional evacuation drill requirements section is a paragraph explaining that protocols apply to both before- and after-school events.

Finn said they are now working on building-level plans, which will be coming out soon.

The remainder of the process is for the plan to be made available for a 30-day public comment period; it must be formally adopted by the board by Sept. 1.