Trooper Jeffrey Beback and Sgt. Wiles of the New York State Police are pictured speaking to the Chautauqua County School Boards Association recently. Submitted photo

Recently, the School Boards Association was given a presentation by a local state trooper on emergency issues facing school districts these days.

State Trooper Jeffrey Bebak along with Sergeant Wiles presented to the board on items such as fire alarm activations, lockouts, lockdowns and evacuations. The presentation was for training purposes to work towards a collaborative relationship between State Troopers and school districts to help when emergency situations happen.

“A school board member reached out to us to do this presentation in regards to safety protocols and current safety information,” Bebak said. “We talked about the current best practices in school safety and how the schools respond. We are trying to get New York State schools on the same page in regards to the best practice mentality.”

Bebak added that while best practice mentality focuses on the best ways to respond to each type of situation, every situation is different, but the idea is for the schools and state troopers to work together collaboratively to get to the best outcome each time.

While they are working to collaborate with local schools, Bebak said that most of the time in school emergencies parents and the public are notified by the school.

“If the situation requires our response, we will work with the district to get information out to the parents,” Bebak said. “The school usually tells the parents, but we know it is important to get the information out as soon as possible. Children’s safety is the priority. As a parent, I know I like to be informed when things happen at my son’s school. We work together to get the information out to the community.”

Situations vary every time, and Bebak said they have their own Public Information Officer who sends out press releases when needed. Transparency is imperative, but State Troopers are charged with taking care of the entire state, not just one community.

“Usually the community knows when something is happening and they are informed by their school and their own people,” Bebak said. “We understand that the information is needed. We work together to safeguard our kids and protect their environment in a safe and secure manner.”

These days, when thinking of emergencies in schools, school shootings are often brought up. Bebak said these types of trainings with school boards are a step in the right direction towards keeping people and kids safe during shootings.

“These trainings are to prepare school districts,” Bebak said. “We are always looking into tips as to what we can do to keep our kids safe. State troopers respond to everything, from their being a cat in a tree to school shootings. This is not just training our officers, it is training the districts as well.”

Bebak said that these trainings are working to get the word out on the correct way to respond to emergencies so that the relationship between state troopers and school districts can work and keep everyone on the same page. So far, he said this relationship has been fruitful.

Bebak urged any school district who wants to submit a safety plan to the New York State Troopers to do so.

“Most school districts are good at getting their plans in,” Bebak said. “If any other districts are interested, we are only a call away. We’re willing to help. The priority has to be the kids. They are our future and we need to help them get a good education and keep them safe.”

Bebak’s office can be reached at 585-344-6237.