Dealing with the aftermath of the hostage situation

School’s top official addresses community

PINE PLAINS — More than 100 parents and residents packed into the Stissing Mountain Middle/High School’s library Wednesday, Nov. 18, for the first Board of Education meeting since the hostage situation on Nov. 10, when a lone gunman took Stissing Mountain Middle School Principal Robert Hess hostage in his office for more than two hours. Linda Kaumeyer, superintendent for the Pine Plains Central School District, took to the podium to give a presentation to the public and field questions from parents and community members. Members of state and county police were also present. Hess was not.

Kaumeyer opened the meeting by giving a detailed account of the events on Nov. 10, including decisions the district and law enforcement made about where to take students in the Stissing Mountain building and how they were eventually released to parents.

Kaumeyer was travelling toward school on the morning of the incident when she got the call that the building had gone into lock-down mode.

“I prayed no one would be hurt, and needless to say my prayers were answered,� she told the audience gathered.

No one, including the principal, was physically harmed during the events of Nov. 10. However, the district has been offering counseling to students, staff and community members in the incident’s aftermath.

The Nov. 18 board meeting offered parents their first opportunity to publicly address the district and law enforcement officials. While the majority of the room seemed to be grateful and in favor of how authorities and the school responded, several concerns were raised.

Laura Rosborough, who has a daughter at Stissing Mountain, was upset that her child was evacuated down the stairwell adjacent to the middle school office. It was then disputed when the students were moved; Rosborough said her daughter was led down the stairs while the suspect was still in the middle school office, but New York State Police Captain Scott Brown reported that to his knowledge that particular group of students was not moved until the suspect was in custody.

“We’re not going to move someone recklessly,� Brown assured the audience.

Rosborough also criticized the district for not utilizing the AlertNow automatic alert system more often to keep parents unable to be physically near the school that day informed. The first alert was sent early that Tuesday morning to inform parents of the situation, and a second alert was sent out five hours later, reporting that students were safe and the suspect was apprehended.

“It could have been used much better,� Rosborough said. “I feel like everybody was very stressed out by the five-hour span [between messages]. The school is responsible for my child, and I expect communication to come from them.�

Kaumeyer responded that law enforcement advised the district as far as when the second AlertNow message should be sent out, and that the district “did the best we could to make sure our students were protected.�

There was concern about the length of time it took for the district to release the students after the suspect was taken into custody. Detective Sgt. Patrick Whalen of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said that suspicious bags had been found near school grounds and law enforcement needed to ensure that the suspect wasn’t working with anyone else.

“Our sweeping and tactical methods took up that time,� he said.

Kaumeyer acknowledged that the Nov. 10 incident shed light on areas that should be strengthened by the district moving forward.

The school will be looking into the possibility of hiring a school resource officer, a past request that has been unsuccessful due to budget restrictions. Some other issues were touched on by parents, like proper public announcement amplification throughout the entire school. During first period class on Nov. 10, about 70 students were in music class playing instruments, according to parent Frances Franco. Because of the noise the instruments produced, the students and teacher in the room didn’t hear the announcement that the school had gone into lock-down.

“The bell rang and children were released from class,� Franco said, who said that her son was second to leave and was grabbed by a teacher and pulled back into the classroom.

Kaumeyer said the district would be looking into non-aural ways of communicating messages in case of emergencies.

Some parents asked whether the Seymour Smith and Cold Spring elementary schools would be addressing the issue with their students. Others felt there should be a school safety committee involving members of the community. Kaumeyer responded that there was already such a committee and that there’s traditionally been very little public attendance at those meetings.

There has been a police presence at the school since the incident, and Kaumeyer said that  would definitely remain the case until at least Nov. 24. At that point the capability of the local law enforcement to serve the entire community with an officer restricted to Stissing Mountain Middle/High School would have to be weighed against the community’s peace of mind with having police presence at the school building.

Before any changes are made to the district’s safety policies, the district will debrief with law enforcement and compile both its recommendations with ongoing suggestions and comments from the community. Comments can be left with District Clerk Joanne Gorman by calling 518-398-7181, ext. 401.

“The concept we try to abide by is that you’ll never know exactly what the situation is going to be,� Kaumeyer concluded, saying that the true measure is how you act once you know what the situation is. “I can’t say enough about how our school community responded.�

There were several points throughout the meeting when the majority of parents and audience members applauded the efforts of law enforcement, school staff and students.

“I beg of you not to change a thing,� urged Roseann Kemp, who is an employee of the district. “It never occurred to me [on Nov. 10] that a member of my family would not be safe. And I think Bob Hess deserves a medal.�

That got a round of applause as well.