Parents' safety concerns grow
at Spencerport's Taylor school

More than a month ago, the BOCES Therapeutic Day Treatment Program for middle school students opened in a separate facility at the Taylor Elementary School. It was a move that has upset some parents because they say they weren't notified of the district's decision prior to its taking place and, more importantly they say, because the move could potentially endanger the kindergarten through fifth grade students already housed in the building.

On Friday, October 29, with the arrival of three police cars and an ambulance, the concerns of parents whose children attend the Taylor School in Spencerport, which now houses the BOCES Therapeutic Day Treatment Program, have grown.

"My son came home and told me that the police and ambulance were there and the sirens were going," parent Virginia Nichols said. "A kindergartener shouldn't have to see that at their school."

According to Nichols, who said she received information from the police dispatch center, police were dispatched to the Taylor Elementary school for a 14-year-old who was out of control and who reportedly became violent when he wasn't allowed back into his classroom.

Nichols and other parents said they were assured that none of the students in the program were violent. Nichols said she sent a letter to school board members indicating that this incident speaks for itself and confirms what she had been saying about the age inappropriateness, the unpredictability of the students in this program and the potential risk to our children's safety.

None of the assurances the parents were given, as to the safety of this program being housed in the Taylor school with kindergarteners through fifth graders has proven successful, Nichols said.

The Spencerport School District released a statement that read, "On Friday, a single student was involved in an incident at the BOCES Therapeutic Day Program located in the Taylor Elementary School. Emergency professionals were called as part of the standard procedures established to ensure student and staff safety. No arrests were made and no medical attention was needed.

The Therapeutic Day Program provides needed educational opportunities for students with emotional and behavioral challenges. In this program, as in all programs district-wide, student safety is the top priority. Staff are instructed to contact external resources as a standard backup procedure."