City takes steps to keep schools safe

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - With children heading back to school Monday morning, districts nationwide are taking steps to ensure the safety of their students, calming parents' fears.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, “We want our children to feel like they are comfortable in school.”

With that thought in mind, Buffalo School Superintendent Pamela Brown announced that heightened security will be in place at all Buffalo schools starting Monday.

The superintendent sent out a robo call  to all parents in the Buffalo School District detailing some of the security actions to be taken. The message said, “be assured that the Buffalo City School District has made arrangements to have multi-layered security efforts, including cameras, buzzers, identification and access cars, and student resource officers at a higher level of vigilance in order to secure arrival and dismissal locations as well as visitor access points.”

The mayor pledged cooperation between the city, the police department and school district to keep the children safe, especially after the tragedy in Newtown.

Brown said, “This is a rare occurrence and I think people need to understand that here in Buffalo, we partner very closely with the school district on a number of initiatives to protect the safety of our children and the safety of our school buildings.”