A proposal to increase police presence in each of the Valley Central Schools is in progress.

School security has weighed heavily on the minds of parents since the May 24 fatal shooting of nineteen students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. On June 4, the Valley Central School District received an emailed threat against the Montgomery Elementary School. That led to the arrest of an 11-year-old student and questions about the VC administration’s handling of the incident.

More recently, the Town of Montgomery Police Department announced that it was working on a plan to staff every school within the district, including the East Coldenham Elementary School which is physically located in the Town of Newburgh. At the present, only the Valley Central High School and Middle School have full-time resource officers. The plan would be to hire 10 additional part-time officers to provide security in the elementary schools and the alternative learning center in Maybrook.

The plan would require an agreement between the school district and the Town of Montgomery to provide police staffing, and likely an inter-municipal agreement with the Town of Newburgh to staff the East Coldenham School.

Newburgh Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio spoke with Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher several weeks ago and is open to any plan.

“I told him I am open to any suggestions that may improve security,” Piaquadio said. “I do not believe my board would have any problem with a Montgomery Officer in the building.”

The Montgomery Town Board is expected to resume discussion of the safety plan at its July 7 meeting.