School Safety: Update from NPS
October 2026
Dear NPS Community,
Keeping our schools safe and supportive remains a top priority across the district. With the school year well underway, I am writing to share our annual information on school safety and security planning.
With over 2,000 students and 590 faculty and staff in our buildings daily, a number of systems are in place to address safety and security. This newsletter provides an overview of our multi-faceted safety approach.
We focus on school culture and climate so that every child and staff member can proudly say "I belong here." Research highlights the value of a preventative approach that fosters students' interpersonal skills and nurtures positive relationships with adults.
Across the district, this work takes many forms. Teachers establish routines that support students in the classroom, while behavior programs, advisory classes and schoolwide gatherings reinforce a positive experience in the school building. Beyond the classroom, our wide variety of school extracurriculars gives our students additional opportunities to one another, and to the Newburyport community.
In addition, our operational plans address the complex security needs of a school district. This work includes protocols for maintaining the daily security of each building as well as responding to emergency situations. Technology, personnel, professional development and procedures all contribute to our comprehensive security plan.
Thank you for your partnership during this first month of school. Keeping our community safe and connected remains central to our work as we move through this school year together. Please see below for the annual NPS school safety and security planning report.
Respectfully,
Sean Gallagher
Superintendent of Schools
Creating a Culture of Belonging
I speak often about our approach to school culture and climate and our vision around a culture of belonging. Research on school safety clearly shows the power of a comprehensive approach to creating a positive school climate that helps young people develop skills and effectively solve problems.
There is no single activity that allows us to build a culture of belonging. It happens every day, a thousand times a day. From the start of school when a young person is welcomed into the building to the end of the day when they ride the bus home, their experiences are building their relationship to school and to learning.
Programs like Positive Behavior Intervention Systems, Responsive Classroom, and student advisories help us create shared expectations and approach daily rules and regulations as agreements among the whole community. Staff work collaboratively to establish and teach expectations that provide a predictable daily routine.
We encourage students and parents to connect to our schools outside of school hours. Through community events, clubs, athletics, music and performing arts, young people can pursue a variety of interests. Connections that young people make to each other and their schools on the stage, on the playing field, or in a robotics lab provide another preventative layer of safety.
Student voice continues to be an area of growth for the district. Expanded student council programs at the middle and high schools and a focus on dialogue techniques and skills are allowing us to cultivate a culture where every student can contribute.
Along with prevention, our schools also offer intervention programs to support students when they hit the inevitable hurdles. School counseling programs, trauma-informed systems, and restorative disciplinary practices contribute to our overall approach. When we normalize support for mental health and provide positive approaches to discipline, young people learn to look to adults for support.
Finally, our professional development programs allow the adults in the system to develop skills in understanding and including all our students. Educators are always learning new strategies for teaching, developing new lessons to enhance engagement, and evaluating data to make sure every student can grow and learn.
I am proud of the progress we have made as a district to create a safe and supportive learning environment. We will continue to work with students, staff, and families to create new programs and collaboratively address problems.
NPS Security Protocols
NPS has comprehensive safety and crisis plans to address building safety.
Crisis Planning and Training
The District Safety and Security Liaison and the Director of Facilities coordinate oversight of both safety and security planning and operations. The District Safety and Security Liaison facilitates a collaborative safety process that includes state and local first responders and building administrators.
Each school has a dedicated Crisis Response Team and well-defined safety procedures in place to address any potential emergency. These teams include administrators, counselors, nurses and teacher leaders who are trained in best practices by the District Safety and Security Liaison.
Medical emergency plans are overseen by our District Nurse Leader. The District Nurse Leader and our nursing team ensure that staff know how to respond in the case of a medical emergency. This training ranges from EpiPen use to first aid and CPR training. All of our buildings are equipped with automated external defibrillators (AED).
All district staff participate in annual mandated training that includes responding to medical, fire, and active shooter emergencies. Through district crisis planning, staff training, and comprehensive drill management, we prepare for a range of possible emergencies. Our leaders continue to attend professional development programs to ensure NPS is implementing current best practices in every school.
Managing Building Access
Each building has an arrival and dismissal protocol. Doors are open during arrival and dismissal and locked for the rest of the day. All guests and students arriving late must access our buildings through the front door. Each school has a video doorbell where guests are asked to state their name and the name of the person they are visiting before being buzzed into the building.
Guests sign-in using the Verkada Visitor Management System. Visitors scan their IDs and complete a check-in process. Badges print instantly and are used for an easy check-out. This software allows us to effectively manage guest access to each building.
Each school has protocols in place for student late arrival and dismissal, and district staff follow a sign in and out procedure so we know at any given time who is in our buildings.
Ensuring Building Security
Our security systems including locking devices, security cameras, and alarm systems are regularly evaluated and updated. A new state-of-the-art system was installed in every building in 2024. In addition, our Director of Facilities works directly with Newburyport Fire and Police Departments to test and maintain all alarm and response systems.
Planning for a School Evacuation
Every school has a detailed plan in the event that students and staff need to be evacuated. The Hope Church is our designated reunification site (11 Hale Street). A reunification site is a location where parents/caregivers will go to be reunited with their student following an evacuation of a school. The Newburyport Tennis Club serves as a "rally point" for students from the Bresnahan School; they will be met there by buses and transported to the Hope Church.
Each school is prepared with portable kits so educators have student information on hand. Parents/caregivers will be asked to provide a photo ID when picking up their student. Any evacuation will come with some stress and will require patience and coordination among many people, including parents/caregivers. In the event of an evacuation, there will be an NPS team on site to support other officials with student and staff safety.
Finally, in the event of an evacuation, it is extremely important that parents/caregivers go to the reunification site and not to the school where the incident has happened. The school where the incident has occurred will be blocked off to parents/caregivers. We understand this may be difficult, but this protocol ensures the safety of all involved and helps us manage any crisis response more effectively.
Coordinating with the Newburyport Police Department
The NPS and NPD have a memorandum of understanding that allows us to work collaboratively to address safety and security concerns. Officer Kyle McElroy is the School Resource Officer assigned to the district. Officer McElroy is often in and out of the buildings, and as a part of his role, works to build strong relationships with our students.
The District Safety and Security Liasion works collaboratively with the NPD and principals to ensure annual staff training and to plan age-appropriate lock-down discussions or drills for students.
Cross City Communication
The Newburyport Public Schools collaborates with local first responders to host school safety drills. Drills allow us to build strong partnerships with all Newburyport's services (e.g., fire, police, ambulance, bus transportation, Department of Public works) so, in the event of an emergency, our teams are prepared.
Each year, the NPS convenes a School Readiness Meeting which includes local police, fire, bus transportation, and nursing teams. These meetings ensure that all Newburyport departments can collaborate on school safety planning.
Investing in Safety and Security
NPS invests in physical plant and technology upgrades to ensure a safe and secure learning environment. A few recent investments include:
District-wide security systems including locking devices, security cameras, and alarm systems in every school building
Enhanced school signage and maps to ensure quick emergency response time
Radios for school principals to allow communication with the Newburyport Police and Fire Departments
We are in this Together
Most importantly, our students, parents, and staff work together to create a culture of safety and security. Every member of our community is encouraged to “see something, say something.” If a door is open, a guest does not have a pass, or some other concern arises, please let our administrative teams know.
School Committee Secure Gun Storage Resolution
Newburyport Public School District is committed to empowering all students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, creators and innovators who advocate for themselves, our community, our nation and our world. We value a safe, inclusive school climate where every student can be their best self. While we work on all areas of safety, this resolution has a particular focus on gun violence prevention through the leadership of the district, information sharing, empowerment, and education of our school community.
The Newburyport Public School District is aware of the statistics surrounding gun violence in the US and the research that proves secure gun storage reduces firearm injuries among our youth.
Whereas, The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center recommends the importance of appropriate storage of weapons because many school attackers used firearms acquired from their homes;
Whereas, Keeping students, teachers and staff safe from the threat of gun violence should be the responsibility of all adult stakeholders at each of our school sites;
Whereas, Across the country, lawmakers, community members, and local leaders are working together to implement public awareness campaigns,
Whereas, State law requires adults to securely store their firearms;
Whereas, In order to continue with preventive measures to increase student and school safety we must act now; now therefore, be it:
Resolved, That the School Committee and the Superintendent will continue to work with local law enforcement and health agencies, as well as non-profit organizations to collaborate and increase efforts to inform District parents and guardians of their obligations regarding secure storage of firearms in their homes.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Newburyport School Committee on this 21st day of March 2022.
School Committee Policy ACL (PROTECT ACT)
In Newburyport Public Schools, we recognize the importance of all students being known and valued, and we promote a safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all students. All of our students have a right to a free public education regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, disability, or sexual orientation.
The PROTECT Act states, except as required by state or federal law or as required for the Commonwealth or its subdivisions to administer a state or federally supported or funded program, civil arrests for civil law enforcement, including federal immigration enforcement, are not allowed on school grounds during school hours, student drop off and pick up windows, before- and after-school programming and school-sponsored events without a Judicial Warrant or Judicial Order.
The Superintendent/Executive Director shall implement PROTECT Act procedures consistent with the Model Procedures and the Guidance for K-12 Schools Related to Interacting with Civil Law Enforcement issued by the Governor’s Office, the Executive Office of Education, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The procedures shall be implemented, wherever applicable, in alignment with District Emergency Operations Plans, Medical and Behavioral Health Emergency Response Plans, and the School Resource Officer Memorandum of Understanding.
These procedures will be designed in accordance with the guidance provided and promote schools that are safe and accessible for students, staff and residents, and shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) Procedures for identifying and designating a senior administrator at each district superintendent’s office or executive director’s office, as the case may be, to serve as the individual responsible for having primary contact with law enforcement agents engaged in civil law enforcement for the school system and the central point of contact for schools on interactions with civil law enforcement;
(ii) Procedures for identifying and designating a senior administrator at each school to serve as the individuals responsible for having primary contact with law enforcement agents engaged in civil law enforcement who arrive on site at the school or request information about students, employees, or other persons affiliated with the school;
(iii) Procedures for contacting the school district’s attorney;
(iv) Procedures for contacting the senior administrator at the school and the district superintendent/executive director’s office in the event law enforcement agents engaged in civil law enforcement arrive on school grounds or request information about students, employees, or other persons affiliated with the school;
(v) Procedures for documenting all interactions with law enforcement agents engaged in civil law enforcement while on school grounds;
(vi) Procedures for notifying a student’s parents or guardian or the student directly if the student is 18 years or older or emancipated, if a law enforcement agent engaged in civil law enforcement requests access to a student or student’s information for any civil law enforcement purpose;
(vii) Procedures following the confirmation of law enforcement agents engaged in civil law enforcement on school grounds, including notifying parents and guardians, teachers, administrators, and school personnel;
(viii) Procedures to confirm and update students’ emergency contacts, with allowance for more than one person to be listed, and alternative caregiver plans; and
(ix) A plan to share these procedures with students and families on the school district’s website.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Newburyport School Committee on this 31st day of August 2026.