NEWBURGH – The State Education Department is standing with the Newburgh Enlarged City School District “as we ensure we have all the resources we need for our students and families,” Superintendent Jackielyn Manning Campbell said in a memo to faculty and staff following Friday night’s shooting of three people after the varsity football game between Warwick and Newburgh Free Academy. She did not elaborate.
“It’s important to remember that our district is made up of nearly 100,000 people, educating more than 12,000 students,” she wrote. “The few people who participated in this violent behavior do not represent our community. It is time for us to come together, to work together for a brighter future.”
Dr. Campbell also said the district is collaborating with Orange-Ulster BOCES leadership “to mobilize a county-wide critical incident stress management team for additional support in our secondary schools.”
The district held sessions on Sunday for family, faculty, and staff who wanted to “process their thoughts with someone who is trained in supporting people who have experienced a stressful incident.”
The superintendent said support from local law enforcement has become “standard protocol” for larger school event. She said at Friday night’s game, Newburgh City Police had officers providing support.
She said there were also 20 school district security monitors at the game, 30 faculty supervisors, coaches, staff and administrators, and several district employees in attendance as spectators who helped respond to the incident. “As a result of these proactive measures, the City of Newburgh Police Department was at the scene within seconds of the first shot being fired.”
Campbell said based on previous recommendations and feedback, a parent or guardian must accompany children who are not NFA students, and as fans enter, bags are inspected, and each person is screened through a metal detector and/or wand by security personnel.
On Monday, additional police are expected to be on hand at all of the district’s buildings out of an abundance of caution, the said.
