Dear Putnam Valley Community:
We are sending this email to make you aware of a situation that occurred on our High School/Middle School campus on Thursday evening. Upon receiving notification, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department was immediately contacted. Key staff and after-school personnel were also notified.
One of our coaches reported observing a person known to her during Thursday evening’s practice. This person had no reason to be at the practice or on school grounds. The observed individual did not interact with the coach or any students and left the campus immediately after being seen.
In consultation with the Sheriff’s Department, the district reviewed video footage and was able to track the person’s movements while on campus and identify the individual. After making contact with the individual via phone, he was asked to report to the Sheriff’s Department where he was interviewed and subsequently arrested for harassment. The individual was notified that they are prohibited from entering any school grounds.
If you have visited one of our school buildings during the day you have noticed that all visitors must enter through one main door and are required to present identification. After school hours, visitors and athletes are to only use the athletic entrances and we have a security guard on duty. We will continue to work with our security consultant and with law enforcement to review and improve our security procedures and we ask for your continued partnership in keeping our campuses safe.
The District takes the safety of all students and staff very seriously and recognizes the need to be transparent regarding incidents that may impact our school community. We will always act out of an abundance of caution to ensure our students and staff are safe.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeremy Luft
Deputy Superintendent