Back-to-school for Amsterdam, new safety measures implemented

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On Thursday, Amsterdam High School students headed back to school for the first day of classes for the 2024-2025 school year. Students at the high school are going to be facing new initiatives the school is putting out regarding phones in the classroom and security measures.

According to the school webpage, new security detectors were added to the front doors of the high school in an effort to create a safer and more welcoming environment against the threat of gun violence. The school will use Evolv Express, which is the weapons detection system.

According to Richard Ruberti, the Superintendent of Schools, the detectors use artificial intelligence to identify weapons while reducing false alarms. This system allows for more efficient movement of students through the detectors.

“Today we have a new Evolv system that is an advanced metal detector beyond metal detector, its AI enabled, so it’s really sped up a process, but we’re still checking kids, checking for you know concerns and weapons, and so that’s been a big step for us to put this technology in place to make sure we’re providing safe environment," Ruberti said.

The school district will also be implementing phone-free classrooms in grades 6-12, and school leaders hope to help students engage more in class and have fewer distractions.

“We have teachers that did their own research," Ruberti said. "They had over 350 dings on their cell phones for kids in the classroom in one period. So that's Snapchat, Tik Tok, and messaging. We’ve also seen it use for bullying and videos of altercations, so it’s something that’s really had a negative impact on the overall impact of the education process.”

According to the school website, the second week of September is when Yondr pouches will be given out to all middle and high school students. The district plans to have a full implementation on Sept. 30, 2024.

“Along with a lot of other schools in the country and locally, Yondr pouches are going to be used," Ruberti said. "So we’re going to be slowly rolling that out to get those and kids hands over the next couple of weeks.”

The school is also noting that all phones, smartwatches, and earbuds will be placed in those personal, locked Yondr pouches, which will be kept sealed during school and opened at the end of the day. Each student will have their own personally assigned pouch.

Ruberti also said that new classes will be added to the district through the distance learning network that allows the district to offer classes students are interested in and give them an opportunity to take courses from other schools as well. The school also has a new robotics lab.

In addition, a new student center has been created in the front of the high school with new furniture, which Ruberti said allows for meeting spaces and for kids to have quiet lunches.

The district also has come up on two years with CDTA, something that the school brought to the city, according to the superintendent. CDTA transports about 700 high school students and also gives kids passes, which they can use at night and on weekends. Ruberti said it gives transportation opportunities for students who might not have it otherwise.