Claremont School Safety Public Discussion, March 17, 2025 | Forum after the February 11 lockdown

Participants

Everyone heard or named in the recording. There are no minutes for this forum, so names come from self-introductions and the superintendent's panel introductions, with spellings checked against the district's own mastheads (approved 3/19/25 minutes) where the person appears there. Members of the public who did not give a name stay Unidentified. No student is named on this page.
Name	Role	Participation
Chris Pratt	Superintendent, SAU 6; moderator	Opens the forum and states its purpose (0:01:21); introduces the panel (0:02:51); thanks the police (0:13:22); poses the panel questions (0:15:20, 0:25:30); describes security changes since the start of the school year (0:21:21); answers public questions throughout; closes (1:29:26 to 1:31:37).
Dr. Michael Herrington	Principal, Stevens High School	Gives the account of February 11 (0:04:51 to 0:12:57); describes bullying reporting and restorative practice at Stevens (0:26:06); answers the first parent's questions, says students are not being named, announces a no-wandering rule and a student advisory committee (0:43:06 to 0:48:33). The transcript renders his name "Harrington".
Melissa Lewis	Principal, Disnard School	Daily safety routines and drills at the elementary level (0:15:52); bullying prevention, Second Step and Choose Love curricula (0:31:46 to 0:35:26).
Mark Blount	Principal, Maple Avenue School	Drills and daily walkabouts (0:17:54); staff training and the elementary behavior matrix (0:35:36). The dialogue file names him by elimination (he is the remaining elementary principal on the panel; the transcript renders his name "blunt" in the introduction).
Frank Romeo	Principal, Claremont Middle School	Challenges of shared responsibility for safety (0:19:36); hallway-pass alerts and a staff check-mark exercise to find students with no adult connection (1:16:44 to 1:19:02).
Mike McCosker	Director of Student Services, SAU 6 (spelled Michael McCosker on the district's 3/19/25 masthead)	On the search for a mental health clinician and a contract with Counseling Associates (1:10:27 to 1:11:16).
Unidentified panel member	Administrator invited to describe security infrastructure	Grant-funded security cameras and door locks (0:23:53, 0:24:25). The superintendent introduced Jeff Small, director of technology, as a panel member (0:03:10), but the voice is not identified in the recording, so this page does not name the speaker.
Panel members introduced but not heard	Police representatives; the assistant superintendent; Jeff Small	The introduction at 0:02:51 names police representatives in a passage the transcript garbles ("Chief Officer Simon Row"; later "Chief Oman and Officer Simons", 0:13:45); their names are not recoverable from the recording. The Bluff School principal could not attend (0:03:10; name garbled).
Staff named but not heard	Stevens and Disnard staff	Paige Jarvis, assistant principal at Stevens, who put the school in lockdown (0:05:42); Stephen Pascucci, Stevens director of restorative justice (0:27:16); Nicole Boynton, student services coordinator, Disnard (0:33:29). The SRVRTC assistant director, whom Principal Herrington identifies as his wife, made the initial report to him (0:05:12).
Wayne Hemingway	Public; parent of a CMS student; New Hampshire state representative (as he states)	Thanks the responders; "Our our major problem is drugs." (0:37:21 to 0:38:52). The transcript renders his name "Henning Way".
Unidentified parent (father)	Public; father of Stevens students	Asks what is done to identify students with problems early and how four students could be out of class for so long; describes arriving in the parking lot during the response (0:39:38 to 0:42:30). A follow-up voice asks about live camera monitoring (0:50:24); the dialogue file suggests it may be the same father.
Unidentified parent	Public; says she or he has done investigations for the state	Asks the district to explain its processes and to offer public active-shooter training (0:51:53 to 0:54:06); probably the same voice urges consistency and transparency at 1:05:59.
Ashley Goff	Public; parent of three students	Asks that a real event be announced as such (0:55:57 to 0:57:13).
Bill Madden	Public, speaking as a parent; newly elected member of the Claremont School Board (welcomed as a new member at the 3/19/25 meeting)	Describes building security gaps, his son's experience of bullying, and inconsistent discipline (0:58:55 to 1:01:27).
Unidentified parent	Public; parent of a Stevens sophomore	A 132-second comment at 1:02:46 that the transcript captures only in fragments.
Hope Damon	Public; New Hampshire state representative (as she states)	Asks how the schools identify students with mental health needs and connect them to help (1:07:27 to 1:08:37).
Unidentified speaker	Public; describes having been present at expulsion and harassment hearings	Says state law makes expulsion difficult and urges advocacy in Concord (1:09:08 to 1:10:05). The dialogue file suggests a current or former school board member; the speaker is not named and this page does not guess.
Unidentified questioner	Public	Asks about Stevens enrollment and the number of counselors in a crosstalk exchange (1:13:02 to 1:13:26).
Priscilla Stevens	Public; community member without children in the schools	Trust and transparency; asks about metal detectors (1:15:10 to 1:16:05).
Unidentified community member	Public; says she has no children in school	Cites New Hampshire Department of Education bullying figures for Stevens (1:19:32).
Unidentified community member	Public; retired teacher of 36 years who still works in classrooms; grandparent of a student	Student buy-in, and inconsistent application of the discipline matrix (1:22:09 to 1:24:22).
Unidentified community member	Public	Closing remarks on teacher and student accountability; supports metal detectors if grant-funded (1:26:30 to 1:27:16).
Unidentified parent (mother)	Public; parent of CMS and Stevens students	Praises the current administration and urges parents to take part (1:28:28 to 1:29:00).

Order of business (reconstructed)

No agenda was posted or found. The order below is reconstructed from the superintendent's transitions.

Segments of the forum as the moderator announced them.
Taken up	Item	What happened
0:00:03	Welcome, purpose and ground rules	The superintendent says the purpose "is not only to review the recent events that took place at Stevens High School on February 11th" but also school safety in all SAU 6 schools (0:01:21); asks for respect and no inappropriate language (0:02:05, 0:02:27); sets three minutes per speaker (0:03:45); thanks CCTV for broadcasting (0:03:10).
0:04:51	Account of February 11	Principal Herrington's account, followed by the superintendent's thanks to the Claremont police and neighboring departments (0:13:22).
0:15:20	Panel question 1: principals' safety responsibilities	Lewis, Blount and Romeo answer; the superintendent lists improvements made since the fall; a panel member describes grant-funded cameras (0:23:53).
0:25:30	Panel question 2: bullying and harassment	Herrington, the superintendent, Lewis and Blount describe reporting, investigation, restorative practice and the behavior matrix.
0:36:51	Public questions and comments	Fourteen public speakers, with answers from the panel, until the superintendent's closing invitation at 1:26:08.
1:29:26	Closing	The superintendent describes his community advisory committee and Herrington's student advisory committee and thanks those present (1:29:48, 1:30:37, 1:31:37).

Discussion timeline

Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/16408 SchoolSafetyForum031725.mp4.CSV) and link into the recording. Accounts of individual students are summarized without detail that could identify them.

Topics in the order they were discussed.
Time	Topic	What was said	Flags
0:01:21	Purpose of the forum	Pratt: the forum will review the February 11 events, "what the schools do and will continue to do in regards to the school safety", and gather ideas from the community. At 0:14:35: "we can't do this alone".	POSITIVE
0:05:12	The report and the lockdown	Herrington: the SRVRTC assistant director called him with "a report that a student may have a gun in Stevens High School"; the assistant principal put the school in lockdown (0:05:42); when the video was seen he called 911, and an officer arrived in "less than a minute" (0:06:56, 0:07:20); "I want to say the entire lockdown lasted 40 minutes" (0:07:20).	OBS
0:07:57	Police sweep; the BB gun	Herrington estimates "About 10 or 15 police" swept the building; one student was detained in a hallway and three in a bathroom with what was later found to be a BB gun. "Just from being four feet away, I could not tell the difference." (0:08:27)
0:08:56	What the cameras showed	Staff reconstructed the four students' movements from camera footage: in the halls and bathrooms for "about 30 or 40 minutes before the lockdown started", while others were in class; one tried to cover a camera with a sticky note (0:10:06); the original video had been deleted from the phone it was shown on (0:10:28).	OBS
0:11:41	Student reaction	Herrington says students are frustrated by community remarks that it was only a BB gun, because at the time no one knew; police searched room by room "with weapons" (0:11:10).
0:12:30	Gaps found in the response	"There's least two offices with people in them that did not hear the lockdown and were just busted in by police with guns." Pratt later describes floor numbering that confused responders (0:21:51) and says those offices have been addressed (0:22:15).	OBS
0:15:52	Principals' daily safety duties	Lewis: door checks, expectations, drills and work with fire and police. Blount: "we are required by the state to do at least two lockdowns a year and two fire drills each year" (0:17:54). Romeo: everyone shares responsibility; adults at each entry door each morning (0:20:13).	OBS
0:21:21	Changes since the fall	Pratt: an online threat at the start of the year exposed radio problems, now remedied with common radios checked "3 or 4 times a week" (0:23:21); exterior lockdown strobes and lockdown switches (0:22:33); a panel member: "We applied for a grant, and we were able to add, a bunch more security cameras." (0:23:53); a buzzer and cameras at the central office (0:25:10).
0:26:06	Bullying and harassment process	Herrington: a student statement form that notifies all administrators and records the legal definition and outcome (0:26:26); restorative circles with the director of restorative justice (0:27:16). Pratt: "a lot of times it could be 95% sure it's happening, but we don't have enough to take one student work over the other." (0:29:15); the behavior matrix is reviewed each year (0:30:46).	OBS
0:31:46	Elementary practice	Lewis: responsive classroom, "we use a curriculum program called Second Step" (0:32:28) and the Choose Love curriculum (0:33:51); investigations follow the district policy checklist (0:35:03). Blount: annual staff training and an elementary behavior matrix (0:35:36, 0:36:15).
0:37:21	Public: Hemingway	Thanks responders; "It could have gone two ways." (0:37:53); calls Claremont "not totally a violent crime city" (0:38:19).
0:40:26	Public: early identification and hallway time	A father asks "what we're doing proactively to identify kids who may have issues" and how the four could be on video for about 40 minutes (0:41:15). Herrington: every student involved was known to administrators and had plans (0:43:51); "we're not saying names" because "this is on television" (0:43:29); students out of place are now sent home: "if you are not where you were supposed to be and you were out wandering halls, I'm just sending you home." (0:45:49); a student principal's advisory committee (0:47:26).	POSITIVE
0:48:36	No hallway monitor; camera feeds not watched	Pratt: "We really don't have anyone patrolling the hallway." (0:48:55). Asked about live monitoring: "So currently we don't we don't have anyone watching to defeat [the feed] live to to monitor the halls." (0:51:00); bringing back a former high-school position is under discussion (0:51:08); "it would have been I think it would have made a difference in hindsight." (0:51:28)	OBS
0:51:53	Public: explain the process; public training	A parent asks the district to explain in general terms why some things cannot be done or shared, and suggests public training on emergency operations (0:53:22). Pratt: in the last five years "it's been a huge shift" in social-emotional needs (0:54:53).
0:55:57	Public: drill or real event	Goff: some classrooms thought it was a drill; "They need to know when it's real. It needs to be announced. This is not a drill." (0:56:55). Pratt: students at the high school knew from the tone of the announcement; the question will be taken up with police (0:57:20, 0:58:44).
0:58:55	Public: Madden on security and discipline	Madden, a new board member speaking as a parent, describes finding a door that could be pulled open, his son's experience of bullying, and "I don't think the administration know what the simple rules are." (1:00:46). Pratt: students have changed, and the district tries to be consistent while treating each student individually (1:01:55, 1:02:13).	OBS
1:04:59	"Our schools are for kids who want to learn"	Pratt: the district must "draw the line in the sand" (1:04:59); the behavior matrix is posted in the high school and in the handbooks and reviewed yearly (1:06:53, 1:07:16).
1:07:27	Public: mental health supports	Damon asks about "connections on mental health and recognizing which students have some needs" (1:08:37). An unnamed speaker who attended expulsion hearings says expelling a student is "very, very difficult" under state law (1:09:36). McCosker: one clinician never started and a second changed her mind; "We did go sign a contract with Counseling Associates." (1:10:52).	OBS
1:11:30	Staff shortages	Pratt: shortages of social workers, nurses, clinicians and counselors; classroom teachers absorb the work. In a crosstalk exchange a figure of 471 is given for enrollment (1:13:12) and counselor numbers are discussed (1:13:13). Pratt: "I think we only have two, maybe three social workers in the whole district." (1:13:51)	OBS
1:15:10	Public: metal detectors	Priscilla Stevens raises metal detectors. Pratt: "Now we're not ruling out anything at this point." (1:16:07). At 1:26:37 another speaker supports detectors only if grant-funded; Pratt: "So we'll continue to explore that." (1:27:58). No cost figure is given.	OBS
1:16:44	How CMS tracks students	Romeo: "We have alerts that we have built in any student after ten minutes." (1:17:06); staff mark students they know well and counselors meet those with no check mark (1:17:44); home checks with the school resource officer (1:18:10).
1:19:32	Public: state bullying data	A community member says the Department of Education's figures show "for the last three years, 21 through 24, there were zero bullying incidents" at Stevens. Pratt: "They probably haven't gotten around to updating it." and "So we can say we definitely have bullying." (1:20:05); the high school's numbers have gone down since phones were removed (1:21:04).	OBS
1:22:09	Public: consistency of discipline	A retired teacher says the matrix "is not followed exactly as written across the district" (1:24:22). Pratt: "No, I agree with you." (1:25:03); the matrix has been in place "for two years" (1:25:24).	POSITIVE
1:28:29	Public: praise for the administration	A mother says the previous administration "did not listen to us" and credits the CMS principal and the superintendent with change.
1:29:26	Closing	Pratt: he started a superintendent's community committee around December (1:29:48) and hopes to bring it together with the student advisory committee (1:31:09).

Items flagged for review

These flags are a reviewer's aid. They are not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each one names the rule or document it rests on, and a reader should check the cited source and the recording before relying on it.

OBSERVATION The only record of this forum is the recording; nothing shows it was a meeting of a public body

The forum was convened by the superintendent, not by the Claremont School Board or the SAU 6 board. No notice, agenda, attendance record or minutes were found in either district share. The Right-to-Know Law's notice and minutes duties attach to a meeting, which RSA 91-A:2, I defines as "the convening of a quorum of the membership of a public body" for the purpose of discussing or acting on matters within its jurisdiction (statute text). Newly elected board member Bill Madden spoke from the public podium as a parent (0:58:55), and the superintendent's closing thanks reads in the transcript "I want to thank all the female members and administrators" (1:31:09), possibly a garble of a reference to board members. Nothing in the recording establishes that a quorum of either board attended or deliberated, so no Right-to-Know duty is shown to have applied. The practical effect is that this CCTV recording is the only public account of what administrators told the community about February 11, which is why this page exists.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2, I (definition of a meeting); MAP.md section 259 (no packet or minutes in either share)

OBSERVATION Gaps in the February 11 response, described by the district itself

The panel volunteered several weaknesses. Four students were in the halls and bathrooms for "about 30 or 40 minutes before the lockdown started" (0:08:56). At least two occupied offices "did not hear the lockdown" (0:12:30). Responders were confused by floor numbering (0:21:51). Building-to-building radio communication had been unreliable until this school year (0:22:55). No one watches the camera feeds live (0:51:00), and the superintendent said a monitor "would have made a difference in hindsight" (0:51:28). Administrators reported fixes for several of these: renumbering, the offices, radios, strobes, added cameras and a no-wandering rule. One principal said the state requires "at least two lockdowns a year and two fire drills each year" (0:17:54); this page did not verify a drill statute or rule this run, so that figure stays the speaker's characterization. No rule is cited for the gaps themselves; the item is recorded so the board can follow up on which fixes are complete.

Sources: the recording at the times linked above

OBSERVATION State bullying reports: a public claim of zero incidents at Stevens, and the superintendent's answer

RSA 193-F:6 requires each school district to "annually report substantiated incidents of bullying or cyberbullying to the department of education" (statute text; unamended since 2010, 155:3). A community member said the department's figures show zero bullying incidents at Stevens for 2021 through 2024 (1:19:32). The superintendent answered that the state "probably haven't gotten around to updating it" and that "we definitely have bullying" (1:20:05), and earlier said that investigators can be "95% sure it's happening" without enough evidence to act (0:29:15). The statute counts substantiated incidents only, so a report of zero could reflect the substantiation threshold rather than an absence of bullying, or it could reflect an unfiled report. This page did not check the department's data. The district's annual 193-F:6 reports for 2021–22 through 2023–24 would settle which.

Sources: RSA 193-F:6 (annual report of substantiated bullying incidents)

OBSERVATION Student-support staffing and security spending were discussed without figures

Administrators described unfilled support positions: a mental health clinician who never started and a second who withdrew, then a contract with Counseling Associates (1:10:27, 1:10:52); counselor vacancies, with counselors "doing double or triple the work" (1:13:30); and "two, maybe three social workers in the whole district" (1:13:51). Metal detectors and a hallway monitor position were raised as possibilities (0:51:08, 1:16:07, 1:27:58). No cost, contract amount or funding source was stated for any of them, and the forum could not act on them. Any contract or new position would have to come before the board within its appropriations. No staffing standard was verified for this page, so this item cites no rule.

Sources: the recording at the times linked above

POSITIVE A televised forum with open questions after a school safety incident, with students kept unnamed

No statute required this forum. The superintendent convened it, asked principals to explain their practice, and took unscreened questions from the public for about 50 minutes (0:36:51 to 1:28:28), with CCTV broadcasting it (0:03:10). Principal Herrington said he was keeping to generalities because "this is on television" (0:43:29), and no student involved was named. When a speaker said the discipline matrix is not applied consistently, the superintendent agreed rather than contesting it (1:25:03). This goes beyond what the law requires of a school district after an incident.

Sources: the recording at the times linked above

Appendix: source files

Official and public sources

Cablecast: Claremont School Safety Public Discussion (show 16408)
No packet folder, agenda, notice or minutes for this forum were found in the district's packets share or its Meeting Minutes share (2025 and 2026 year folders), per MAP.md section 259. The forum appears on no board agenda; the approved 3/19/25 board minutes do not mention it.

Project files

Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.

Dialogue/16408 SchoolSafetyForum031725.mp4.CSV (286 attributed rows; the basis of this page)
Input/Videos/16408 SchoolSafetyForum031725.mp4
Input/Transcripts/16408 SchoolSafetyForum031725.mp4.json
Input/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md (section 259)

Laws and rules cited on this page

Right-to-Know Law, definition of a meeting: RSA 91-A:2, I
Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention Act, annual reporting: RSA 193-F:6 (2010, 155:3; unamended)