by Rachel Hunter
On September 22, the Gouverneur Central School District convened a public hearing to address the proposed cardiac arrest addendum to its District-Wide School Safety Plan—a vital update mandated by Education Law and Public Health Law. The session underscored the district’s commitment to student safety and emergency preparedness.
Gouverneur CSD Superintendent of Schools Jackie Kelly said the following: “As I shared in August when the Board first approved the district-wide safety plan, recent amendments to State Law regarding cardiac arrest procedures and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) require policies and procedures for response to sudden cardiac arrest to be included in the building level emergency response plans for the 2025-26 school year. Those plans are modified each year by the building level safety teams and are not shared publicly. Amendments to Education Law regarding AED equipment, maintenance and signage, and school safety training regarding cardiac emergency response plans and district-wide safety plans are also expected to be in place by January 20, 2026. These new requirements for the development of a cardiac emergency response plan formalize and embed within district-wide school safety plans and building level emergency response plans pre-existing emergency protocols to respond to sudden cardiac arrests and other life-threatening emergencies. So, basically, we are being required to formalize and put in writing the procedures we currently have in place regarding cardiac arrest. Therefore, tonight, I have shared the cardiac emergency response plan addendum to be included in the district-wide school safety plan. You’ll notice that this is a very general overview of the actual plan that will be included in the building level safety plans. I will be asking the Board later in the meeting tonight to approve the addendum to the safety plan, so I can submit it to the State by the deadline of October 1.”
There were no comments from the public or from the Board of Education members. Board President David Fenlong noted that the “Section X Sudden Cardiac Arrest Preparedness – Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP)” would be posted online at www.gcsk12.org.
The plans reads as follows: “Purpose : In compliance with Education Law §2801-a(n) (Desha’s Law) and Public Health Law §917, the Gouverneur Central School District has established a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) to ensure a prompt, coordinated, and effective response to incidents of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or similar life-threatening emergencies occurring on any school site or at any school-sponsored event, including athletic programs. This section provides the district-wide framework for cardiac emergency preparedness and response, to be supplemented by building-specific CERP annexes within each Building-Level Emergency Response Plan. Building-level annexes must include venue-specific response protocols for all athletic facilities and off-site events, identifying AED locations, access routes, and trained personnel coverage.
“Policy Statement: The Gouverneur Central School District will maintain a district-wide CERP aligned with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) evidence-based core elements. The plan shall be reviewed annually by the Gouverneur Central School District Safety Team and approved by the Board of Education. Each building shall develop and maintain a venue-specific CERP annex that conforms to the standards established in this section and follows the NYSED functional annex format requirements for Building-Level Emergency Response Plans.
“Core Components: Cardiac Emergency Response Team (CERT): Minimum of 5 trained responders or 10% of building staff, whichever is greater. Roles may include CPR provider, AED retriever, 911 caller, EMS liaison, and crowd control.
“CPR/AED Training Requirements: The district-wide school safety team may provide first aid, CPR, and AED training for relevant staff, including members of building-level emergency response teams.
“AED Placement and Maintenance: AEDs located to allow retrieval and deployment within 3 minutes from any location on campus; clearly marked, unlocked during events, maintained per manufacturer guidelines; maintenance and inspection logs kept at each building with the building Nurses.
Communication Protocols: Internal – CERT activation and role assignments; External – Immediate EMS activation (call 911) and coordination with responding agencies.
“Practice Drills: At least one annual CERP drill per building, including AED retrieval and CPR initiation and measurement of time from collapse recognition to AED application, with a goal of 3 minutes or less; drill reviews documented in after-action reports.
“Continuous Improvement: Annual review of the plan and post-incident/debrief updates to procedures. An after-action report will be completed within 24 hours of any cardiac emergency or drill and forwarded to the Safety Team for review and follow-up actions.
“EMS Coordination: The Gouverneur Central School District Safety Team and building administrators will coordinate with local EMS to integrate CERP procedures into community responder protocols, including site orientation and AED location information. This coordination will occur at least annually and will include sharing updated AED maps, site access points, and any changes in CERT composition or building layout.
“Recordkeeping and Reporting: CPR/AED training records will be maintained by Human Resources. AED maintenance records will be maintained by Facilities. Drill and incident documentation will be retained by the building administrator and forwarded to the Safety Team.”
Later in the regular school board meeting on Sept. 22, the Board officially adopted the addendum to the 2025–26 School Safety Plan, titled “Section X: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Preparedness – Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP),” for submission to the State Education Department as presented. The motion was made by Vice President Todd Bates, seconded by Board Member Laurie Roberts. The motion carried with full support of the Gouverneur CSD Board of Education. There was no further discussion on the matter.
In other news: The Gouverneur CSD Board of Education welcomed its new Student Board Representative, Ashlyn Besaw, for the 2025-26 school year. Gouverneur CSD Supt. Kelly said, “Welcome, Ashlyn, we are happy to have you.” Supt. Kelly reported that GHS Senior Ashlyn Besaw currently serves as the Student Senate President. She is an active member of the Varsity Club and National Honor Society, and participates in three sports, soccer, basketball, and softball. “Ashlyn’s leadership and involvement reflect her strong commitment to both academics and athletics,” Supt. Kelly said. “Ashlyn will be here this year to share all of the great things that are happening with our students here at the Gouverneur High School and answer any questions that we might have in order to gain a better understanding of the perspectives of our student body. “I want to thank you for joining us and look forward to our relationship which makes all of us better, stronger together,” Board President Fenlong said. Much appreciation was extended to Ashlyn Besaw for her willingness to serve as the Student Representative on Board of Education.
In the Wildcat News Report, Gouverneur CSD Executive Director of Operations & Personnel Cory Wood gave the Board of Education a visual update on the district’s capital project’s progress at the Gouverneur Middle School and the Gouverneur High School.
The Board ratified Memorandum of Agreement #7 between the Gouverneur Central School District and the Gouverneur Education Association, updating club classifications in Appendix A. The Drama Club for grades 7 and 8 was reclassified from Class C to Class B, the Senior High Fall Play from Class E to Class B, and a new position—Drama Club 7th & 8th Assistant—was added under Class F.
Appointments included the following extra-curricular advisors for the 2025–26 school year: Brandon Griffin for Drama Club 7–8 (Class B, previously Class C), Michael Bason for Senior High Fall Play (Class B, previously Class E), Polly Sergel as FFA Assistant (Class F), and Catie Yablonski as Drama Club 7–8 Assistant (Class F).
Under extra duty assignments, Shari Ronas and Ken Nicholas were appointed as instructors for Middle School Afterschool Tutoring.
Two long-term substitute appointments were approved: Kathleen A. Buell, holding permanent NYS certification in Nursery, Kindergarten & Grades 1–6, will replace Brittany L. Lewis during her leave of absence beginning on or about September 23, 2025. Betty L. Hall, certified in Music and Pre-K–6, will replace Bridget M. Capito during her leave of absence beginning on or about September 25, 2025. Both appointments are non-probationary and set at the established rate for 25+ days.
Student workers Electa Fitzgerald and Arianna Wood were appointed to the Buildings & Grounds department for the 2025–26 school year, pending completion of all requirements.
Cory Young was appointed as Webmaster for the 2025–26 school year.
The Board accepted the retirements of Building Maintenance Workers Jeffrey B. Hale and Daniel R. Erdman, both effective March 31, 2026.
The Board approved the Fire Safety Inspection Report dated June 20, 2025. All listed items were corrected by June 27, 2025, and the district has received the Certificate of Occupancy.
The Board approved a request for two teachers to attend the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2025 Annual Meeting & Exposition Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, scheduled for October 16–18, 2025.
The Board also approved a request for two teachers to attend the 9th Annual Conference of The Reading League in Chicago, Illinois, taking place October 8–10, 2025.
The Board approved a tax roll correction for the Town of Gouverneur parcel 173.066-2-24 to address a clerical error involving an incorrect exemption. The corrected tax amount was adjusted from $776.47 to $362.35.
During Public Comment, GMS Drama Club Advisor Brandon Griffin rose to extend appreciation to Board for their support. “On behalf of myself, Mr. Bason, and Ms. Yablonski, thank you for approving our increases. We deeply appreciate that, and we deeply appreciate the support the Board has been showing these last few years, especially to the Arts. It’s definitely good to see thar Gouverneur is not just a one-track pony when it comes to sports – and that the Arts are truly making a comeback in our area.” Mr. Griffin also reported that the GMS Drama Club would present the musical, Beauty & The Beast Junior, in mid-November. Approximately 110 students from GMS Grades 5–8 and St. James School auditioned, with around 50 students ultimately cast in the production. “We are really excited to put on the show, and to continue the Arts for our district,” Mr. Griffin said. “Thank you for your continued support.”
The Gouverneur Central School District Board of Education will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, October 20, 5:30 p.m., in the GHS Auditorium. For more information, visit www.gcsk12.org.